Madden: Mets ship starting to spring leaks  —  That was quite a jolt of reality Jerry Manuel got Sunday and, by his own admission, this is not exactly the time for the Good Ship Met to start springing leaks again.  —  But there they were: an ominous forecast on John Maine …

Marlins Notebook: Struggling Uggla benched  —  PHOENIX — Second baseman Dan Uggla was blunt Sunday when asked how he prepares on days he's not in starting lineup.  —  “When you get benched?  Nothing,” he said.  “You just sit down, wear it.  Who knows?  At this point now, they're not days off.

Cano: My biggest hit of the year  —  Once the Red Sox beat Toronto today, the Yankees had to find a way today.  They did when Robinson Cano hammered a Jamie Walker fastball over the wall in the seventh inning.  —  It was part of a 4-for-5 day for Cano, who drove in two runs.

Interference call tough to swallow  —  Aybar's rundown collision with Pierzynski affects Rays' loss  —  CHICAGO — Sunday's Rays-White Sox contest saw a controversial call affect the outcome when A.J. Pierzynski got caught in a rundown in the 10th inning, but was ruled safe when interference …

Mota, Villanueva continue to contribute  —  Often idle relievers strive to be ready to go when needed  —  MILWAUKEE — Brewers reliever Guillermo Mota notched a well-deserved win on Sunday.  One of his teammates thought Mota also deserved a save.  —  “Mota bailed me out,” fellow reliever Carlos Villanueva said.

Is CC Sabathia a prize Dodgers have their eye on?  —  Left-hander has California roots, and former Indians teammate Casey Blake thinks Dodgers would make sense for him.  But as the top free-agent pitcher he'll command a huge contract.  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Dodgers might be more likely …

The reappearance of Gary Matthews Jr. leads to Angels' victory  —  Reduced by injury and ineffectiveness to a bit role since early July, the Angels outfielder reappeared in a big way for the Angels, hitting a run-scoring triple to key a three-run eighth inning.

Don't expect Pavano to be consistent help  —  Carl Pavano is still a colossal disappointment, the appropriate butt of countless jokes and hands down the most overpaid athlete in Yankees history.  Heck, he's probably the most overpaid athlete in New York sports history, too.

Cano's homer gives Yanks sweep of O's  —  BALTIMORE — With the game three hours in and the score deadlocked at 7, Robinson Cano took things into his own hands.  In the second inning, the second baseman had hit an RBI double that helped propel the Yankees to a five-run lead over the Orioles.

Springing leaks in late summer  —  A sinking feeling about the playoffs  —  Reliever Chris Smith couldn't stop the bleeding in yesterday's lopsided loss at Toronto.  (Frank gunn/canadian Press)  —  TORONTO - Your starting shortstop, third baseman, right fielder, and No. 1 pitcher are out with injuries.

Barton has a key role for Cards  —  After five months, most of the Cardinals' players have established themselves in one form or another.  Stars or potential stars.  Role players.  Prospects.  Suspects.  —  But in the case of outfielder Brian Barton, who had to be kept on the roster …