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.

Sox battered in Bronx  —  Yanks rip Buchholz, 'pen … NEW YORK - Imagine going shopping for apples and instead of reaching for the perfectly ripe ones, you grab the most bruised and nasty ones.  —  That kind of bizarre retail behavior was exhibited by the pitching staffs of both the Yankees and Red Sox …

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.

Revised Batting Order Changes Dynamic for Mets  —  Carlos Beltrán had seen enough.  So in a quiet moment Tuesday afternoon, he pulled a chair beside José Reyes's locker and offered some unsolicited advice.  Recalling their conversation Wednesday night after the Mets' 5-2 victory …

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 …

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.

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 …

How will history judge Ed Wade?  —  Ed Wade is one of the more maligned figures in recent Phillies history.  In his eight years as the club's general manager, the Phillies failed to make the playoffs eight times.  —  But when Wade comes back to Philly today, he'll see a team that he played a big role in shaping.

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 …

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.