Hillenbrand lashes out at Jays front office, wants trade  —  TORONTO — Shea Hillenbrand criticized the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday and said he expects to be traded.  —  "I love my teammates here, but I'm waiting to be traded," Hillenbrand said during a profanity-filled tirade.

Wakefield out with stress fracture in rib cage  —  The Red Sox will have to make do without pitcher Tim Wakefield for at least three weeks, after extensive tests revealed he has a stress fracture in his rib cage, a source with direct knowledge of the injury confirmed.

Nats Left Wishing on a Star  —  Frustration Mounts as Kearns Struggles, Florida Wins Series: Marlins 1, Nationals 0  —  MIAMI, July 19 — For a moment, there was some hope, albeit in the most marginal of forms.  Florida Marlins center fielder Alfredo Amezaga drifted back …

Cubs coach put on leave after DUI arrest  —  The Cubs coaching staff, already in turmoil over job futures, underwent a shakeup after third-base coach Chris Speier was charged with driving under the influence early Wednesday.  —  No one was saying how long Triple-A manager Mike Quade …

Hanks, Howard pay visit to GABP  —  Along with Dennis Miller, Oscar winners touring ballparks  —  CINCINNATI — On Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park, actors Tom Hanks and Dennis Miller and director Ron Howard were just three regular guys killing time during a long rain delay.

Clemens wins 343rd over Cubs, Maddux  —  Roger Clemens outpitched Greg Maddux in a rare matchup of 300-game winners and the Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs 4-2 on Wednesday night.  —  Clemens (2-3) threw six shutout innings to earn his 343rd career victory and move into sole possession of eighth place on the career list.

Yanks do trick, not trade  —  Until yesterday, and the wasted vintage pitching effort by Randy Johnson, there had been nothing but good tidings for Joe Torre's Yankees this second half of the season.  And, more and more, there has been reason to believe the "scrub squadders" of Melky Cabrera …

1.6B Mets, Yanks bonds  —  The IRS gave the thumbs up to the city yesterday to issue $1.6 billion in bonds so the Yankees and Mets can build new stadiums.  —  The long-anticipated ruling follows the approval of the financing package by the New York City Industrial Development Agency …

Mets could trade top prospect for Zito  —  The Mets have insisted for months that they won't trade their top position prospect, Class AAA outfielder Lastings Milledge.  But a growing number of major-league executives believe that the Mets will indeed part with Milledge, 21, if they can get the right starting pitcher in return.

Pedro makes pitch to hit 10-day target  —  CINCINNATI - Pedro Martinez has moved closer to returning from the disabled list.  The ace had a 60-pitch bullpen session yesterday, with a five-minute rest midway through the workout.  Martinez, whose 45-pitch session Sunday was his first since landing …

THT Book Review: Feeding the Monster  —  Seth Mnookin, a lifelong Red Sox fan and former senior writer at Newsweek, has written a definitive account of the Red Sox from the moment John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino bought the team in 2002 through the beginning of the 2006 season.

Monroe slams White Sox  —  Vazquez allows grand slam as Tigers tie series  —  DETROIT — The symptoms resurfaced quickly Wednesday night and were too acute to cure.  —  Javier Vazquez's sixth-inning blues suddenly transformed a crafty effort into a tough 5-2 loss at Detroit that puts …

A's edge past Orioles  —  Crosby, Ellis hit back-to-back homers in third inning  —  BALTIMORE — Bobby Crosby was batting .111 so far on the A's current road trip, and Mark Ellis was batting .222.  —  So after Crosby ripped a two-run homer in the third inning Tuesday and Ellis followed …