Rays have lost fighting spirit  —  BOSTON — Understand, there is no shame in being caught from behind by the Red Sox.  —  Boston has the bigger payroll and the greater pedigree, and most of the world has probably assumed the defending World Series champions would eventually end up on top of the American League East.

Pudge, Hunter fight in Yankees loss to Angels  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - One veteran Yankee wondered aloud before Monday's game against the Angels if players had given up on the season.  —  But at least one player showed some fight - literally - in the Yankees' lopsided 12-1 loss to the Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim last night.

Pujols considering elbow surgery  —  Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, riding what he calls his best wave of offense in a couple of years, raised the specter of his elbow injury Monday, saying in a televised interview that he's considering offseason surgery.

Wagner needs season-ending elbow surgery  —  When Billy Wagner abruptly cut short Sunday's simulated game, there was a sense that his comeback attempt was effectively over.  But now it appears that Wagner's career also is in jeopardy after learning that he needs season-ending elbow surgery …

At Current Pace, MLB Will Not Have Fifth Consecutive Attendance Record  —  Major League Baseball has enjoyed four straight seasons of record paid attendance, but at the current pace, the league will be coming in just below last year's record figure.  —  As of Saturday, Sept. 6 …

Smoltz airs the possibility he'll play elsewhere in 2009  —  In interviews, it's always the question you toss off that gets you the most interesting responses.  Over the weekend, I was wrapping up an interview with John Smoltz for the upcoming Braves book (The Quiet Dynasty, on sale spring 2009.

Giants' Lincecum pitches another gem to sink struggling D'backs  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tim Lincecum struck out nine, Bengie Molina hit a three-run homer and San Francisco sent the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks to their fourth straight defeat with a 6-2 victory Monday night.

Brady says Pats not out: ‘I still like our chances’  —  New England QB out for season, but teammates scoff at idea of no playoffs  —  FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The e-mail popped in at 5 p.m.  —  “It will all be OK.  I'm excited to see what our team is made of ... I still like our chances,” wrote Tom Brady.

Phils prevail, trim Mets' NL East lead  —  Offense gives Blanton needed lift; Philly 1 1/2 games back  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies' bats bailed out pitcher Joe Blanton after a rocky start, lifting Philadelphia to an 8-6 win over the Marlins on Monday night.

New home run apple at core of Mets' new ballpark  —  It looks like it will be a fresh apple rising after the Mets belt home runs at Citi Field.  —  The Mets had hoped to keep their intentions quiet for now about whether they would transfer the apple from Shea to their new stadium or commission a new one.

Lee vs. Halladay  —  This is primarily supposed to be a data dump without advocating a position.  I just want to at least put this out there to see if it becomes part of the discussion.  Two weeks ago, I wrote that Cliff Lee would not only be my choice for AL Cy Young, but also for AL MVP.

Sheffield hits Majors' 250,000th homer  —  Milestone dinger a grand slam against Athletics' Gonzalez  —  DETROIT — Gary Sheffield still needs a few home runs to get to his career milestone.  In getting closer on Monday, however, his two-homer game reached a Major League mark that has been 133 years in the making.

Hoffman wants to return to Padres  —  Closer feels positive after Saturday meeting with GM Towers  —  SAN DIEGO — In case there was any uncertainty about the matter, Trevor Hoffman said on Monday night that he wants to return to the Padres next season and perhaps for a few more seasons after that.

Registration for Mets playoff tix opens  —  Opportunity to secure first-round tickets runs through Sept. 15  —  NEW YORK — Though the Mets may have plenty of work to do before they can play in October, preparations for the playoffs are beginning now.  —  The team on Monday announced …