Yanks Would Have Interest in Sabathia  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — A painful swing by the Cleveland Indians' Víctor Martínez on Wednesday could have significant ramifications for the Yankees.  An elbow injury to Martínez all but ended the Indians' flickering playoff hopes …

Walked all over  —  Intentional free pass to Ramirez leads to Lowell's slam; Guthrie chased after 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the year  —  BOSTON - As good of a hitter as Mike Lowell is, Orioles manager Dave Trembley's decision in the bottom of the fifth inning last night was an easy one.

Matsui's slam helps Yankees beat A's 4-1  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—Hideki Matsui had no use for the birthday cake he was given before the game, not wanting to add the extra calories to his waistline.  —  He found a much better way to celebrate his 34th birthday than eating a piece of cake.

Heat is on Loaiza if he can't bring the heat  —  DETROIT — Veteran right- hander Esteban Loaiza has been full of surprises for the White Sox.  —  They were surprised to find out he hadn't been working out or throwing before they signed him to a free-agent contract June 4.

Spilborghs might play more in center  —  Taveras could lose time to hotter-hitting Rockies outfielder  —  DENVER — Willy Taveras once again started in center field Wednesday against the Giants, as manager Clint Hurdle gave Ryan Spilborghs another day to rest his sore lower back.

Mets seriously considering a change … Willie Randolph's status as Mets manager is extremely tenuous now.  General manager Omar Minaya is seriously considering changing managers and at least a couple of the team's coaches, sources told SI.com.  —  A Mets official indicated that nothing …

Letter: A special visit to Yankee game  —  I attended the Yankees' game last Friday with my wife Joan, my son Eric, and his girl Sandy Sequeira.  —  We initially thought the evening's highlight would be the models of Yankee Stadium given out to fans.  Little did we know what was in store for us.

Pain finally subdues Martinez  —  Catcher to have surgery on right elbow, miss six to eight weeks  —  CLEVELAND — Victor Martinez had played through a left hamstring strain since Opening Day and right elbow inflammation for more than a month.  —  Finally, the pain got to be too much.

Abandoned Playground  —  Something about the way the sun hits Shea in late afternoon when almost everybody's gone home appeals to me.  Probably because it reminds me of the playground at East School.  That's where I did most of my balling, if you could call it that, in my youth.

Doumit walks the walk in walloping Washington  —  Third game in row with a home run boosts Pirates, 7-5  —  It is one thing to pipe up, as Ryan Doumit did four days ago after the Pirates' tumultuous takedown of the Arizona Diamondbacks, brashly declaring, “We let 'em know we weren't going to be pushed around in our own house.”

Francona shakes off interleague play  —  BOSTON — Red Sox manager Terry Francona is not a big fan of interleague play.  —  Nevertheless, Boston will play its next 15 games against National League opponents — Reds, Phillies, Cardinals, Diamondbacks and Astros — and even though the Red Sox …

Buchholz angling for return  —  He's working to be more consistent  —  Clay Buchholz, now pitching in Pawtucket, is making adjustments to his delivery before he returns to the Red Sox.  (Eric miller/Reuters)  —  PAWTUCKET, R.I. - Although the Red Sox hope that by the time Clay Buchholz reemerges …

Throwing out some pitchers for Phillies to consider  —  THE JULY 31 trading deadline may seem to be little more than a chimera glistening on a faraway horizon.  In fact, it arrives in fewer than 7 weeks, 48 days that will pass in a blink.  —  So with Phillies president Dave Montgomery's …

SNY talks fairly, quietly about Mets  —  Sure, baseball gets mocked here for its glacial pace and out-sized role in Big Town media.  —  But this week's operatic events in Flushing were a reminder of what the fuss is about — a sport whose melodrama unfolds daily over an insanely long season, starring a familiar cast of characters.