Lester swept up in fun  —  Lefthander whiffs 10 to finish off Nationals  —  It was with a small, understated fist pump, and a wipe of the face with the top of his jersey that Jon Lester found a way to celebrate the 92-mile-per-hour fastball that exploded past Matthew LeCroy …

Johnny: Sox fans should hail Pedro  —  PHILADELPHIA - When the Mets go to Boston next week for Pedro Martinez's first trip to Fenway since leaving town, Johnny Damon hopes the ex-Red Sox ace hears the cheers Damon didn't when he went back.  —  "He was an absolute god there," Damon said.

MLB exec not amused by Macha's humidor remark  —  (06-22) 04:00 PDT Denver — Ken Macha's statement Tuesday that there should be "an investigation'' into the humidor-stored baseballs at Coors Field didn't go over well with Major League Baseball's executive vice president for baseball operations.

Padres-Rangers Preview  —  The Texas Rangers ' current stretch of interleague games started off promising, but now the team is hoping to stave off a slump.  —  The Rangers look to avoid being swept for the second time overall this season when they wrap up their three-game series …

Sensitivity the issue, Guillen the problem  —  Try as I do, it's hard to view sports as some sort of guiding light for humankind.  You want to believe in this stuff after sitting in a Dallas arena and watching Dwyane Wade, a credit to his hometown and as humble as he is spectacular …

Rookie Liriano may blow away even the Rocket  —  HOUSTON — For now, he's the other news.  As in, "And in other news ..."  —  By the time Thursday's game finishes, however, don't be surprised if the kid opposing Roger Clemens walks with his share of the national spotlight.

Feds want to know who leaked grand jury testimony  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The Bush administration urged a federal judge Wednesday to force two San Francisco Chronicle reporters to divulge who leaked them secret grand jury testimony of Barry Bonds and other athletes who took part in the government's probe …

Lowry's lowered velocity raises concern  —  Giants notebook  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Noah Lowry's diminished velocity aroused manager Felipe Alou's concern Wednesday.  —  Alou called Lowry's stuff "very mild," citing the left-hander's fastball, which often ranged in the 84-85 mph neighborhood.

Johnson to Sox  —  The Red Sox added another arm today, trading for struggling Indians righthander Jason Johnson, who has eight losses and an ERA around 6.00 for the season.  The Sox get Johnson and cash consideration in the deal in exchange for a player to be named later and cash.

Wells looks shaky in season debut  —  Bucs offense gets off to a hot start, but cools quickly  —  KANSAS CITY — After a long layoff, Pirates right-hander Kip Wells is going to have to find a way to become reacquainted with the strike zone.  —  Wells, making his first big league appearance …

Ump stands by foul call on Teixeira blast  —  ARLINGTON - The umpires could feel the Rangers pain.  —  Bill Welke, the first base umpire who called Mark Teixeira's potential game-winning home run foul in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday, said the call was extremely difficult to make.

Little Asks Izturis to Switch to Third Base  —  The Dodgers, unsure whether Bill Mueller will play again this season and unconvinced that Willy Aybar can play third base every day, told Cesar Izturis on Tuesday that he is their new third baseman.  —  "That's the only spot we've got," Izturis said.

Wood realizes he might be done for year  —  CLEVELAND — Kerry Wood has no concrete answers about what the rest of the season holds for him.  Asked if he has doubts about whether he'll pitch again this season, Wood acknowledged that uncertainty is clouding his mind as he continues to work …

Another rip job  —  Sox slug 4 homers, continue assault on Cardinals' pitching  —  The offensive outburst brought back pleasant memories for Jim Thome.  —  "Whenever you can score the runs like we have, it reminds me a lot of those mid-1990s teams we had there," Thome said Wednesday night …