"The San Diego Padres today reinstated catcher Josh Bard from the 15-day disabled list and recalled left-handed pitcher Justin Hampson from Triple-A Portland. The club also optioned catcher Luke Carlin and left-handed pitcher Joe Thatcher to Portland."

"Baseball great Dave Winfield hosts the San Diego Symphony Summer Pops concert "Baseball Goes Pops with Dave Winfield," Aug. 8-9, 2008, at Embarcadero Marina Park South in San Diego."

No word yet if he'll be wearing a Padre hat or a Yankee hat.

"Towers said teams have inquired about the availability of ace pitcher Jake Peavy, as well as shortstop Khalil Greene, third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, reliever Heath Bell and Hoffman. Towers, though, said any moves involving those players probably wouldn't happen until after the season.

"It's very doubtful anything happens with those guys," Towers said. "We will reassess at the conclusion of the season. ... We've had some people ask about Khalil, ask about Kouz, but we want to continue watching those guys. ... We had a couple clubs ask about Trevor, but we're not really entertaining moving Trevor at this time. Whenever Trevor decides to hang 'em up, I want it to be in a Padres uniform."

"Another source said on Tuesday that Maddux (3-8, 4.21 ERA) would prefer to be traded to the Dodgers if he were to leave San Diego.

Maddux, who went into Wednesday's game with 350 career victories, spent half a season with the Dodgers in 2006, going 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 12 starts.

As far as trading within his own division, Towers has no qualms at all with dealing with another team in the National League West.

"I personally have never been opposed to trading within the division," Towers said. "You can't have a fear of it or it will come back to bite you. If you have confidence in the input you're getting from your people and the player you're getting in return, you're fine."

"According to our reports, our scouts believe Chad has the potential for both a plus fastball and plus slider that could play in either the rotation or toward the back end of a bullpen. Houston certainly recognized this as well, as Reineke started seeing some time in the pen in 2007 similar to what Chad Qualls did when he was in AAA for the 'Stros. As a rotation pitcher, Reineke normally pitches around 90 mph, but our scouts have clocked him as high as 94 mph out of the pen, so we understand the reasoning. At 6'6" his angle to the plate has given hitters trouble, which could serve him well in both roles."

"The Padres have dealt left-hander Randy Wolf to the Astros for Chad Reineke, a Triple-A pitcher who has averaged nearly a strikeout per inning. A key part of the deal for the Padres is the potential financial savings. Wolf is due a $175,000 bonus for every start he makes up to his 30th start, in addition to pro-rated payments on a $4.75 million salary."

"Reineke, 26, is 5-9 with a 4.41 ERA. A starter, he has 100 strikeouts and 35 walks in 112.1 innings this season. Entering this year, he had a 3.52 career ERA with a strikeout per inning."

"Earlier this week, the Astros were forced to place veteran pitcher Roy Oswalt on the disabled list with hip and back trouble.

Wolf has a no-trade clause that includes 14 teams to which he cannot be dealt without his permission, but the Astros are not among those."

"The Diamondbacks appear to be closing in on a trade with the San Diego Padres that will bring first baseman Tony Clark back to Arizona.

After significant discussions in recent days, a deal could be final as soon as today, according to a major league source, who said the Diamondbacks will give up a minor league prospect in the trade."