Phillies' Ibanez lands on disabled list  —  Outfielder, slumping recently, sidelined by strained groin  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies placed outfielder Raul Ibanez on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday morning with a strained left groin and recalled outfielder John Mayberry Jr. from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his place.

Red Sox Richer Yet For Having Penny  —  Red Sox starter Brad Penny, left, react after a great defensive play by third baseman Mike Lowell as they head to the dugout after the fifth inning of Wednesday night's game against the Marlins at Fenway Park.  At one time, Penny and Lowell were teammates on the Marlins.

Trade strategy for Nats?  —  With nearly 100 games to go in the season, the Washington Nationals' hope of anything but abject failure is already slim.  That's not just a present reality, though.  It's also a possible mandate for a trading strategy this summer.

Middling Outing by Wang, and Losing One by the Yanks  —  Chien-Ming Wang knew he would have two hectic days that would start in a hospital and end on the mound.  Wang became a father for the first time Tuesday and then tried to preserve his spot in the Yankees' rotation Wednesday.

Strained groin forces Halladay onto DL  —  Ace feels tightness in bullpen session; Downs also out  —  PHILADELPHIA — Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay will be placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday, adding another arm to the club's list of walking wounded.

Rhodes, hero of '54 Series, dies  —  Dusty Rhodes, the incorrigible New York Giants free spirit who became the improbable hero of the 1954 World Series, died Wednesday in Las Vegas after a variety of illnesses, including diabetes and emphysema.  He was 82.  —  The Alabama-born Rhodes …

Q&A: Paul DePodesta  —  I first met Paul DePodesta on May 13, 2005 at a Cal Poly-Long Beach State game at Blair Field in Long Beach.  Paul, who was in his second year as the General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, joined area scout Bobby Darwin in the row directly in front of me.

Owner's suite being named for Bush  —  Private ceremony honoring 43rd president set for Thursday  —  ARLINGTON — The Rangers are renaming the owner's suite at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington after President George W. Bush.  —  Bush, the 43rd president of the United States …

Canseco planning to sue MLB, union over 'roids  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Jose Canseco plans to file a class-action lawsuit against Major League Baseball and the players' association, saying he's been ostracized for going public with tales of steroids use in the sport.

Vizquel ties coveted career hits record  —  Equals Aparicio with 2,677, most by Venezuelan native  —  ARLINGTON — Rangers fans can be pretty happy with Wednesday night.  Their team beat the Astros, 5-4, on a 10th-inning walk-off hit, former Ranger Ivan Rodriguez broke a Major League record …

Tampa Bay Rays talking with pitcher Pedro Martinez  —  DENVER — Pedro Martinez is talking about the Rays, but they're not saying anything about the veteran pitcher.  —  And it still appears unlikely they'll be getting together anytime soon.  —  Martinez, 37, told the Associated Press …

Darr double in 12th gives Arkansas 4-3 win  —  OMAHA (AP) — Andrew Darr doubled in the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th inning and Arkansas, which had been down to its last strike in the ninth, rallied to defeat Virginia 4-3 in the College World Series on Wednesday night.

Edwin Jackson: What if?  —  Right-handed pitcher Edwin Jackson had a memorable debut with the Dodgers on his 20th birthday in 2003, but it's in 2009 that he has truly flowered.  Entering tonight's start against St. Louis, Jackson has a 2.24 ERA (202 ERA+), and opponents have a .593 OPS against him.

How well can we predict ERA?  —  In case you haven't noticed, The Hardball Times is becoming all component ERA, all the time.  And how could I miss out on all the fun?  —  So let's do some testing.  How accurate are these things, anyway?  —  Ability vs. Value