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.

Turnbow unhappy with role  —  St. Louis - Brewers reliever Derrick Turnbow is so upset over being relegated to what he calls a “mop-up” role in the bullpen that he asked his agent to contact general manager Doug Melvin to see what the plans are for the beleaguered right-hander.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

Oswalt regains form, Astros top Phillies  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Roy Oswalt was back to his old self, mixing in nasty off-speed pitches with a sharp fastball.  —  Oswalt snapped out of an early funk with seven strong innings, Michael Bourn hit a tiebreaking solo homer and the Houston Astros beat …

Bowden not satisfied with early results  —  GM hopes for more from Nats, but praises Milledge, Johnson  —  NEW YORK — Before Spring Training started, general manager Jim Bowden took a page from former Red Sox manager Dick Williams and predicted the Nationals would win more games than they would lose this season.

No speed?  No problem, for White Sox  —  Low stolen base total not a concern for manager Guillen  —  BALTIMORE — Give Ozzie Guillen credit for being a man of his word where the team's philosophy on offense is concerned.  —  The White Sox manager mentioned numerous times during Spring Training …

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.

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.

Thome's 3-run HR leads White Sox by O's  —  BALTIMORE (AP)—Jim Thome quickly got back into the swing of things after an unwanted day off.  —  Thome broke a prolonged power drought with a three-run homer and a double, leading the Chicago White Sox past the skidding Baltimore Orioles 3-1 Wednesday night.

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 …

Booing at Shea stems from 2007 fears  —  It takes so little to set the negativity into overdrive here at Shea Stadium, it's incredible.  —  Mike Pelfrey walks Lastings Milledge in the third inning, loading the bases?  A booable offense.  Carlos Beltran grounds into a double play in the bottom of the third?

Ailing Cora could be put on DL … CLEVELAND — Though the Red Sox weren't prepared to make a move before game time, all signs pointed to utility infielder Alex Cora being placed on the disabled list, perhaps as soon as today.  —  Cora has been out of the lineup since last Wednesday after getting plunked on the right elbow.