Start of fall  —  Summer's end has been a cruel time for the Orioles, who have suffered dismal finishes the past nine years  —  The humidity thickens, the Ravens' preseason begins, kids prepare for a new school year and the Orioles downshift from mediocre to below bad.

A's Loaiza auditions well in loss  —  Esteban Loaiza made his final start of August, and we'll know soon if it was his final start with the A's.  —  Contenders have until Friday, the final day of August, to add players to their rosters and make them eligible for the postseason.

Cooper takes over as Astros manager  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Cecil Cooper has never had a problem communicating with players individually.  It's the group settings Cooper is going to have to get used to as the new manager of the Houston Astros.  —  Cooper took over as manager after Phil Garner was fired Monday …

Notes: Botts wants to get bat going  —  Designated hitter expects to contribute more at the plate  —  ARLINGTON — The temperature was 97 degrees at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington about four hours before game time on Tuesday, but Jason Botts was still among those out on the field for early batting practice.

Big lead, bigger loss for Mariners  —  Seattle scores five early; Weaver gives them all back  —  Ervin Santana did his best imitation of early-season Jeff Weaver on Tuesday night at Safeco Field.  —  Unfortunately, the real thing showed up later.  —  The Mariners jumped on Santana …

Sanchez's slam helps Bucs cool off Reds  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Freddy Sanchez kept his hot August going with a grand slam and five RBIs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended the Cincinnati Reds' six-game winning streak with a 6-4 victory Tuesday in a doubleheader opener.

Padres score 6 off Webb, now only 1 back  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — No team in the NL West has beaten Brandon Webb more than San Diego, and the Padres came up with a big one on Tuesday night.  —  Mike Cameron homered to start a four-run rally off the reigning NL Cy Young winner in the sixth inning …

Howard's HR in 10th lifts Phils by Mets  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Rowand's swinging bunt took three small hops until it trickled to a dead stop maybe 45 feet down the third-base line, the baseball's stitches kissing the chalk.  —  Ryan Howard's hefty cut went about 400 feet and sent the Phillies faithful into a frenzy.

Howry: Cubs fans better than Boston rooters  —  USA Today recently proclaimed the Boston Red Sox America's team in a front-page article about their rabid fan base and national following.  —  Whether Red Sox Nation is bigger or more fervent than Cubs Nation is a debate that could draw some heated arguments.

Prospectus Hit and Run  —  Stars, Scrubs, and the Scooter  —  Last week, we looked at Replacement Level Killers as they pertained to contending teams.  We can also demonstrate just how replacement-level production can grind an entire offense to a halt.  —  We'll start with a look …

Nats' power surge for naught  —  Young, Pena, Zimmerman go deep in loss to Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES — For the third game in a row, the Nationals had problems getting quality innings out of their starting pitcher and it ended up hurting them as they lost to the Dodgers, 5-4, at Dodger Stadium on Monday night.

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.

Hermida's offense heating up  —  MIAMI GARDENS — After battling injuries his rookie season and starting slowly at the plate this year, the Marlins must have wondered if they would ever see the player who was the can't-miss prospect for three seasons.  —  But Jeremy Hermida finally has shown …