Braves cut ties with Wickman  —  Designate closer for assignment  —  St. Louis — In a fairly surprising move in the heat of a pennant race, the Braves cut ties with closer Bob Wickman on Friday, designating the 38-year-old for assignment.  —  Braves manager Bobby Cox …

Opener with White Sox washed away  —  Game will be made up Friday as part of day-night twin bill  —  CHICAGO — The Red Sox and White Sox waited for a window of dryness that never came before Thursday night's game was finally cancelled following a delay of about two and a half hours.

MOOSE ON SHORT LEASH  —  Their first preference is for Mike Mussina to bounce back from two morbid outings Monday night so the veteran right-hander remains in their rotation as they chase the Red Sox and Mariners.  —  However, Mussina is on a short rope against the Tigers.

COMEBACK CRUMBLED  —  GONZALEZ, PODS WIN A WILD ONE  —  This was a crushing loss for the Mets, and there were a few things that caused the pain.  —  Two different and dramatic Mets comebacks were negated.  They had a thrilling hit that made Shea explode.  They should have captured the victory.

Game 128: Yankees at Tigers  —  Here is the lineup:  —  YANKEES  —  Johnny Damon DH  —  Melky Cabrera CF  —  Derek Jeter SS  —  Alex Rodriguez 3B  —  Jorge Posada C  —  Hideki Matsui LF  —  Robinson Cano 2B  —  Andy Phillips 1B  —  Shelley Duncan RF  —  Roger Clemens RHP (5-5, 3.92)

MLB, New Era both agree to yank caps  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  NEW YORK (AP) - A lineup of team logo baseball caps denounced as tailor-made for gang members was ordered removed from store shelves by its manufacturer Friday after complaints from baseball officials.

Howard on pace to break strikeout record  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — When he connects, the Phillies' Ryan Howard can hit the ball a long way.  Making contact is the slugger's biggest problem.  —  The reigning NL MVP is on pace to set the major league record for strikeouts in a season.

MLB.TV celebrates five years of growth  —  Free live Webcast of Yankees-Tigers offered on Sunday  —  "If this catches on, the worker productivity index might go into a serious slump."  —  Chicago Sun-Times on Aug. 27, 2002, after the birth of MLB.TV  —  First there was print, telegraph and word of mouth.

How I got my job: Aaron Gleeman, 24, Minnetonka  —  What does your business card say?  Senior editor of Rotoworld.com and NBCSports.com, and blogger for AaronGleeman.com.  —  What do you do?  I write a daily column for NBCSports.com and Rotoworld.com about baseball or football.

Notes: Patton to get start on Saturday  —  Twenty-one-year-old prospect to start against Pirates  —  HOUSTON — The Astros were considering many candidates to fill in as a spot starter this weekend, but left-hander Troy Patton won out in the end.  —  The club announced after Thursday's game …

Mets wounded, but still in command of East  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  As the old chestnut goes, injuries are part of the game.  —  Teams must plan for them, and they must assume that they're going to happen.  Part of the injury phenomenon is preventable — if you get players …