01:00 AM EDT on Friday, June 9, 2006

The lawyer for Kimberly Bell, Barry Bonds' former companion, told George Mitchell yesterday that she has been advised by federal authorities not to cooperate with Mitchell's investigation into steroid use in baseball because of "the pending criminal proceeding."

While the lawyer, Martin Garbus, did not specify a proceeding, in all likelihood he was referring to the investigation of Bonds and the question of whether he committed perjury while testifying in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroid distribution case. Bonds told a federal grand jury two and a half years ago that he did not knowingly use steroids.

Because federal investigators asked Bell to avoid Mitchell, it is a strong indication that they are actively pursuing perjury charges and possibly additional charges of financial malfeasance against Bonds, 41, the left fielder for the San Francisco Giants.

ROUNDUP

WOOD OPTIMISTIC: Right-hander Kerry Wood, bothered by stiffness in his pitching shoulder, got an encouraging prognosis from the doctor who performed his most recent surgery. The Chicago Cubs starter flew to Cincinnati ahead of his teammates on Wednesday and was examined by Dr. Timothy Kremchek, who cleaned out his rotator cuff and reinforced his labrum during a one-hour operation last August. Wood has been bothered by stiffness in the shoulder. Kremchek described it as a normal part of his recovery from the operation. "We were pleased with the results of the exam," trainer Mark O'Neal said yesterday. "Basically, we're dealing with soreness. He's got a little joint irritation. There's no injury there. Everybody knows he's taken extra days (before) his last two starts. I think he just wanted to make sure we're not dealing with anything that's not to be expected."

HARDEN ON DL: Oakland's Rich Harden returned to the DL with a strained ligament in his right elbow. Harden had just come back from the DL with a torn oblique muscle and made only one start, pitching four innings on Sunday against Minnesota. But in the third inning, his sore elbow became worse. He underwent an MRI at the Cleveland Clinic on Wednesday, which revealed the strain.

NIPPERT OPTIONED: The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned right-hander Dustin Nippert to Triple-A Tucson yesterday and recalled right-hander Greg Aquino. Nippert spent one day with the Diamondbacks, getting the loss Wednesday as an emergency starter against Philadelphia. He allowed six runs and seven hits with four walks in five innings of the Phillies' 7-3 win.