Zito … SAN FRANCISCO(AP) Something about the heat of a wild card race has Barry Zito looking a lot like a Cy Young Award winner.  —  Zito carried a shutout into the ninth inning, Pablo Sandoval homered and the San Francisco Giants got within a game of the Colorado Rockies for the NL wild card by beating them 5-3 Saturday night.

Scattered thoughts  —  In another move, the Orioles announced that they've traded Ryan Freel, and he wasn't in the organization anymore.  They just couldn't resist.  —  Seriously though, I wouldn't get too shook up about the Orioles surrendering the player they obtained from the Cubs for Freel.

Mitre takes perfect game into 5th for Yanks  —  Jim Thome had just smashed a hard hopper past Mark Teixeira in the fifth inning for the White Sox' first hit of the game and several fans in the lower half of the Stadium got to their feet and applauded, acknowledging Sergio Mitre's sparkling and perhaps surprising performance.

Wright tells Mets: ‘I feel good’  —  CHICAGO — David Wright had a bounce in his step and a smile on his face Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field, the site of a reunion with teammates he wanted no part of being away from in the first place.  —  As his team-imposed stay on the disabled list draws to an end …

A setback for Wakefield  —  Tim Wakefield has been scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Rays because his back is acting up.  He will be evaluated on Monday.  —  Wakefield went on the disabled list in July when he woke up in Texas feeling pains in his back …

Braves light up Lee, hand ace his first loss with Phillies  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Garret Anderson (FSY) hit a three-run homer off Cliff Lee (FSY) and three other Braves went deep to help the Atlanta Braves hand the Phillies' new ace his first NL loss with a 9-1 win Saturday night over Philadelphia in a rain-shortened game.

Will Chone Figgins run right out of Anaheim?  —  The Angels would love to keep their leadoff hitter, who leads the AL in runs.  But his speed and versatility will make him a sought-after free agent this winter.  —  Angels third baseman Chone Figgins advances to third base after drawing …

Justice: Bagwell should be Astros' next manager  —  The first thing Drayton McLane ought to do this morning is telephone Jeff Bagwell and ask him to manage the Astros for these final 33 games.  —  If Bagwell is reluctant, McLane can turn on that Temple charm.  The Astros need a makeover, and this is a good place to begin.

Friendship or Betrayal From Inside the Lines?  —  The suspicions and resentment had built to such a degree that the manager was compelled to call a most unusual team meeting.  It was the middle of July 2001 and the Oakland Athletics' clubhouse was about to explode.

Yankees win 10-0, move 33 over .500  —  As I blogged earlier, thanks to a heads up from Pete, the Yankees are now 81-48, putting them 33 games over .500 for the first times since Sept. 26, 2006.  That isn't all that is of interest from today.  Here's the rest:

Cincinnati Reds' Dusty Baker heads list of managers on thin ice  —  Minnesota Twins' Joe Crede considering retirement  —  Reds manager Dusty Baker with Cubs manager Lou Piniella.  (Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune / April 15, 2008)  —  The Reds need a strong finish to end talk about Dusty Baker walking the managerial plank.

Talkin' Pirates Baseball  —  We all know about the nearly two decades worth of futility.  The Pirates haven't cracked the .500 plateau since 1992 and it's all but certain that streak will not come to an end this season.  However, after years of the previous regime filling out the roster …

Historical WAR Review: First Basemen  —  More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP  —  Pujols is probably the best player in baseball.  But how does he compare to the greatest 1B's of all time?  (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)  —  Browse more photos »  —  Today we continue our survey through MLB history …

The reason isn't clear, but Manny Ramirez isn't right  —  (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images / August 27)  —  The Dodgers slugger is missing in action again in a loss at Cincinnati.  —  He used to own this kind of moment, circling it with his giant swing, swarming it with his giant smile.