DELGADO INJURES LEFT KNEE  —  Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado said he hyperextended his left knee when chasing a foul pop near the first-base stands in the second inning of the Mets' 10-8 win over the Pirates last night.  —  Delgado stayed in the game but left before the bottom of the eighth.

Marlins' top pick Dominguez signs  —  They flirted with possibly losing their first-round draft pick, but the Marlins finally came to terms with Matt Dominguez just hours before the midnight deadline for major-league teams to sign their draft selections.  —  The Marlins reached …

Injuries force lesson in juggling a roster  —  Cook will head to the DL during a flurry of transactions  —  San Diego - Rockies owner Dick Monfort sat on the dugout bench waiting for who might emerge from the clubhouse door next.  Ill-timed injuries, an overworked bullpen and the acquisition …

Nats agree to terms with McGeary  —  Lefty was club's sixth-round pick of 2007 First-Year Player Draft  —  WASHINGTON — A day after it appeared he would not play professional baseball, left-hander Jack McGeary, the sixth-round pick from the 2007 First-Year Player Draft signed with the Nationals late on Wednesday night.

A Few More Notes  —  A few quick items before I head off for some much-needed sleep . . .  • Another Scott Boras client signed late.  South Carolina righthander Wynn Pelzer (ninth round, Padres) signed for $190,000.  Pelzer fractured his left kneecap when he was struck by a line drive …

Mellow dramatics  —  Looking for the knockout punch in the ninth, Red Sox go down swinging  —  It was starting to feel like old times at Fenway Park.  Not only were the Red Sox playing a rare weekday afternoon game, but the hallmark of the team over the last few seasons — late-inning comebacks — had returned to vogue in Boston.

Ellsbury Joining Buchholz  —  It looks like the Red Sox have decided to summon Jacoby Ellsbury from Pawtucket, along with Clay Buchholz.  Ellsbury and Buchholz are expected to be in uniform for tomorrow's doubleheader vs. the Angels at Fenway Park.  —  The moves haven't been announced …

McCarthy shut down for two weeks  —  Rangers right-hander to rest injured right shoulder blade  —  ARLINGTON — The Rangers are shutting down pitcher Brandon McCarthy for at least two weeks because of a stress fracture in his right shoulder blade.  —  The injury could open a way for the Rangers …

Notes: Mets lonely at the top  —  Despite closer race, team has controlled NL East in 2007  —  PITTSBURGH — The Mets, Phillies and Braves.  The Mets, Braves and Phillies.  It's been one way or the other in the National League East for quite a while.  The Mets moved into first place May 16, and they have been there since then.

Yankees Reach Deal With Top Pick  —  The Yankees and their first-round pick in this year's draft, the right-hander Andrew Brackman, reached agreement on a contract yesterday, hours before the Yankees would have lost his rights.  —  If Brackman and the Yankees had not worked out a deal by midnight …

Outspoken, Sheffield Isn't Always Unfiltered  —  Gary Sheffield looked relaxed and in his environment.  He wore a Detroit Tigers T-shirt, he crossed his arms and stood in front of his locker in Cleveland like a preacher by his pulpit.  The words kept flowing, more opinions, more statements, more Sheffield.

Yankees have no choice except to cry a Rivera  —  Bad as it was for the Yankees during those dark days of April, May and June when they had played themselves into a double-digit deficit, their one consolation was they at least had no reason to think about the dreaded, unspoken question …

DEATHLY NUMBERS … Barry Bonds, the Lord Voldemort of baseball, has prevailed in the end, rapping the enchanted No. 756 and, for the moment, closing a complex tale that has held us too long and (here in Eastern Daylight Time, at least) way too late.  The image may not hold up …