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 …

Pedro-to-DL is no strain on Willie  —  PHILADELPHIA - The Mets began play last night with a 13-game cushion in the National League East.  That figure certainly made it more palatable for them to be without ace hurler Pedro Martinez for at least the next 13 days.

Verlander wild in Tigers' loss  —  Rookie phenom issues seven walks, only one intentionally  —  BOSTON — Justin Verlander was suspected to be tipping his pitches when he lost to the White Sox last weekend.  His loss on Wednesday wasn't a matter of what pitches were coming, but where they were going.

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.

Position Breakdown: Left-Handed Starters  —  Left-handed pitchers are always at a premium, and the reasons are obvious.  While studies vary, it's generally accepted that 10-15% of the population is left-handed, yet in any one year 25-30% of the pitching population is southpaw.

Hunter's foot is hurting, but improving each day  —  Twins center fielder Torii Hunter is unable to run on his toes because of his sore left foot, and running flat-footed isn't the best way to chase down fly balls.  —  "I can relate to that," said Twins first base coach Jerry White, who works with the outfielders.

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.

Humidor critics feast on marathon  —  The Arizona Diamondbacks' 18-inning, 2-1 victory over the Rockies, a game that began Tuesday night and bled into Wednesday morning, once again put Coors Field's humidor under scrutiny.  —  Critics contend that something is out of kilter when a ballpark once known …

McGwire in attendance for late game  —  As inning after scoreless inning rolled by in Tuesday night's 18-inning marathon at Coors Field, a man who once belted mammoth homers, and drilled 70 over the wall in 1998, looked on.  —  Surely Mark McGwire was thinking he could have ended the game with one swing of his bat.

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.

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 …