Jones whiffs 5 times in No. 6 spot  —  Boston — With more than a quarter of the season gone and Andruw Jones' average slipping toward .200, Braves manager Bobby Cox made a move he hoped to avoid.  —  He dropped Jones from fourth to sixth in the batting order, which spoke volumes of the severity of his slump.

Dempster: Closer to starter and back  —  Ryan Dempster moved from closer to starter back to closer in a 20-minute span Sunday, capping off one of the most bizarre days in his nine-year career.  —  Dempster told reporters after Sunday's game that manager Lou Piniella asked him on Thursday …

Tumbling Redbirds are swept in Detroit  —  DETROIT — The conclusion is inescapable.  The Cardinals are this bad.  —  Their 6-3 loss Sunday to Detroit capped a three-game series sweep by the Tigers and extended the Cardinals' losing streak to five, the second time this season they have reached that depth.

NL West: The Plague of Pierre  —  Ever since their team hired Billy Beane disciple Paul DePodesta as GM, traded Paul Lo Duca and acquired Hee Seop Choi and J.D. Drew in 2004, Dodger fans have been split in two camps: Those who believe that statistics predominantly tell the story of a player's value …

BERNIE: I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE SEEN THE LAST OF ME  —  Bernie Williams remains a man without a team, but the former Yankee hasn't given up on playing again.  —  "I'm trying to stay in shape, working hard and we'll see what happens in the future," Williams told WNBC yesterday.

KID IS ALL RIGHT  —  BABY-FACED ROOKIE BAILS OUT BOMBERS  —  RON Villone played for six weeks at Triple-A with Tyler Clippard and pretty much liked everything about the lanky right-hander.  —  Before a pitch was thrown in the Subway Series finale, Villone offered a laudatory scouting report of Clippard.

Jenkins hits 200th career homer  —  Milestone jack ties game, sets up game-winning single  —  MILWAUKEE — Geoff Jenkins still remembers standing at his locker after the Brewers' home finale last September, choking back tears after a trying year.  —  With rumors circulating that he might …

Tattooed pitcher may become Marlins' closer  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Justin Miller's body art, those pieces visible in public, led Major League Baseball to rule that he has to wear long sleeves when he pitches.  —  But it's the one seen only inside the sanctity of the major-league clubhouse …

Carlos Zambrano's Lower Arm Slot: cause for concern?  —  I recently wrote an article on Jonathan Papelbon's arm slot issues.  My conclusion: … I had originally intended to write an article in which I discussed both Papelbon and Carlos Zambrano.  The Papelbon article ran longer than I anticipated, so I split them up.

YANKS NEED TO MAKE MOVE  —  THE Yankees have always given the impression that rivalry series such as the ones they play against the Mets and the Red Sox are annoyances; interruptions in the routine of preparing for the postseason.  —  The organization gives the impression that the games …

Big Unit dominant in win over Bucs  —  Veteran lefty notches season-high 10 strikeouts  —  PITTSBURGH — There are going to be games when Randy Johnson just doesn't feel good.  —  After all, he is 43-years-old and is less than seven months removed from major back surgery.

BOMBERS WILL FOLLOW MLB'S LEAD ON GIAMBI'S COMMENTS  —  According to Brian Cashman, the Yankees will take their cue from Major League Baseball on what they can do about possibly voiding Jason Giambi's contract.  —  "It's all up to MLB," the GM said last night.

Hit Tracker Interview (Part 1)  —  Hands up who hasn't heard of Hit Tracker?  Right, no one ... no introduction required then!  Well, just in case you happen to be a THT virgin, I'll proffer the one paragraph version.  —  Hit Tracker was, in my opinion, the best thing to come out of the Internet in 2006.

New Marlin happy to escape San Francisco  —  · Considering the Marlins don't play the Giants until late July, it doesn't appear Todd Linden will get to witness Barry Bonds make home run history.  —  "It's all right," Linden said.  "It's a bigger gain than it will be a loss, by far."

Stop blaming Jim Bowden  —  Say what you will about James G. Bowden IV.  Everyone else has.  —  Leatherpants wrecked the Cincinnati farm system and cheated the Reds and their rookie general manager Wayne Krivsky last summer: Erstwhile All-Star shortstop Felipe Lopez and decent everyday …