Nats' Brass Say They'll Rebuild From Within  —  Lerner, Kasten Promise No Precipitous Moves  —  Stan Kasten, the man who will run the Washington Nationals as their president, has been involved with professional sports for nearly three decades, virtually the entire span of free agency.

Pedro goes for sixth straight win  —  Pittsburgh (8-20) at New York (17-9), 7:10 p.m. ET  —  When Pedro Martinez is listed as the next scheduled starting pitcher, it never seems to matter too much if the Mets won or lost the day before.  —  Momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher …

A-Rod grabs chance in clutch  —  RBI single lifts Yanks in 10th  —  ST. PETERSBURG - Alex Rodriguez was waiting in the on-deck circle when Joe Torre called him over from the dugout.  Rodriguez was a little confused.  Tenth inning, tie game, go-ahead run in scoring position . . . and the manager wanted to talk?

On the Lidge  —  Wednesday's game ended up as a mark in the wrong column, but it was a treat to watch.  Certainly, our crimson-clad superheroes played a hard nine.  Some things I think:  —  Jason Marquis: I either called this one, or I jinxed him.  I left a comment on VEB's Game 28 thread about 10 minutes before first pitch:

Mulder in St. Louis to have back examined  —  HOUSTON - Lefthanded starting pitcher Mark Mulder returned to St. Louis Tuesday night to be examined for back stiffness that has bothered him for much of the last two weeks, club officials confirmed Wednesday afternoon.

Notes: Rotation facing makeover?  —  Little indicates Perez may not make his next scheduled start  —  LOS ANGELES — Odalis Perez's next turn in the rotation comes up on Sunday.  Whether he makes it appears doubtful.  —  Perez took a 6-0 lead into the fifth inning on Tuesday night in Arizona.

New pastime: Needling Barry  —  MILWAUKEE - There's a statue of Hank Aaron outside the main gate at Miller Park.  The plaque underneath contains the information that the Hall of Famer played for the Milwaukee Braves from 1954 through 1965, after which the franchise relocated to Atlanta …

Arizona not a happy place for Maddux  —  PHOENIX — Bank One Ballpark is now Chase Field.  But as far as Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux is concerned, withdrawing a victory from this chintzy place has been an impoverishing experience.  —  Maddux continued to come up dry in the desert …

Prior's recovery runs into another roadblock  —  PHOENIX — Pitchers Kerry Wood and Wade Miller were with their teammates Wednesday in the Cubs' clubhouse at Chase Field, but Mark Prior was missing and no gear was in his empty locker.  He is dealing with a physical setback that has nothing to do with his right shoulder rehab.

Rain delay provided an opportunity to soak the fans  —  Despite more brutal weather, they played baseball at Fenway last night.  Hallelujah.  But had they not played, the Red Sox still would have been winners at the cash register.  The $ox always win these days.

The Diary of Carlos Delgado  —  The students wanted to present Carlos Delgado with a gift he could actually use, something that did not cost a lot of money but showed a lot of thought.  —  Johnathan Polanco was watching the Mets on television when he thought of the perfect thing.

Flashback From The Subconscious  —  Any similarities to Tike Redman and Braden Looper are completely coincidental.  —  We hope.  —  This is the game that you don't want to take a nap in the middle of...especially anytime after the ninth inning.  Because after Country Time spit the bit …

Notes: Shoulder sends Ohka to DL  —  Righty expected out at least one month; no surgery scheduled  —  MILWAUKEE — The Brewers placed Tomo Ohka on the disabled list on Wednesday with a shoulder injury that will sideline the right-hander for at least a month.

Grieving Barmes to leave team  —  Shortstop will miss up to two games of upcoming homestand  —  ATLANTA — Rockies shortstop Clint Barmes will leave the club to mourn the death of a family member after Tuesday night's game, and will miss one and possibly two games of a homestand that starts on Wednesday.

The survival guide: Jones credits his mother  —  If you think a few boo-birds are going to keep Jacque Jones down, then you don't know much about the Cubs right fielder.  Sure, he was disappointed about being booed at Wrigley Field.  No one likes to be booed.  But when you look at the big picture, the boos don't mean a thing.

Latest Wood rehab tour starts Sunday in Peoria  —  PHOENIX — Kerry Wood will start his minor-league rehab Sunday pitching in Peoria for the Cubs' Class A affiliate.  He will be facing the Lansing Lugnuts in a Midwest League game.  —  His goal will be to throw 75 to 80 pitches.