Wang OK, gets call for Royals  —  One day after leaving his start with lower back stiffness, Chien-Ming Wang was feeling fine yesterday.  He felt so good, in fact, that Joe Torre has penciled him in to start Sunday's series finale in Kansas City.  —  Torre and pitching coach Ron Guidry wanted …

Nats Safely in Fourth With Fifth Straight Win  —  Sweep of Marlins Keeps Washington Clear of Cellar: Nationals 6, Marlins 4  —  The opposing pitcher threw 33 pitches, recorded two outs, walked the seventh- and eighth-place hitters with the bases loaded, fell behind the pitcher 2-0, was yanked …

Tigers Trade/Signing Speculation  —  Lynn Henning of the Detroit News posted a Q&A yesterday, giving his informed opinion on the Tigers' various hot stove situations.  Below are some highlights.  — Henning expects Kenny Rogers to be with the Tigers in 2008, and I think that's the general sentiment around baseball.

Promotions surprise Phillips and Broadway  —  Aardsma, Masset not recalled from Triple-A Charlotte  —  DETROIT — Perhaps just as surprising as the promotions of starting pitchers Heath Phillips and Lance Broadway from Triple-A Charlotte were the omissions of David Aardsma and Nick Masset on the White Sox's roster.

Time to amend the save stat … One thing we never get tired of, here at International Rumblings and Grumblings Headquarters, is offering our completely voluntary services to save the game of baseball.  —  We're selfless like that.  —  So this week, what we'd like to help with, if this sport will just let us, is to save the save.

Ethier provides heroics for Dodgers  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  CHICAGO (AP) - Pinch-hitter Andre Ethier connected for a go-ahead, three-run homer off Ryan Dempster in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers stunned the Chicago Cubs 7-4 Thursday.  —  Alfonso Soriano hit two homers for the Cubs …

NL Central: The Ankiel Story  —  The Cubs started the season poorly, but have recovered and worked their way back into contention (they beat the Dodgers last night to remain a half-game ahead of the Brewers).  But no team has come back from a worse spot than the defending World Champs, who are just two games out of first place.

For O's, it's another low  —  Pitchers rocked in 15-run loss; Pena hits slam in 8-run fourth for Devil Rays  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Radhames Liz should have seen it coming.  Not the ball that slammed into his left leg in the first inning, but the likelihood that his third major league start would turn gruesome.

Lowell might be too pricey  —  Length of pact is also an issue  —  Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis feels the pain after being struck by a pitch from Toronto's Brian Wolfe in the sixth.  (JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF)  —  The Red Sox would love to have Mike Lowell back next season …

Robbery Suspect Shot in the Leg, Police Say  —  A man suspected of robbing a vendor during the Nationals game at RFK Stadium apparently shot himself in the leg by mistake late last night as he tried to elude security guards, authorities said.  —  The incident began shortly before 10:30 p.m. …

Playoffs Or Wedding?  Ian Kennedy May Have To Decide  —  With Roger Clemens ailing and Mike Mussina pitching like a Devil Ray, Yankees rookie Ian Kennedy has been thrust into the spotlight.  So far he's delivered, going seven innings in his first start and getting the win.

Mets notebook  —  Carlos Delgado left the Mets early Wednesday morning to return to New York for an MRI, which revealed a strained right hip flexor.  The Mets said he could be back in seven to 10 days, but were not about to commit for certain that he would be back in time for the postseason.

Wily Mo Redux  —  "His power is unbelievable.  He's like a 'Little Papi,' and I know that when his time comes, he will be a good player.  Nobody hits the ball like Mo—nobody."  —  In my inaugural column in this space back in March of 2006, I took a look at the prospects of outfielder Wily Mo Pena.

Diamondbacks alone in 1st place  —  Three days ago, the sky was falling in Diamondbacks land, just as it was for them in June at Yankee Stadium, in July in the Midwest, in San Diego last week.  —  But if there is a lesson to be learned and relearned from this Diamondbacks team, it is to expect the unexpected.