Wakefield will try to salvage finale  —  Boston (36-27) at Minnesota (30-34), 8:10 p.m. ET  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Red Sox manager Terry Francona is hoping Tim Wakefield, or any of his starters for that matter, can give him quality starts on a regular basis.  —  With Keith Foulke on the 15 …

Report: Rookie to be demoted for missing Blalock  —  White Sox rookie pitcher Sean Tracey got into hot water with his manager Ozzie Guillen — for getting an out.  —  Tracey was summoned to start the seventh inning and got Hank Blalock to ground out, but getting an out might not have been the reason Tracey was brought into the game.

Milledge caught looking  —  PHILADELPHIA - Willie Randolph gave Lastings Milledge a lecture in the dugout after the rookie was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first base on Julio Franco's two-out double to right-center in the seventh.  The manager believed Milledge should have scored.

Notes: Billingsley has familar help  —  Rookie righty has been caught by Martin at every level  —  SAN DIEGO — Chad Billingsley, the 21-year-old right-hander promoted to start on Thursday, arrived in the clubhouse on Wednesday to find a friendly face, Russell Martin.  —  "He's caught me at every level.

Soriano's Numbers Won't Come Cheap  —  WASHINGTON, June 14 — Alfonso Soriano is the king of his corner in the Washington Nationals' clubhouse and an even bigger king in the baseball universe.  Soriano acts like a star, he is a star and he wants to remain a star — here, there and everywhere.

NEW: A's pitcher Loaiza arrested for speeding, dui  —  OAKLAND - Oakland A's pitcher Esteban Loaiza, 34, was arrested early Wednesday morning on DUI charges after officers pulled him over for speeding, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.  —  CHP Officer Mike Wright said Loaiza …

Red Sox acquire lefthanded pitcher Javier Lopez from Chicago White Sox for righthander David Riske  —  BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox today acquired lefthanded pitcher Javier Lopez from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for righthanded pitcher David Riske.  Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein made the announcement.

Johnson Hits Eject Button, but Yankees Don't Mind  —  Randy Johnson kept control of his pitches and his emotions.  Andy Phillips knocked a ball over one fence and jumped over another fence to catch one.  They were major contributors to the Yankees' 6-1 victory over Cleveland last night at Yankee Stadium.

Pujols' guru gets his support  —  PUJOLS  —  "I have nothing to worry about."  —  PLEASANT VALLEY, MO.  —  The wall inside the entrance to Millhouse AEP is covered with framed autographed photos of major league first basemen Albert Pujols and Mike Sweeney.

Notes: Rotation for Interleague murky  —  La Russa won't reveal how off-day will affect rotation  —  PITTSBURGH — With an off-day on Monday and a rotation looking more fallible than it has in quite a long time, it's unclear how the Cardinals will arrange their starting pitchers for their upcoming American League road trip.

Future Shock  —  With the 2006 draft finally over, and the bigger contract negotiations left to the scouting directors and upper management, many scouts step away from the amateur side of things for awhile to begin their pro coverage.  With that in mind, here's what some of the top talent evaluators …

David righting self in field  —  PHILADELPHIA - David Wright is collecting quite an assortment of highlight-reel plays for someone who tied for the major-league lead in errors at third base last season.  —  There was the over-the-shoulder, barehanded catch in San Diego in August, which has earned him an invite to ESPN's ESPY Awards.

Wild reaction to latest job  —  MINNEAPOLIS — This is weird.  Wild, too.  I am sitting in the second row of the baseball press box at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the young man sitting in the chair to my left is the new director of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild.

Sore heel may cost Fogg a start  —  Cory Sullivan and Matt Holliday, center, congratulate Rockies teammate Garrett Atkins after Atkins' three-run homer Wednesday night in Washington.  (KRT / Harry E. Walker)  —  Washington - Rockies pitcher Josh Fogg entered Tuesday's game with his roster spot hanging in the balance.

Finley notches 300th career homer  —  41-year-old outfielder reaches milestone at former home  —  PHOENIX — During a season of milestones for the San Francisco Giants, Steve Finley returned to his old Chase Field stomping grounds and added another on Wednesday night.