The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE - This time last season, Scott Podsednik was trying to prove he belonged in the Milwaukee Brewers' lineup.

Now, he'll be sticking around.

The Brewers extended Podsednik's contract for two years Wednesday, locking in the outfielder through the 2006 season and giving him a shot of confidence in his second year in the major leagues.

"It's a warm feeling knowing that a team wants you around for a few more years," Podsednik said.

The 28-year-old spent nine seasons in the minor leagues before he permanently joined Milwaukee's lineup May 13 last year.

Podsednik batted .314 with nine home runs, 58 RBI, 43 stolen bases and 100 runs scored.

He became just the fourth rookie to hit .300, steal 40 bases and score 100 runs, joining Jimmy Barrett (1900), Shoeless Joe Jackson (1911) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001). And he finished second to Florida pitcher Dontrelle Willis for the NL Rookie of the Year award.

"It all has happened real quick," Podsednik said. "Last March, I was battling for a spot with this club. Four to five months later, they're talking about Rookie of the Year. Four to five months later, I'm signing a two-year extension."

Podsednik was batting .291 with three home runs and eight RBI before Wednesday's game against the Reds.

MARLINS: Right-hander A.J. Burnett threw batting practice Wednesday for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery and said he hopes to rejoin the rotation in early June.

"I'm close," he said. "It was fun. It was a big step."

Burnett threw 25 pitches, all fastballs, to Marlins teammates. He said he plans to throw batting practice again Saturday and Wednesday, and then he hopes to begin a rehabilitation assignment.

APPEAL DENIED: The New York Mets' protest of a game against the San Diego Padres because of a pitcher's delivery was denied Wednesday by Major League Baseball.

The Mets played Saturday's game at San Diego under protest after Padres reliever Akinori Otsuka threw one pitch in the eighth inning. The Mets said Otsuka balks with each pitch.

Otsuka has an unusual motion, bringing his hands back together after he starts his delivery to the plate in a sort of double-tapping action.

FAN CHARGED: A New Jersey man who stepped onto the field during a New York Mets game is the first charged under a new law prohibiting interference with professional sporting events.

Under a law passed last fall, a conviction of interference with a professional sporting event carries a minimum fine of $1,000.