Soriano leaves after being hit by pitch  —  CHICAGO (AP)—Alfonso Soriano could miss up to six weeks with a broken left hand after the Chicago Cubs star was hit by a pitch Wednesday night against Atlanta.  —  Soriano was hit in the second inning by Jeff Bennett.

Milledge Caps Off A Long Night  —  9th-Inning HR Is Nats' 5th of Game: Nationals 7, Pirates 6  —  By the time Lastings Milledge stepped to the plate late Tuesday night, the Washington Nationals already had refused to make peace with losing.  Already, they had wrestled free from an early deficit.

Karstens activated, Cox placed on the DL  —  As expected, Jeff Karstens has been activated from the disabled list to start tonight's game in Richmond.  Coming as much more of a surprise, J.B. Cox has been placed on the seven-day disabled list retroactive to Sunday.

Players ID'd in Mitchell report struggle to find work … These are tough times for unemployed players named in the Mitchell report trying to find work in baseball, whether they happen to be a home run king such as Barry Bonds or a 31-year-old such as Jay Gibbons or an extra outfielder, such as Nook Logan.

Hank to wield poison pen?  —  Chien-Ming Wang throws to first base in an attempt to pick off Jack Hannahan during the first inning of Tuesday night's game in Oakland, which the Yankees won, 3-1.  (AP Photo/Ben Margot) / June 10, 2008)  —  Hank Steinbrenner, magazine columnist?  —  Well, why not?

Colon gets 150th win, Red Sox defeat O's  —  BOSTON (AP)—The Boston Red Sox got five runs in the first inning, another strong outing from the rejuvenated Bartolo Colon and one more win in friendly Fenway Park.  —  They even got a three-run homer from an ailing Jason Varitek.

David Ortiz becomes US citizen  —  David Ortiz is a legendary slugger whose swing has made him an iconic part of the national pastime.  But it was not until today that the Dominican-born designated hitter could call himself a US citizen.  —  Ortiz was one of 227 immigrants who raised …

Cards' Pujols out at least 3 weeks with injured calf  —  CINCINNATI — Albert Pujols is expected to miss at least three weeks with a strained left calf, a major setback to a St. Louis Cardinals team already thinned by injuries.  —  The first baseman injured his calf while running …

Ankle injury forces Jurrjens to skip start  —  Right-hander could join three other starting pitchers on DL  —  CHICAGO — Whenever it seems like things can't get any worse for the Braves, they do.  Thus, it should come as no surprise that a fourth member of their original projected starting rotation …

Yanks may seek more funding for stadium  —  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)—New York City officials confirmed Wednesday that the New York Yankees may be interested in seeking more public financing to build their new stadium, pending a regulation change by the IRS.  —  The team stressed, however …

What's the deal with Sabathia?  —  Lots of talk around baseball that Cleveland will trade C.C. Sabathia during the season rather than letting him walk as a free agent.  The idea is that the Indians would rather get two or three prospects now than two draft picks next June.

Lies, Damned Lies  —  Chipper's Chase of .400  —  Chipper Jones is not a .400 hitter.  However, that doesn't mean that he won't hit .400.  What we have on our hands is a classic case of the irresistible force against the immovable object.  On the one hand, it's exceptionally unlikely …

Mets call up Zephyr slugger Chris Aguila  —  Former Marlin Chris Aguila is headed to New York, Surfing the Mets has learned.  He'll replace Abraham Nunez, who was designated for assignment after Tuesday night's game.  —  Aguila (above r.) has been on a longball tear at Triple-A New Orleans.

Cairo's numbers don't measure his value  —  Utilityman gets job done off bench even if stats say otherwise  —  TORONTO — If performance was always judged strictly on numbers, then it's likely Miguel Cairo would no longer have a place in the Major Leagues.

ALOU BACK ON BENCH, AGAIN  —  INJURED CALF SHELVES METS OUTFIELDER  —  Moises Alou, activated from the disabled list Tuesday, was back on the Mets' bench again tonight after hurting the same left calf that forced him out of action last month.  —  And prior to the game …

Mets' Alou Is Left Discouraged After Hurting His Calf Again  —  Moises Alou is injured yet again, and he is not sure how seriously.  But Alou described himself as frustrated, disappointed and embarrassed by his frequent absences from the Mets' lineup.  “I'm not out yet,” he said Wednesday, “but I'm pretty down.”

Morrow to the rescue; Putz has sore elbow  —  J.J. Putz walked the leadoff batter in the ninth, then got to 1-2 in the count on Vernon Wells before the training staff jogged out to the mound.  Putz appeared to slightly favor his elbow (he does, see update below).