Pelfrey looks for minor adjustment  —  MIAMI - Mike Pelfrey knew he was ticketed for the minors early in the day at the team hotel when he got wind of Royce Ring being summoned to the Mets.  Pelfrey got the news he was headed to Triple-A Norfolk from Willie Randolph when he arrived at Dolphin Stadium.

Mulder may pitch soon  —  Mulder may pitch soon  —  Barring complications from a side session set for today, lefthander Mark Mulder will begin a rehab assignment Sunday in Davenport, Iowa, for Class A Quad Cities.  —  Mulder reported no problems Wednesday after working a three-inning simulation Tuesday against several teammates.

Armas Falters, Stanton Rises  —  Nats' Rally Can't Trump Poor Start: Giants 8, Nationals 6  —  A week ago, Mike Stanton wore a cap with a script "W" above the brim and tutored the young men in the Washington Nationals' bullpen, some of them more than 15 years his junior.

Astros-Padres Preview  —  The Houston Astros are slowly moving into contention for a third straight NL wild card berth.  —  The Astros look to complete their first three-game sweep at San Diego in nearly 24 years when the meet the Padres on Thursday afternoon.

Cubs' Wood skips surgery on shoulder  —  Right-hander will come out of the bullpen after rehab  —  CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood has decided not to have surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, and also has accepted that he may have to pitch in relief rather than start when he does return.

Barrett in running for Aaron Award  —  Cubs catcher claimed Silver Slugger honors last season  —  CHICAGO — Michael Barrett didn't adjust his stance or drop his elbow or change his grip.  The difference at the plate this season for the Chicago Cubs catcher is mental, not physical.

Fasano & Lidle keep cool, warm up for hot forecast  —  Sal Fasano is a man with a three-part plan.  The first part is eating a good meal this morning.  The second is drinking an enormous amount of water.  The third aspect is having prepared a solution of ammonia and water so he can pour it on his head from time to time.

Park bled internally; prognosis good  —  Lower intestinal bleeding caused starting pitcher Chan Ho Park to lose half of his blood volume, but the Padres expect a blood transfusion and iron supplements to soon restore the anemic 33-year-old.  —  "As soon he can come off the disabled list …

Varitek keeps positive outlook  —  Jason Varitek hobbled into the room and hobbled out.  In between, the Red Sox catcher opted to take the optimistic view.  —  But then, that is probably part of the reason why he is the team captain.  —  Speaking for the first time since being diagnosed …

Larry Legend vs. Big Papi  —  Four years ago, back when David Ortiz was just The Fat Guy on the Twins, I tackled "Pacino or DeNiro?" and called it the most important mailbag question in Sports Guy history.  Now I'm wondering if that question has been surpassed by "Big Papi or Larry Legend? …

Cuban star Gourriel has no interest in deserting … At 22 and already with an impressive résumé in local and international events.  Cuban infielder Yulieski Gourriel is considered one of the world's best baseball players.  —  And as with other Cuban greats since Fidel Castro …

Heat exhaustion  —  Trachsel gets win, but bullpen lets it get too close for comfort  —  MIAMI - Winning pitcher Steve Trachsel was waiting to open the door to the clubhouse for Billy Wagner last night, an appropriately symbolic gesture after Wagner had just slammed the door on the Marlins in dramatic …

Notes: Catching duties shift  —  Blalock plays at DH in finale; Loe set for rehab start  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Rangers catcher Rod Barajas was able to joke about throwing out two basestealers in one inning on Tuesday.  —  "When you have three days off, your arm feels fresh," Barajas said.

Sanchez's best save  —  Met reliever feared for career after crash  —  By CHRISTIAN RED in Miami and MICHAEL O'KEEFFE in New York  —  Duaner Sanchez was chatting with his cousin and a friend in the back of a cab early Monday when another car suddenly slammed into the side of the taxi on a Miami highway.

Konerko's pain in elbow subsides  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Paul Konerko said he was worried Tuesday night when the pain above his left elbow didn't subside 30 minutes after Scott Dohmann's pitch had hit him.  —  Fortunately for the White Sox and Konerko, X-rays revealed no break.

Death, Taxes, and Major League Waivers  —  MLB's rules are complex and convoluted, but they're not hard.  I've heard various people in front offices referred to as "rules experts" or - my favorite "waivers experts."  The rule on waivers (Rule 9) runs nine pages, a large part of which revolve around resolving the order of claims.