Ibanez, Worley lead Phillies over Red Sox  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Vance Worley(notes) didn't get Dustin Pedroia's(notes) autograph.  He got the former MVP's attention—and the rest of the Boston Red Sox, too.  —  Worley pitched seven strong innings, Raul Ibanez(notes) hit a tiebreaking solo homer …

Fielder, Weeks seek last-minute votes  —  All-Star ballots to close on Thursday at 10:59 p.m. CT  —  NEW YORK — Outfielder Ryan Braun wouldn't mind if a whole army of Brewers fans develop carpal tunnel syndrome before 10:59 p.m. CT on Thursday.  —  That's the deadline to cast votes …

Sheen says he used steroids during filming of Major League … NEW YORK (AP) — Turns out Wild Thing's fastball had a little extra juice.  —  Actor Charlie Sheen tells Sports Illustrated in its latest issue that he took steroids “for like six or eight weeks” while filming the 1989 movie “Major League.”

Mets pound Tigers again, romp 16-9 this time  —  DETROIT—Scott Hairston launched a bases-loaded triple and Ronny Paulino contributed four hits as part of another offensive barrage by the New York Mets, who beat the Detroit Tigers 16-9 on Wednesday night.  —  The Mets set a team record …

Ramirez's single in ninth gives Cubs win over Giants  —  CHICAGO — Pinch-hitter Aramis Ramirez singled to drive in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Chicago Cubs beat San Francisco 2-1 on Wednesday night to end the Giants' seven-game winning streak.

Morrow throws seven dominant innings as Blue Jays edge Pirates  —  TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays staged a late seventh-inning rally to back an outstanding pitching performance from starter Brandon Morrow and edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 Wednesday.  —  Despite entering the contest …

Recap: Paul DePodesta conf. call with bloggers  —  Tonight, Vice President of player development and amateur scouting Paul DePodesta held a conference call with Mets bloggers.  —  Below is a recap of the questions and responses:  —  Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com: When evaluating amateur talent …

Ryan Franklin released by Cardinals  —  BALTIMORE — The Cardinals have released one-time closer Ryan Franklin.  —  The team has yet to make an announcement about a corresponding move.  This story will be updated when the move occurs.  —  Franklin (1-4, 8.46 ERA, nine homers allowed in 27.2 innings) …

Hairston day to day after taking pitch to hand  —  ANAHEIM — Jerry Hairston left Wednesday's game against the Angels in the fifth inning after a Dan Haren pitch struck him on the right hand.  Hairston writhed in pain, even dropping to a knee at one point.  He is listed as day to day with a contusion.

Carpenter, Cardinals beat Orioles 5-1  —  BALTIMORE—Chris Carpenter scattered seven hits for his second complete game of the season and Colby Rasmus homered to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 on Wednesday night.  —  Carpenter (3-7) threw a season-high 132 pitches …

Sabean shoots down rumor that Giants are talking to Dodgers about reacquiring Juan Uribe, plus other pregame notes (28)  —  UPDATE: GM Brian Sabean just called up to the press box to shoot down this rumor.  He told PR man Jim Moorehead to relay to me that he has not talked to Dodgers GM Ned Colletti in weeks.

ASG spots up for grabs as voting nears close  —  Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday for the 2011 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by Sprint, and many questions were unanswered with less than 36 hours to go, as fans decide who will start July 12 at Phoenix.  —  Consider:

Now that Ludwick has shown his stuff, will he be shown the door?  —  Ryan Ludwick has proved his point.  He is not as lousy as he looked last season.  He is not the same hired gun who struggled to hit a moving target.  He is not reprising his role as the pennant insurance who failed to perform.

Former Angels infielder David Eckstein has not retired; he just chose not to play  —  David Eckstein is not playing baseball this season, but the scrappy 36-year-old infielder who helped the Angels win the 2002 World Series and won World Series MVP honors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 has not officially retired.