Mets Pitcher to Miss Postseason With Injury  —  Pedro Martínez has missed much of this season with injuries and illness.  He will need four to six weeks to recover from his latest ailment.  —  The Mets had prepared themselves for the probability that Pedro Martínez …

Nixon: The Final Days?  —  Right Fielder Reflects On Past  —  BOSTON — Trot Nixon is not planning anything special this weekend.  Do not expect a reprise of Carl Yastrzemski's farewell victory lap in 1983, or even Nixon's own scamper out to the right field bleachers at Yankee Stadium during …

Marlins won't promote rookies  —  MIAMI GARDENS — Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla might be leading candidates for the National League Rookie of the Year award, but the Marlins don't plan to campaign on their behalf like the San Francisco Giants are doing with right-hander Matt Cain.

D.C. faithful entertained during delay  —  Fans who waited treated to music, other ballgames  —  WASHINGTON — The crowd cheered when Nationals starter Mike O'Connor threw a ball high and outside to Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins on the game's first pitch on Thursday night.

Baker may enjoy the last laugh  —  Manager could have options, including Nationals, Giants  —  The managerial merry-go-round hasn't begun running, but reports that Washington Nationals manager Frank Robinson is on his way out could be good news for Dusty Baker and bad news for Jim Hendry.

Cowher to Big Ben: Run more, puh-lease  —  By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  Bill Cowher delivered a message to his quarterback yesterday, borrowing a line from Forrest Gump: Run, Ben, Run!  —  Perhaps as a way to help his young quarterback out of a rare funk …

Ichiro says he'll stay in center field  —  Decision allows team to pursue left or right fielder with power  —  Ichiro Suzuki in center field next season?  —  Count on it.  —  In a meeting in Mike Hargrove's office this week, Ichiro told the manager he is willing to be Seattle's full …

Playoff goal eludes Teixeira yet again  —  SEATTLE — The first-half numbers Mark Teixeira put up this season ranked as one of the biggest letdowns for Rangers fans, probably right behind the injury to Adam Eaton and the underwhelming year by Brad Wilkerson.

Having swinging time  —  Padres hitters pummel D-Backs, keep Dodgers one game back  —  PHOENIX - The Padres are rightly known for their pitching, which leads the National League in ERA.  And San Diego's pitchers will get most of the attention should the team clinch a playoff berth - which it can do tonight.

A Glove story — Gonzo eyes Gold nugget  —  In a season with enough twists and turns to dizzy Ricky Bobby, the Red Sox defense has been the steadiest working part of their disappointing season.  —  While a good debate could be held on who is the best defensive player on the Red Sox …

Feeling the heat?  Slay the messenger  —  Memo to Terrell Owens: If you have any of that extra-strength pain medication left over, please ship it to St. Louis.  —  In mass quantities.  —  The heat is really on, and so is the hurt.  By the time the first 19 Milwaukee hitters had stepped …

Does Size Matter (Part 5)  —  Over the past couple of months, we have looked in detail at how player size affects hitting performance.  Today, we move on to pitchers.  —  In a way, pitchers are more interesting to look at than hitters.  It seems intuitive that big hitters should do better than little ones.

School's In  —  For the past four years, Alan Matthews has traveled across the country covering amateur baseball, specifically draft eligible high school talent, for Baseball America.  This month, he enrolled in the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau's annual scout development program, which is being held in Phoenix.

Red Sox may sell season naming rights  —  For sale: The 2007 Boston Red Sox season.  —  Just be ready to ante up several million.  —  The Sox may have lost some of their luster on the field after the team's late-season crash landing.  —  But the franchise's front office is just hitting its stride.

Bring on Bad News Barry!  O's don't fear divas, controversy  —  What a relief!  The agent for Barry Bonds has reassured us that Bad News Barry will return to play at least one more season, barring - I suppose - jail time, which means that he probably will break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record.