Wakefield to start Wednesday; Penny's role uncertain  —  Tim Wakefield will take Brad Penny's start in the rotation Wednesday night.  (Jim Davis / Globe Staff)  —  Tim Wakefield and Brad Penny both made starts last night that were pivotal to the rest of their season, and their divergent …

Dodgers' Jonathan Broxton says he's a little worn down  —  Closer is going through the dog days for the second year in a row.  —  Jonathan Broxton acknowledged that the wear and tear of the season is taking its toll on his mind and body.  —  “We've played 120 games already,” Broxton said.

Santana … TORONTO(AP) Slowed by injuries at the start of the season, Los Angeles Angels right-hander Ervin Santana is finishing strong.  —  Backed by home runs from Vladimir Guerrero and Juan Rivera , Santana won his fourth straight start and the Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3 on Saturday.

PEDROIA'S EFFORT LEVEL LEAVES ROBBIE IN DUST  —  BOSTON — I formed a seven- man committee comprised of one NL GM, one AL GM, and five assistants — three NL and two AL — and posed this question:  —  If you could have Robinson Cano or Dustin Pedroia for the next five years, who would you take and why?

Red Sox Relievers Puzzled About Wagner Claim  —  The middle of August is far different than the days leading up to the July 31 deadline for trades not requiring waivers.  At the end of last month, Red Sox players could not help but hear about potential deals that their club was contemplating.

Mariners' Suzuki on a First-Name Basis With Records  —  CLEVELAND — The Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki is closing in on a major-league-record ninth straight season of 200 hits.  Wee Willie Keeler, the only other player to do it eight seasons in a row, finished his run in 1901 …

Exclusive: September calls  —  Catcher Josh Thole, reliever Eddie Kunz and first baseman/outfielder Nick Evans are expected to highlight the call-ups when rosters expand in September, the Daily News has learned.  —  Thole, 22, upped his average to .332 with a three-hit game for Double …

Laird and Romine confirmed for Fall League  —  Vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman emailed this morning with the full list of confirmed Yankees for the Arizona Fall League.  We already knew Ian Kennedy and Colin Curtis, but Newman added Austin Romine and Brandon Laird to the list.

Padres extend Eckstein through 2010  —  GM Towers locks up second baseman for $1 million  —  SAN DIEGO — It was only two weeks ago when Padres general manager Kevin Towers first said he wanted second baseman David Eckstein to return in 2010 and that he hoped to get a deal done before the end of the regular season.

Hall of Famer Rice criticizes Jeter to Little Leaguers  —  Buzz up!  —  BOSTON - For stoking the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, this was almost too good to be true: Jim Rice, the former Boston slugger newly minted as a Hall of Famer, taking a shot at Derek Jeter

Sheffield: I never asked for a contract extension  —  problem making his mind known, be it to Mets management or the umpiring crew.  He'll get his money's worth somewhere.  —  Sheffield, who started in leftfield in Friday's 4-2 win over the Phillies, went 1-for-4 before getting thrown …

Crasnick: Oakland Athletics pitcher Justin Duchscherer has clinical depression  —  Oakland Athletics pitcher Justin Duchscherer has been diagnosed with clinical depression and will miss the rest of the 2009 season as he undergoes treatment for the condition, his agent said Friday.  —  Duchscherer