No sense of relief in this Mets victory  —  At second base, Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo leaped gracefully into the air like a couple of ballet dancers and exchanged a triumphant high-five as if they had just won the World Series.  But in the Mets dugout, Jerry Manuel didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

CHANGE: GIRARDI'S MANTRA FOR 2009  —  YANKEE Stadium will not close its doors until Sunday night, but in many ways the 2009 season started last night with Phil Hughes back on the mound and Joe Girardi talking about learning from his experiences this season.  There is only one way to learn …

Rays rout Red Sox 10-3, lead East by 2  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—Baseball's feel-good story of the year is on the verge of getting even better.  —  The AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 10-3 Wednesday night, moving closer to their first playoff berth with another …

Likely there's a Sabean in Giants' future  —  (09-18) 04:00 PDT Phoenix — William Neukom will have many important items on his agenda when he becomes the Giants' managing general partner Oct. 1, but it appears his to-do list will not include a general manager search.

Sheets feels ‘cutting’ sensation in elbow  —  Brewers ace has been dealing with discomfort since August  —  CHICAGO — The Brewers might be without Ben Sheets for the second straight September, right when they need him most.  —  The right-hander was forced out of his start against the Cubs …

Ichiro ties MLB record for 200-hit seasons  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki matched Willie Keeler's major league record of eight straight 200-hit seasons Wednesday night, beating out on infield single in the eighth inning for his third hit against Kansas City.

Schilling blasts Manny  —  Injured Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling threw some high heat at former teammate Manny Ramirez this afternoon on sports radio WEEI's “The Big Show,” saying the slugger's “level of disrespect to teammates and people was unfathomable.”

MLB reveals 2009 schedule  —  Next season features old rivalries, new parks and more  —  The 2009 Major League Baseball season: A late start and the probability of November baseball; two grand openings in New York, one grand re-opening in Kansas City and one farewell season in Minnesota …

Ramirez exits win with bad shoulder  —  NL East standings Team W-L Pct GB  —  Philadelphia 85-67 .559 -  —  New York 84-67 .556 1/2  —  Florida 79-72 .523 51/2 NL wild-card standings  —  New York 84-67 .556 -  —  Milwaukee 84-68 .553 1/2  —  Houston 80-71 .530 4  —  Florida 79-72 .523 5

Bedard could miss 6-9 months  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Given his general demeanor, Erik Bedard wasn't about to spend much of the past three months talking about his injuries.  He's not big on talking, and what would have been the point?  Bedard couldn't pitch, his left shoulder was sore and it wasn't getting better.

Dodgers outslugged by Pirates  —  Billingsley lasts 4 2/3 innings; Nomar reinjures left knee  —  PITTSBURGH — The Dodgers, who won a game earlier this year without a hit, had 18 of them Wednesday night and lost.  —  In a real mess of a game, Adam LaRoche slugged two homers with five RBIs …

Harang handcuffs Cards for series win  —  Backed by trio of fourth-inning blasts, hurler tosses shutout  —  CINCINNATI — As dogs in the right-field seats happily woofed their way through “Bark in the Park” night at Great American Ball Park, Aaron Harang happily had a walk in the park against the Cardinals.

Pirates Notebook: LaRoche, team face questions  —  Center fielder Nate McLouth attempts to corral a ball hit by Los Angeles' Casey Blake as it caroms off the wall last night at PNC Park.  Blake wound up with a triple — one of his three hits.  —  The Pirates face what some might …