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.

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 …

Jeter-less Yanks lose to Tigers  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  DETROIT - Curtis Granderson led off the first inning with an inside-the-park homer and the Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees 5-4 on Sunday.  —  The Tigers have won two of three from New York and can win their first series since mid-July …

Notes: Victorino given day to rest  —  Nursing ailing right calf, outfielder out of lineup Saturday  —  PHILADELPHIA — Shane Victorino's only regret is that his manager saw him limp.  —  As a result, Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel went with Jayson Werth in right field on Saturday night …

Holliday leads Rockies to sweep of Nats  —  DENVER (AP) — Matt Holliday homered, doubled and drove in three runs, and the Colorado Rockies finished off a sweep of the Washington Nationals with a 10-5 win on Sunday.  —  Elmer Dessens (2-1) gave up a run and three hits in six innings …

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," …