Wang Says Strain Won't Stop Next Start  —  Brian Cashman was in a meeting Wednesday when he took a call from the Yankees' trainer's room.  That is rarely a good call for a general manager to take.  —  Cashman learned that Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees' No. 1 starter, had noticed some discoloration …

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.

Royals notebook: Bannister looks to continue day-game dominance  —  The form chart offers an imposing daily double that favors the Royals as they seek to avoid a sweep in today's series finale against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.  —  Brian Bannister and an afternoon game.  —  “To me,” he said, “it's not a big deal.

Fan killed in fall at Turner Field  —  A Braves fan has died after falling four floors from the stands at Turner Field during Wednesday night's Braves-Mets game, authorities said.  —  The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man as Justin Hayes, 25, of Cumming.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Now here's a familiar pose from Chipper Jones  —  Am I the only one who saw this picture on the Internets last night and figured that Chipper Jones' run in the .400s was predictably being put on the shelf?  Luckily, it turns out he was only hit by a pitch and expects to be back for tonight's game against the Mets.

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 …

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.

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.

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.