Cubs place Soriano on 15-day DL  —  The Cubs placed left fiedler Alfonso Soriano on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a right calf strain.  —  Soriano, hitting .175 with five RBIs, left Tuesday's victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the top of the first inning after injuring himself catching a flyball.

Heckuva 1st game  —  Lowrie's debut a big hit … CLEVELAND - Jed Lowrie finally got his ball.  —  The story of how the toothy-grinned kid arrived in the glory that surrounded his major league debut last night would seem to start on his family's three-quarters of an acre plot where tennis balls …

Lineups, a Luis Castillo update & new glove for Brian Schneider  —  Luis Castillo's right knee will be an ongoing issue.  It's still bothering him, and Willie said he and Castillo agreed that they will talk often and Castillo will tell him when he needs a day off.  Sounds like he'll play 2 or 3 games in a row and then sit one.

Forbes: Yankees worth $1.3 billion  —  NEW YORK (AP)—The New York Yankees' value increased to $1.306 billion over the past year, according to the annual estimates by Forbes magazine, a rise of 9 percent over the past year.  —  The New York Mets were second at $824 million and the Boston Red Sox third …

Mets fan killed in two-story fall over railing at Shea  —  NEW YORK — A man attending a New York Mets game with his family lost his balance on an escalator and fell two stories to his death, police said.  —  Antonio Nararainsami, 36, and several relatives, including his two young daughters …

Shameful end to the 21 saga  —  LaTroy Hawkins told Scott Miller from CBS Sports.com that he will change numbers today.  Bowing to the wishes of “fans” who have been booing him (and worse), he will go to No. 22 today.  —  Hawkins didn't want to talk about it last night when I asked him, politely asking not to be interviewed.

The secret to Chien-Ming Wang's success … He's just one man, one man with just one pitch.  The ball comes at hitters on a flat plane, thigh-high, at somewhere between 90 and 95 mph, then it takes a sudden plunge, some seven to eight inches toward the dirt.

Pedro more optimistic than Mets GM about return … KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Pedro Martinez said he hopes to return to the New York Mets' starting rotation before the end of April, despite general manager Omar Minaya's recent statements that the pitcher was expected back by mid-May or early June.

Pavano can't rehab his image  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The days blur together, distinguished only by minor developments in his throwing program — an extra 10 feet of distance, another dozen throws.  For Carl Pavano, even these marginal increments serve as benchmarks on yet another agonizingly slow journey back to the mound.

Self-examination may bring Rays solutions  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays, the only franchise in the majors never to win more than 70 games in a season, are taking a long, hard look at themselves.  —  One man critiquing the performance is former big-league infielder Tim Bogar …

RIVALRY'S BUZZ TAKES A BEATING  —  I DO NOT want to write this column, but I must, because the Red Sox and Yankees start a series tonight and someplace next to the original Gutenburg press is a journalistic playbook that demands we trumpet each new sighting of The Rivalry as if it were the ball coming down on New Year's.

Pirates Notebook: More patience, more pitches  —  LOS ANGELES — The patient Pirates?  —  Believe it.  —  Consider these numbers ...  They rank second in the National League in pitches seen per plate appearance, at 3.89.  Only their opponent in this series, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have seen more, at 3.97.

Morrow replaces Bedard; Jimerson rejoins Mariners  —  Two weeks into the season, Brandon Morrow is back in the big leagues.  —  And six days after he was designated for assignment, Charlton Jimmerson is back in the Seattle organization.  —  Morrow was recalled from Double …

Angels select contract of pitcher Alex Serrano from Triple-A Salt Lake  —  Club options outfielder Reggie Willits to Salt Lake  —  ANAHEIM — The Angels Wednesday selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Alex Serrano from Triple-A Salt Lake.  To make room for Serrano on the 25-man roster …