Showing no mercy  —  CHICAGO - It has almost become a ritual.  —  For four days straight Tim Wakefield [stats] sits in the corner of the Red Sox [team stats] clubhouse, legs crossed, zoning in on the day's crossword puzzle.  Every once in a while he might peer up to see what's going on …

Mets' Wagner takes day off; Mets beat Dodgers, 4-3  —  Billy Wagner had his ruse all ready to go, only to be talked out of it at the last minute.  —  Standing in the trainer's room after sitting out the Mets' 4-3 win over the Dodgers, Wagner had his oh-so-valuable left arm in a sling.

Tigers hit 3 HRs off Hughes, top Yanks  —  DETROIT (AP) — The New York Yankees hit the ball hard Sunday.  The Detroit Tigers just kept making all the plays.  —  The Tigers used three early homers and three late defensive gems to beat the Yankees 5-4, and can win their first series since mid-July …

Phils' Myers, reporter in shouting match  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen coughed up another lead.  Then, things really boiled over in the clubhouse after the game.  —  Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a go-ahead homer off Brett Myers in the ninth inning …

Jackson's homer lifts Diamondbacks  —  Before Saturday night's game against the visiting Chicago Cubs, Diamondbacks first baseman Conor Jackson was commenting on rookie pitcher Micah Owings' hitting exploits, adding that he was getting a little jealous.  —  "He's got more home runs than me lately; that's for sure," Jackson said.

Hunter chooses to put off talks  —  BALTIMORE — Twins outfielder Torii Hunter turned down a recent offer from the Twins to negotiate a contract extension, preferring to wait until the end of the season.  —  Hunter, for most of the season, has publicly hoped that the club would open talks …

Dodgers a disappointment  —  There is no easy way to say this.  The Rockies aren't winning the National League West this year.  That's 15 consecutive seasons without a division crown, but who's counting?  —  Fans are tired of waiting, but wearing the Rockies out for this failure is a bit misplaced.

Heavy rains wring out the worst in Wrigley  —  Recent rainstorms have deluged Chicago's ballparks, but the results have been as different as north and south.  —  Water was being wrung out of Wrigley Field's turf, while the moisture at U.S. Cellular Field was whisked away with a modern pump system.

Fall forecast calls for Carlos to be hot at plate  —  The problem with Carlos Delgado, more than anything, is that he has not quite produced as advertised.  This is the ultimate crime in the age of big contracts and salary dumps.  Nobody minds paying top dollar, if you give them the performances that first earned the multiyear deal.

TRADE OPTIONS?  How the Tigers can deal with loss of Sheffield  —  Suddenly, the Tigers' lineup seems flawed.  —  Ryan Raburn began the weekend with more home runs since the All-Star Game than Pudge Rodriguez, Sean Casey or Brandon Inge.  —  Detroit had three hits against Cleveland on Tuesday …

Pirates Notebook: Struggling Moskos taken out of game action  —  HOUSTON — The Pirates have taken reliever Danny Moskos, their first-round draft pick in June, out of game action in State College to address mechanical issues.  —  "It's not a big deal, and it's not a health issue at all," …

Rockies recall Iannetta  —  The Rockies are going back to the future for their backup catcher.  —  Rookie Chris Iannetta will be recalled and is expected to be activated for today's series finale against the Washington Nationals, replacing Geronimo Gil.  Iannetta was sent down to Triple …

Notes: La Russa defends defense  —  Skipper says pitchers must also shoulder some of the blame  —  ST. LOUIS — One day after he watched his team commit four errors for the second straight game, Cards manager Tony La Russa again aggressively defended his club's defense.