Union to file grievance regarding Alvarez; status of contract in dispute  —  The Major League Baseball Players Assocation today will file a grievance against the commissioner's office regarding the Pirates' signing of first-round draft pick Pedro Alvarez, according to two sources.

Red Sox will help open the Mets' new Citi Field  —  NEW YORK — Last night the Red Sox began their final series in an historic soon-to-close New York ballpark.  Next spring, they'll help open a new New York ballpark one borough over.  —  On the final weekend of exhibition play …

GIAMBI IS A NO-GO ON THROW  —  You snooze, you lose.  —  Or maybe Jason Giambi really was awake and just afraid a throw home might produce an uglier result than holding the ball.  —  Whatever the case, Giambi helped gift-wrap a run for the Red Sox in the fifth inning last night …

Holliday now in running to achieve 30-30 season  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Matt Holliday has great vision, but even he never saw 30-30 in his future.  —  With a month remaining in the season, the Rockies outfielder possesses a legitimate shot at becoming only the 32nd player in major-league history …

ALEX PERSONIFIES TEAM'S FAILURES  —  THE crowd stood, cheering and chanting.  “Let's Go A-Rod” morphing into “Let's Go Yankees.”  It was the seventh inning.  But it was more than the seventh inning.  It felt like a whole season was on the line.  —  And like a flyball that will find …

Struggling reliever Pinto rehabbing in Jupiter  —  ATLANTA — Left-handed reliever Renyel Pinto has pitched in 122 games with the Marlins the past two seasons but he will spend the next week trying to help Class A Jupiter make it to the Florida State League playoffs.

Mets blow 7-0 lead, fall to Philly in 13  —  Pedro Martinez and the Mets built a 7-0 lead by the middle of the fourth inning, but it the Phillies made up the difference and more in an 8-7 win.  (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek / August 26, 2008)  —  PHILADELPHIA - Oh no. This is starting to feel a little too familiar.

Pirates fume after blowing late lead to Cubs  —  Hansen's three walks in row lowlight excruciating 14-9 loss  —  Say this for the Pirates: They are playing some seriously wretched baseball these days, the very pits of which was the 14-9 loss to the Chicago Cubs last night at PNC Park …

Most players, skippers in favor of replay  —  Those on the field agree use should be limited to home runs  —  HOUSTON — For most of the season, instant replay was accepted by most baseball people as an inevitable part of the sport's future, but few could have guessed it would be implemented this quickly.

Phillies make roster move  —  First baseman Andy Tracy's stay with the Phillies was short-lived.  —  The Phillies designated him for assignment today and purchased the contract of pitcher Andrew Carpenter from Double A Reading.  —  Carpenter is being called up largely because the length of last night's game leaves the bullpen thin.

New bat designed to take ‘ping’ out of baseball  —  LITTLE FALLS, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey inventor says he has come up with a way to take that aluminum “ping” out of youth baseball and the broken bat out of the national pastime, while making the game a little safer with every swing.

So, Yankee Stadium Takes This No Moving During “God Bless America"-Thing Rather Seriously  —  Remember a little over a year ago when George Steinbrenner, inflated with patriotic fervor, imposed a laughable rule that instructed security officials to ban anyone from “excessive movement” …