Yankees are losing at this game of catch  —  NEW YORK — For a flickering moment, there was a race in the American League East, when the Yankees cut the margin to four games eight days ago.  But there is no more.  At least not now.  —  The three-game series that begins tonight offers …

Anderson leads Halos past Mariners  —  Left fielder drives in three; Lackey goes nine shutout innings  —  SEATTLE — For their biggest game of the season thus far, the Angels had the right combination to throw at the Mariners.  —  John Lackey — in a diminished condition with a throat infection …

Notes: Marlins look to play spoiler  —  Club hopes to knock Braves out of playoff contention  —  MIAMI — Stuck in last place in the National League East, the Marlins are now in position of playing the role of spoiler.  —  The Braves, meanwhile, headed into Monday seven games behind …

Pedro takes major step toward big leagues  —  JUPITER, Fla. - It was a strategy move, but Pedro Martinez was having none of it.  —  Frank Cacciatore, manager of Single-A St. Lucie, looked at the situation and thought the move was obvious.  Martinez had one out and runners on second and third in the sixth inning of a tie game.

Column: Pirates need to talk to LaCava  —  Bob Nutting says the Pittsburgh Pirates' next chief executive officer will be a baseball man and recognizable to people inside the game.  —  Who the replacement for Kevin McClatchy will be, though, is anyone's guess.  —  Nutting is one of the most low-key owners in baseball.

Martínez Is Pleased With Test  —  Pedro Martínez's normally pinpoint control was not present Monday night.  He threw far more balls against the Class A Palm Beach Cardinals than he had in any of his other rehabilitation efforts.  Yet Martínez said that was a good thing.

Cubs, Soriano playing with fire  —  With their history on injuries, it might be better to play it safe rather than risk a return trip to the DL  —  If his stint on the disabled list taught us anything, it's that Alfonso Soriano is the Cubs' most valuable offensive player.

Tigers chase Mussina, rout Yankees 16-0  —  DETROIT (AP) — Justin Verlander found his groove on the mound, and the Detroit Tigers rediscovered their stroke at the plate.  —  Verlander shut down the New York Yankees with his best stuff since throwing a no-hitter while Detroit roughed …

NL Central  —  The Chicago Cubs host the Milwaukee Brewers for three games, with the Cubs leading the division by 1 1/2 games.  It's the last time this season the two clubs face each other. … The Cubs lead the season series so far despite Milwaukee out homering them 20-9.

MINAYA PLANS TWO WAVES OF SEPTEMBER CALL-UPS  —  The Mets plan to make minor-league promotions in two waves — one on Saturday on the first day permitted, and the second after Triple-A New Orleans' season ends, according to Minaya.  Joe Smith and David Newhan figure to be the first call-ups …

Time Torre throws changeup at rotation  —  DETROIT - A few days ago, Mike Mussina scoffed at any notion that he needed to pitch well last night to retain his spot in the rotation.  —  "Who would they replace me with?"  Mussina asked dismissively.  —  Three innings into a third straight disastrous start …