Joba's chance to rule rotation  —  The Joba Rules are being rewritten altogether.  —  Joba Chamberlain pitched the eighth and ninth inning of Wednesday night's 8- win over the Orioles, and afterward the Yankees announced that it was the first step of the phenom's much-anticipated conversion …

Pedro says he hopes to pitch two or three more seasons … SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The end is near.  But not so fast.  —  Pedro Martinez, who returned to the Dominican Republic to be with his sick father, said Wednesday that he plans to stick around for at least two more seasons.

Fan seriously injured by fall at Turner Field  —  A Braves fan has serious head injuries after falling from the stands at Turner Field, police said.  —  The 25-year-old man, who wasn't immediately identified, fell an estimated four levels inside the stadium to field level …

Deal?  For Red Sox, no deal  —  Stars won't jump gun  —  So you believe it makes sense for the young players on the Red Sox [team stats] to jump in on the multi-year contract bandwagon that has been gaining significant steam in the last few months?  —  Think again.

A-Rod loses out on second home run  —  Slugger's drive appeared to clear fence, but ruled a double  —  NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez lost out on a potential home run in the sixth inning of Wednesday's game against the Orioles, when umpires instead ruled his hit a double.

Sheets beats Pirates with 11-hitter  —  PITTSBURGH (AP)—Ben Sheets limited Pittsburgh to one run despite allowing 11 hits in his second complete game of the season, and Rickie Weeks homered and scored twice to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-1 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday night.

Ramirez may return to leadoff  —  MIAMI GARDENS - Manager Fredi Gonzalez guaranteed Hanley Ramirez would be in tonight's lineup.  He's just not sure where.  —  Ramirez's struggles since moving to the middle of the order are such that Gonzalez is considering moving him back to leadoff, where he has consistently excelled.

Revival is tied to rotation  —  Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd says what his 18-29 team needs most is stability in the starting pitching.  —  The Denver Post  —  Seven months after their inaugural World Series appearance, the Rockies wake up today 11 games under .500, buried deep in the National League West.

Grogginess clears for Church  —  Right fielder says he feels free of concussion symptoms  —  ATLANTA — Although his forehead looked as if it had been scrubbed with steel wool and his knees were scraped and his name had been excluded from the Mets' lineup on Wednesday night …

Nats Risk Priceless Goodwill For $100,000 a Day in Damages  —  Night after night, tens of thousands of fans crowd into Nationals Park to watch baseball.  The views are spectacular, the scoreboard is dazzling, the team can't hit — ah, well, you can't have everything.

Padres suffer injuries, loss to Cards  —  Young leaves with broken nose; Bard out with ankle sprain  —  SAN DIEGO — As a fellow pitcher and as a teammate, Joe Thatcher had but one thought flash through his mind on Wednesday when he saw Chris Young hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Albert Pujols.

Fast ball: Ponson, Texas Rangers make quick work of Twins  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  MINNEAPOLIS - Ladies and gentleman: burgeoning board of education candidate Sidney Ponson.  —  “There is no reason to sit around for four hours,” the candidate, er, starter said Wednesday night.