Hinske trade struck  —  Blue Jays unload lefthanded bat  —  Not one to complain, David Ortiz yesterday afternoon put words to a sentiment widely held in the Red Sox clubhouse.  —  ``We need help," he said.  ``It's getting late."  —  Perhaps Ortiz already had an inkling of what was coming …

Strong-arm tactics  —  Wells gets win with help from Hansen, Papelbon  —  There are easier ways to grow up than in a pennant race, although Craig Hansen will never know it.  —  The kid who went to school on Utopia Parkway, then did not pass ``Go" on his way from St. John's University to the big leagues …

Notes: Waivers surprise Soriano  —  Left fielder thought speculation was done after July 31 deadline  —  WASHINGTON — Left fielder Alfonso Soriano was surprised to learn that he was placed on waivers on Tuesday.  He figured that since he wasn't traded before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline …

Pirates Notebook: Inning count could cost Gorzelanny  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  The Pirates' management is discussing a plan to curtail the innings pitched by its four young starters the rest of the season.  —  And that could spell an early end, specifically, for Tom Gorzelanny.

Stick a shovel in House that Ruth Built  —  The shadow of the Bambino loomed large yesterday as the Bronx Bombers broke ground on a new Yankee Stadium to replace the House That Ruth Built.  —  "I think the Babe must be looking down, saying, 'You go, guys,'" Mayor Bloomberg said after digging …

Notes: Punto sidelined by sore knee  —  Twins, thin on bench, not making a roster move for now  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins' limited number of bench players hadn't really seemed a problem — that is until Nick Punto arrived at the ballpark on Tuesday with a sore left knee.

Martínez Goes on D.L. as the Mets Go Limp  —  The afternoon began with the Mets learning that their ace, Pedro Martínez, had been placed on the disabled list.  A few hours later, they faced a more sobering realization: Somewhere, on their train Sunday night from Washington, they had forgotten how to score.

Peavy, Friars try to salvage finale  —  San Francisco (57-63) at San Diego (60-60), 12:35 p.m. PT  —  While physically having little time between games can be taxing, Thursday's matinee will likely be a good thing for the Padres' psyche.  —  After a 13-inning loss on Wednesday night …

Dishing From Behind the Dish: Phillies' Coste Continues a Journey  —  The Phillies' Chris Coste self-published 2,000 copies of a 228-page book about his life in the minors.  He was called up from Scranton on May 21.  —  Chris Coste's second book was done.

Edmonds diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome Wednesday, one day after leaving a game because of dizziness and blurred vision.  —  Edmonds underwent an MRI on Tuesday night …

Cards Notebook: Perez starts, Belliard rests  —  Perez starts, Belliard rests  —  Having belted out five hits and a couple of RBIs in his past two games, Ronnie Belliard got a breather Wednesday partially because the numbers said it was the best way to keep him going.

Sheffield Swings Bat and Makes a Splash  —  The Yankees finally heard encouraging news about one of their injured star outfielders yesterday.  Gary Sheffield saw his hand specialist and was cleared to swing a bat — underwater.  —  It is a start, at least.

Yankees Cannot Take Advantage of the Slumping Orioles  —  This did not look like a game the Yankees would lose, not when the opponent was struggling Baltimore, which had lost 5 straight and 12 of 16.  But they did, 3-2, on a night when they once again could not figure out Baltimore starter Adam Loewen.

Towers: 'We're all in this thing together'  —  Padres CEO Sandy Alderson spoke with players, and General Manager Kevin Towers yesterday called for unity in apparent response to unidentified players questioning the front office in a Union-Tribune column.  —  "We all need to look into the mirror," Towers said.