Instant replay goes off without a hitch  —  Solomon calls two-minute, 15-second process ‘flawless’  —  Instant replay was used in Major League Baseball for the first time on Wednesday night on the seventh day and in the 81st game since it became available to determine a contested home run.

RELIEF!  WAGS PAIN-FREE  —  PASSES TEST, EYES REHAB START  —  MILWAUKEE - The Mets said they got good news on the Billy Wagner front yesterday when their veteran closer threw 20 pitches without incident off the mound at Shea Stadium.  —  Wagner, sidelined since early August by a swollen left elbow …

Sheppard hopes to return for Yankee Stadium finale  —  Everyone knows the only fitting way to close Yankee Stadium is with Bob Sheppard returning to be the public-address announcer for the final game.  His health has kept him from doing a single Yankees game this season - which would have been his 58th …

JASON LOSES BOUT WITH BATHROOM DOOR  —  ST. PETERSBURG - Jason Giambi wishes he had a sexier story to explain the gash on the corner of his right eyelid that cause discoloring and swelling.  —  “I would like to have something to tell you, something like a fight or anything else,” Giambi said.

Andruw Jones has written off the season  —  With his knee still bothering him, he doesn't expect to break up the Dodgers' starting outfield.  —  With the Dodgers' outfield set, the regular season winding down and his knee swollen again, Andruw Jones said he had already started looking forward to next year.

Church's first-inning slam keys Mets' sweep  —  MILWAUKEE - For Team Tightrope, as Jerry Manuel has dubbed the Mets, completing a sweep of the Brewers yesterday at Miller Park had all the drama of a pleasant stroll along Lake Michigan.  —  After a week of heart-stopping twists and turns …

Shoulder issue pains Rays' Upton  —  ST. PETERSBURG — One by one, players have disappeared from the lineup.  A broken bone, a bum knee, a sore elbow.  In a season that stretches from spring to fall, the accumulation of injuries is inevitable.  —  And, yet, B.J. Upton plays on.

Elias Ranking Update: NL Starters  —  By Tim Dierkes [September 4 at 1:36pm CST]  —  Once again we turn to Eddie Bajek at Detroit Tigers Thoughts, who has cracked the Elias formula.  Today, National League starters have been added.  Thoughts:  — Four starters project to have Type A status …

Finding Meaning in a Pointless Yankees September  —  The New York Yankees entered September seven games behind the Boston Red Sox for the wild card spot, and 12.5 games behind division-leading Tampa Bay.  The last time the New York Yankees entered September more than the seven games …

Angels' Jon Garland struggles as Detroit wins  —  Pitcher assesses his outing as ‘terrible,’ and the bullpen doesn't fare much better as Tigers come from behind.  —  DETROIT — Jon Garland has reviewed tapes of shutouts and found things he wasn't happy with, so you know his latest mediocre outing …

CC Sabathia's ad sells nothing but hype, Bill Livingston says  —  Cabathia thanked the fans he left behind and paid newspapers for the privilege when the Indians chose to get something for him rather than get jilted for nothing.  —  Tribe General Manager Mark Shapiro says he could re-sign Sabathia …

Dunn's double caps D-backs' comeback  —  Drew ignites ninth-inning rally against Cardinals with triple  —  PHOENIX — As he watched his team look listless in falling behind to the Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon, D-backs manager Bob Melvin sat in the dugout and began to jot down some notes.

Dodgers still have chance to fix mediocre season (cont.)  —  Red Sox probably stuck with Lucchino  —  It has been speculated here and elsewhere that Red Sox president Larry Lucchino might leave the Red Sox after the year, possibly for the Dodgers.  But sources indicate Lucchino's bosses …