'Adrenaline' prompts Giles' quick return  —  PHOENIX - Padres right fielder Brian Giles, emboldened by the power of adrenaline, returned to the lineup last night, one day after a sprained right ankle caused him to miss just his fourth start of the season.  —  "I know with the meaning …

Red Sox close out season against O's  —  Baltimore (69-90) at Boston (84-75), Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET  —  The grind that the Red Sox began in mid-February under the soothing sun in Fort Myers, Fla., will wind down this weekend at Fenway Park, when the Orioles come to town for a three-game series.

Manager sees bright future after pitcher's 1-hitter  —  BOSTON (AP) — One day after Daniel Cabrera ended his inconsistent season with a near no-hitter, Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo predicted a bright future for the 25-year-old right-hander — again.  —  "He's got a real good note to go home …

Yanks' Johnson has herniated disc, playoffs in doubt  —  NEW YORK — Yankees lefty Randy Johnson has a herniated disc in his lower back, an injury that could prevent him from pitching in the playoffs next week.  —  The injury was discovered during an MRI exam Thursday.

Nixon ponders possible end in Boston  —  Gritty right fielder will become a free agent after the season  —  BOSTON — Who knew that Manny Ramirez was so nostalgic?  The star cleanup man might act oblivious at times, but, like everyone else, he knows that Trot Nixon, an institution …

Mets Ignore Negatives and Hope They Go Away  —  The television stationed above John Maine was spouting gloom and doom.  No Pedro Martínez?  No ace?  No chance.  And so on.  Maine glanced up, rolled his eyes and dismissed the talk by spitting a stream of tobacco juice before focusing on a chess match in front of him.

More Players Are Taking the Train to the Game  —  To Heath Bell, the term "subway series" describes his life this season.  That's how he goes home after a night's work at Shea Stadium.  —  An hour and a half after the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on a muggy night this season …

Champagne arrival inspires fiery Olsen  —  MIAMI GARDENS — Marlins pitcher Scott Olsen arrived at Dolphin Stadium on Friday just in time to see bottles of champagne being wheeled into the ballpark, just in case the Phillies win the wild card this weekend.  —  "I hate the Phillies …

Taking a mulligan on baseball's awards  —  Before the season, I compared making predictions to a pink shirt.  Allow me to amend that.  —  Making predictions is like golf: I stink at it, and so does just about everyone else.  —  Of my choices for the six major awards …

2006 Major League Baseball postseason ad campaign to star Tommy Lasorda  —  One of baseball's most beloved personalities is the ambassador for October baseball; Lasorda leads fans nationwide"To the TV!"  —  Tommy Lasorda, a legendary manager and one of baseball's most charismatic personalities …

Santana silences A's in final start  —  Righty's seven scoreless innings cap impressive year  —  ANAHEIM — If only this string of games had meant something.  —  So strong was the belief they would be a factor at the end of the year, the entire clubhouse had circled the closing stretch …

Phils roll, keep pace in Wild Card race  —  Burrell belts two homers, Victorino goes 5-for-6 in blowout  —  FLORIDA — The offense let the Phillies down on Thursday.  —  The bats picked the Phils up in a big way on Friday.  —  Shane Victorino's five hits led a 18-hit barrage …

Angels announce Minor League organizational awards  —  Sean Rodriguez, Joe Saunders and Jeff Mathis honored  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels today announced their minor league organizational awards for the 2006 season, naming shortstop Sean Rodriguez as Player of the Year …

GM doesn't foresee big changes for '07  —  Williams might do some "tweaking" to improve in offseason  —  MINNEAPOLIS — If you are one of the many White Sox fans who appreciated the 2006 version of this talented team enough to not tear it apart for 2007, then count yourself in the same support group as general manager Ken Williams.

Wild win leaves LA tied atop NL West  —  Martin scores winning run on wild pitch to cap rally in ninth  —  SAN FRANCISCO — This might be a new generation of ballplayers, but the Dodgers-Giants rivalry is still the Dodgers-Giants rivalry.  —  It's already a part of Russell Martin …