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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Peavy can see new contacts will help  —  Jake Peavy's new supply of contact lenses arrived yesterday, much to the relief of Padres catchers.  —  "I thought we were going to have to go to smoke signals," said Rob Bowen, who had trouble getting signals to Peavy on Saturday in Houston.

Yanks break ground for new stadium  —  Ceremony features bows to history, excitement for future  —  NEW YORK — Armed with shiny baseball bat shovels and Yankees hard hats, those responsible for bringing a new stadium to the New York Yankees and the Bronx dug in on Wednesday.

Back to the future, alternate universe edition (I know I'm supposed to come up with a wrestling headline here)  —  The Red Sox have lost 12 out of 20 games.  David Wells — who not long ago said he wanted to blow up Fenway — has become the team's ace.  The combined salaries of Keith Foulke …

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 …

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.

Royal blush: Sox lose 2nd straight  —  Guillen hoping lackluster effort 'a slap in the face, a wake-up call'  —  The White Sox sported a weathered look Wednesday night that doesn't bode well for the remaining 11 games of their 24-game stretch without a day off.

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.

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.

Haren silences Mariners as A's sweep  —  Righty tosses six scoreless innings to win fifth straight  —  OAKLAND — Teams on a roll get three-run homers from their .220-hitting No. 9 hitters.  Teams in a funk watch their pitcher get his spikes caught in the dirt with a runner at third base, resulting in a balk and a run.

Using The House Advantage  —  "I do think running the bases aggressively is something that should be the tendency in every team.  I do.  That aggressiveness is part of baseball whether you believe in waiting for the three-run homer or not.  If you can get that guy to third instead …

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.