YANKS FACING ‘WILD’ PLAYOFF ROAD  —  EVEN SWEEPING THE SOX MAY NOT BE ENOUGH  —  Sweep dreams?  How about sweep and still weep?  —  With the Red Sox in Yankee Stadium's third base dugout for the start of a three-game series tonight, everybody is jazzed over the resumption of the greatest rivalry in baseball between blood rivals.

Report: With Maine on DL, Mets may call up Niese  —  NEW YORK — With John Maine back on the disabled list with a sore shoulder, the New York Mets are reportedly eyeing their farm system for pitching help.  —  Newsday reported that the Mets are preparing to call up top pitching prospect Jon Niese …

Marlins face costly offseason with 18 players eligible for arbitration  —  When it comes to stretching a dollar, the Marlins are pretty much the kings of Major League Baseball.  —  Yet their vaunted front office will have trouble making all (or even most) of the pieces fit this winter.  —  Eighteen.

Instant replay to begin in series starting Thursday  —  NEW YORK — Major League Baseball reversed its long-standing opposition to instant replay and will allow umpires to check video on home run calls in series that start Thursday.  —  Commissioner Bud Selig was scheduled to make the announcement at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday.

Kenny Rogers placed on waivers, could be traded soon  —  His experience in postseason is a plus  —  If a trade involving Tigers left-hander Kenny Rogers is going to happen before the end of this season, it likely will occur within the next several days.  —  The deadline to set postseason rosters …

Fukudome still making progress  —  PITTSBURGH —Just like that, Kosuke Fukudome might be on his way back to becoming an every-day fixture in the Cubs' lineup.  —  And if manager Lou Piniella has his way, back to the No. 5 spot in the order.  —  Just one day after Piniella …

Pirates Notebook: Getting antsy for Alvarez  —  The Pirates are running low on patience with Pedro Alvarez.  —  Ten full days have passed since the team and its first-round draft pick agreed to terms on a $6 million signing bonus, but Alvarez has yet to report for his physical or introductory news conference.

From the Basement, It's No Wonder Radio Reception Is Poor  —  Ah, the dog days of summer.  Time to kick back, relax on the porch with a tall glass of lemonade and listen to the quintessential sound of the season: the ballgame on the radio.  —  These days, however, hardly anyone's tuning in.

Delgado hits two homers as Mets top Astros, 9-1  —  Mets starter Mike Pelfrey delivers a pitch Monday night against the Houston Astros.  (Bruce Gilbert, Newsday / August 25, 2008)  —  The cheers rose out of the throats of 49,791 Mets fans at Shea Stadium last night as Carlos Delgado celebrated among …

ONE MEANING-PHIL TWO-GAME SERIES  —  AMAZIN'S LOOK TO MAKE UP FOR '07  —  Johan Santana helped pitch the Twins into the postseason on four different occasions, so he knows what a team needs to do to get into the playoffs.  He also knows what happened between the Mets and Phillies a year ago …

Olympians watch Drillers fall in home finale  —  Olympic bronze medalists Dexter Fowler and Casey Weathers looked on as the Drillers (25-38 second half, 54-79) struggled in their regular season home finale, losing 14-1 to Northwest Arkansas.  —  Fowler and Weathers received a standing ovation …

Tulowitzki trying to adjust to sitting, hitting in No. 8 slot  —  SAN FRANCISCO — It has been a remarkable ride during the past year.  Troy Tulowitzki has gone from well-earned celebrity to overdosing on humility.  —  He has not started two of the past five games, and he hit eighth Monday for the second day in a row.

Twins bolster 'pen, bring back Guardado  —  SEATTLE — The Twins addressed their need for late-inning relief help on Monday, completing a trade with Texas for left-hander Eddie Guardado.  —  It marks the return for Guardado to Minnesota where he began his career, helping the Twins …