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 …

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 …

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.

Haverhill's Pena gets chance at homecoming  —  Carlos Pena, the former Northeastern star who had been languishing all season with the New York Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, will sign a contract today with the Red Sox.  —  Pena was unavailable for comment last night as he prepared to report to Triple-A Pawtucket.

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.

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.

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.

Third-Round Pick Is Signed To a Contract  —  The Washington Nationals put what could be the finishing touch on what they consider a successful 2006 draft by signing third-round pick Stephen King, a shortstop from Florida, meaning they have now come to terms with seven of their first eight picks.

Knuckleballer Canseco walks five, hits four in debut  —  LONG BEACH, Calif. — Jose Canseco's knuckleball was uncontrollable — and it made his debut as a starting pitcher pretty ugly.  —  The former American League MVP hit four batters and walked five others in 4 1/3 innings for the Long Beach Armada on Wednesday night.

Judge tells Bonds' trainer: Testify or go to jail  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge ordered Barry Bonds' personal trainer to testify Thursday before a grand jury investigating whether the slugger lied about using steroids.  —  If Greg Anderson refuses to testify, he will be sent back to prison for contempt of court.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.