Lester tested for cancer  —  OAKLAND, Calif. - Not long after the Red Sox sent 22-year-old left-hander Jon Lester back to Boston to be evaluated by club medical officials, sources indicated that one of the club's most promising players is dealing with more than just a bad back.

Mound of troubles for Pavano  —  Carl Pavano was in New York yesterday, but he never set foot in Yankee Stadium, and never had to face his teammates.  And it may stay that way for a while.  —  Pavano yesterday was ordered back into Yankee oblivion — Tampa — after a complete medical procedure …

Cards' Bennett leaves with back sprain  —  Cleared to play, Molina takes over despite strained right elbow  —  ST. LOUIS — Bad news collided with good news for the Cardinals catchers on Wednesday night.  —  Yadier Molina was cleared to play on Wednesday afternoon after missing five games with a muscle strain in his right elbow.

Schilling reaches 3,000 career strikeouts  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — With a handful of ailing teammates back home in Boston and one in the hospital, Curt Schilling had a tough time celebrating his latest pitching feat.  —  The Boston ace became the 14th pitcher in major-league history …

Wang steps up again for Yankees, shuts down Tigers  —  CBS SportsLine.com wire reports  —  NEW YORK — Chien-Ming Wang has overtaken Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina to become the New York Yankees' ace.  —  Wang tied Toronto's Roy Halladay and Jon Garland of the Chicago White Sox …

Atlas Slugged … There have been several indications that this just isn't Alex Rodriguez's year.  One came on June 30, the day after he hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 12th inning to beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 and awoke to headlines that read "Okay, but Do It Again."

Maddux's all-around effort lifts LA  —  Veteran tosses seven frames of two-run ball, drives in two runs  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are too busy trying to win a division to sit around and marvel at the greatness of Greg Maddux.  —  They'll leave that, for now, to the fans.

Fibrillation wouldn't threaten career  —  The Red Sox released few details about David Ortiz's medical condition yesterday, but cardiologists said several clues, including the decision not to rush him to a hospital in Oakland where the team is playing, indicate he probably is not suffering …

BoSox close in on Wells trade; Padres likely buyer … The Red Sox moved steadily toward the completion of a trade of veteran left-hander David Wells, identifying Triple-A catcher George Kottaras as the player they want if they complete a deal with the Padres.

Do-It-Yourself Game Post, Part Deux  —  This afternoon's ridiculous 10-9 loss to the Pirates probably has you feeling like that, doesn't it?  —  So YOU choose how you want this post to read.  —  This afternoon in Pittsburgh, took the field and against .  The final score was .

Sox tag 'em, bag 'em  —  Iguchi's homer in 8th, baserunning blunder by Devil Rays in 9th rescue restless Sox  —  The White Sox survived seven innings of restlessness and frustration Wednesday night with an inning of urgency that provided relief.  —  Tadahito Iguchi's two-out, two-run …

Mulder endures another rough outing  —  Lefty headed back to doctor after lasting 1 2/3 frames vs. Fish  —  ST. LOUIS — Mystified by a left arm that still refuses to go where it needs to go, Mark Mulder is heading back not only to the drawing board, but to the doctor's office.

Liriano throws off mound, but Radke suffers setback  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano threw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since going on the disabled list Aug. 8 with a strained ligament in his pitching arm.  —  The news was not all good for Minnesota, though.

Pittsburgh 7, Chi Cubs 6, 11 innings  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Chicago Cubs keep finding ways to make their miserable season even worse.  —  They committed four errors, left 12 men on base and blew three leads — including the last one in the 11th inning of their 7-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

Reds ink Johnson to Minor League deal  —  Veteran right-hander pitched for Indians, Red Sox this year  —  LOS ANGELES — Doing what they can to bolster their playoff chances, the Reds made another addition to the pitching staff Wednesday when Jason Johnson was signed to a Minor League contract.

Dr. Strangeglove: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Jose Reyes  —  I consider myself to sit on the fence of baseball and lean to the left.  I am a sabermetrician.  I look to reason, statistics, economics, and science to determine the best ballplayers at the best prices.

Mulder considering season-ending surgery  —  Cardinals left-hander Mark Mulder is considering undergoing season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder, FOXSports.com has learned.  —  Mulder, 29, is expected to seek a second opinion before making his final decision.