Angels cut AL West magic number to 6  —  DETROIT (AP)—The Los Angeles Angels showed the Detroit Tigers what playoff teams look like.  —  Torii Hunter homered to back Ervin Santana, and the Angels beat the Tigers 7-1 Thursday to cut their magic number to six for clinching their fourth AL West title in five seasons.

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 …

Former Orioles INF Todd Cruz dead at 52  —  BALTIMORE (AP)—Todd Cruz, an infielder with the 1983 world champion Baltimore Orioles, has died.  He was 52.  —  Cruz died Tuesday while swimming at the apartment complex in which he lived in Bullhead City, Ariz. The cause of death is pending results …

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.

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.

Jays' Litsch shuts out slumping Twins  —  TORONTO (AP)—Jesse Litsch threw a four-hit shutout and the Toronto Blue Jays complete a three-game sweep of Minnesota with a 9-0 victory over the Twins on Thursday night.  —  Litsch (10-8) walked two and struck out three and is 2-1 with a .94 ERA …

Sympathy for the Slugger  —  I don't like Barry Bonds.  I don't like his insouciance and swagger and surliness, his general contempt for anybody who doesn't share the familial intimacy of his last name.  I prayed that he would not break the single-season record for home runs in 2001 …

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 …

Game 140: Yankees at Rays  —  YANKEES (75-64)  —  RAYS (84-53)  —  Darrell Rasner (5-9, 5.08) vs. the Tampa Bay hitters.  —  Scott Kazmir (10-6, 3.13) vs. the New York hitters.  —  Notes: The Yankees have won three straight and 5 of 7 overall. ...  Yankees are 9-5 against the Rays, 5-2 at the Trop.

Braves rookie Parr shuts down Nats 2-0  —  ATLANTA (AP)—James Parr tossed six sharp innings in his major league debut and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 2-0 Thursday night.  —  Parr (1-0) surrendered just two hits—both to Ronnie Belliard—walked three and struck out three.

After further review, why stop with HR calls?  —  Now that baseball's glorious era of instant replay is one whole week old, we'd like to let our good friend Bud Selig know exactly what we think of his latest innovation:  —  Bud, it's great.  It's long overdue.  We're grateful to you for making it happen.

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.

Red Sox poised to set sellout streak record  —  BOSTON—David Ortiz remembers visiting Fenway Park with Minnesota and seeing empty seats.  —  “The only sellout was when Pedro was pitching,” he said.  “Otherwise, it was a regular crowd.”  —  Pedro Martinez is long gone from the Boston Red Sox …

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 …

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 …