Struggling in October, Rodriguez Finds It's All a Blur  —  Alex Rodriguez swung and missed, feebly, at Joel Zumaya's 101-mile-an-hour fastball and then behaved like a 7-year-old who had to put away his toys before dinner.  He neatly placed his batting gloves and elbow guard inside his helmet and gave them to a batboy.

Glavine Pitches Like an Ace, Small Ball Does the Rest  —  José Reyes, who was 1 for 3 with a walk, after he hit a single in the sixth inning.  Reyes also had two runs batted in.  —  As the Mets started confronting life without Pedro Martínez and Orlando Hernández, a 290-game winner lurked in the background.

Nats Contact Braves About Pendleton  —  The Washington Nationals' search for a replacement for ousted manager Frank Robinson has turned to Terry Pendleton, a former batting champion and the hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves, where he once played and worked under Nationals President Stan Kasten.

Kranitz may stay if he chooses  —  Joe Girardi is gone, but the Marlins want the pitching coach he brought to stay.  —  New manager Fredi Gonzalez spoke with Rick Kranitz on Wednesday, and indications are the Marlins want him back.  First-base coach Perry Hill and hitting coach Jim Presley are strong holdover candidates.

Time stops, not Franco  —  This is how the Mets know all is right again.  Julio Franco, a few days removed from blowing out the candles on his 48th birthday cake, huffed and puffed his way down the first base line, and by the time he reached the bag, time had stood still.

Hillman denies reports of a deal with Rangers  —  The day after announcing manager Buck Showalter's firing, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels began searching for Showalter's replacement Thursday.  It could be several weeks before he settles on his guy, contrary to reports in Japan.

Twins' hopes resting on Radke's shoulders  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Ron Gardenhire figured he had seen Brad Radke's final major league pitch six weeks ago when his player's injured right arm could barely throw 80 mph.  —  Radke had a torn labrum and stress fracture in his shoulder …

Postseason Insider, Oct. 6  —  SAN DIEGO - The first two games of the NL Division Series haven't been kind to San Diego, and its general manager, Kevin Towers.  —  Little else, however, has gone awry for Towers this year.  —  It's been one of those seasons in which even when Towers …

The Hunt For The Precioussss: Division Series Day 3  —  Victory Through Superior Tigerpower: Tigers 4, Yankees 3  —  The Kittycats did that which the Dodgers could not, chasing their opponents off the field on the road with a victory in hand, ensuring a split going home to Detroit.

A DIAMONDBACK IN THE ROUGH  —  SNAKES' BYRNES A TV HIT  —  The Diamondbacks' Eric Byrnes came across like a future TV star in his guest appearances on ESPN's Baseball Tonight this week.  Now the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins steps into the TV batter's box as a guest analyst on Fox Sports' weekend studio show.

Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic  —  Q: Fred-dy!  Fred-dy!  —  David Sculley of Sewickley  —  KOVACEVIC: Yeah, this just in: Freddy Sanchez is good.  —  Welcome, one and all, to the season-ending Q&A — a little longer than usual, so that it can be spread over several of the next few Fridays …

Martínez undergoes rotator cuff surgery  —  NEW YORK — Former Red Sox doctor Bill Morgan was present as an observer when pitcher Pedro Martínez underwent surgery yesterday to repair a torn rotator cuff.  Mets doctors David Altchek and Struan Coleman repaired the supraspinatus tendon …