Roy Oswalt granted his own wish: He's now part of a pennant race. Miguel Tejada and Jorge Cantu joined the mix, too.

The trade wheel of fortune kept spinning Thursday with veterans-for-prospects deals that typically dot the stretch run. More swaps were expected before Saturday's 1 p.m. PDT deadline as pitchers Ted Lilly and Jake Westbook could go.

The Philadelphia Phillies made the boldest move, getting Oswalt and about $11 million from the Houston Astros for pitcher J.A. Happ and two speedy minor leaguers.

"I'm excited," Phillies ace Roy Halladay said. "It says a lot that this team is dedicated to winning."

Oswalt agreed to waive his no-trade clause and approved the deal to the two-time defending NL champions. The three-time All-Star is set to start tonight at Washington.

Still throwing hard at 32, Oswalt was 6-12 despite a 3.24 ERA for the foundering Astros. He asked for a trade earlier in the season and the St. Louis Cardinals were among the teams that were interested.

The NL West-leading San Diego Padres acquired Tejada, an infielder, from Baltimore for a Double-A pitcher. At 36, the former AL MVP is hitting .269 with seven homers and 39 RBIs for the last-place Orioles, who earlier in the day hired Buck Showalter as their new manager.

The AL West-leading Rangers added another bat for the playoff push, acquiring Cantu from the Florida Marlins for two minor league pitchers.

The Minnesota Twins acquired All-Star closer Matt Capps from the Washington Nationals for minor leaguers Wilson Ramos and Joe Testa.

Strasburg placed on DL: Rookie right-hander Stephen Strasburg went on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, the latest indication of how careful the Washington Nationals are being with their prized pitcher.

"They're taking every precaution with me, obviously," Strasburg said.

It's the first trip to the DL for Strasburg, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft and signed a record $15.1 million contract.

"If he's 90 percent healthy, we shut him down," Washington manager Jim Riggleman said. "He's got to be 100 percent."

Riggleman said the team expects Strasburg to pitch again for them this season. It's possible he could begin his road back by playing catch Saturday.

A-Rod out millions?: Alex Rodriguez filed an objection to aspects of next week's auction of the Texas Rangers, saying he and other former players may not get the millions owed them.

Rodriguez is due $24.9 million in deferred compensation six years after he was traded to the New York Yankees, and he tops the list of the unsecured creditors in the Rangers' bankruptcy case.

Rodriguez's concerns will not be an issue if the team is sold to a group led by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan and sports attorney Chuck Greenberg, who are Major League Baseball's preferred buyers. Their $575 million bid includes paying the full $204 million owed to A-Rod and other unsecured creditors.

But under the bidding procedures set for Wednesday's auction, other potential buyers can decide which provisions to include in their offers.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Rays 4, Tigers 2: At St. Petersburg, Fla., David Price became the AL's first 14-game winner, Carlos Pena had four RBIs and Tampa Bay completed a four-game sweep of Detroit.

Orioles 6, Royals 5, 11 inn.: Ty Wigginton's sacrifice fly in the 11th lifted Baltimore at Kansas City.

Yankees 11, Indians 4: Alex Rodriguez drove in three runs without hitting his 600th homer and New York romped at Cleveland.

Rangers 7, Athletics 4: At Arlington, Texas, Michael Young scored three times and Taylor Teagarden hit a two-run homer, sending Texas past Oakland.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Mets 4, Cardinals 0: R.A. Dickey took a three-hitter into the ninth and host New York beat St. Louis.

Nationals 5, Braves 3: Adam Dunn and Ian Desmond each homered and doubled, and host Washington beat NL East-leading Atlanta.

Phillies 3, Diamondbacks 2, 11 inn.: Wilson Valdez's RBI single in the 11th lifted host Philadelphia past Arizona for its eighth straight win.

Padres 3, Dodgers 2: Oscar Salazar's pinch-hit single with one out in the ninth lifted NL West-leading San Diego past visiting Los Angeles.

Rockies 9, Pirates 3: At Denver, Ubaldo Jimenez rebounded from two rough starts to pitch seven effective innings and Colorado snapped an eight-game skid with a victory over Pittsburgh.

Marlins 5, Giants 0: Anibal Sanchez pitched a one-hitter for his first shutout since a no-hitter in September 2006, leading Florida at San Francisco.