Meet Baseball's Chattiest TV Announcers  —  If it seems like your baseball team's play-by-play man jabbers endlessly at 1,000 words a minute, well, he doesn't.  But the St. Louis Cardinals' Dan McLaughlin comes closer than most of his peers, talking at an estimated 109.9 words every 60 seconds.

Wednesday baseball roundup  —  Padres 7, Nationals 0 — Kevin Correia allowed three hits in 7 2/3 innings, Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley hit two-run doubles, and host San Diego defeated Washington.  —  Diamondbacks 4, Dodgers 0 — Brandon Allen's two-run homer highlighted a four-run fifth inning as Arizona won at Los Angeles.

Update on Mariano Rivera  —  He first felt “tightness” in his left groin on Aug. 15 in Seattle.  It went away and came back on Tuesday night.  —  Were this the playoffs, Rivera said, he would be pitching.  But the Yankees have the luxury of a large lead, expanded roster and Phil Hughes.

Mets won't change dimensions at Citi Field  —  DENVER - David Wright better muscle up.  It's either that or accept modest home run totals for the rest of his career.  The Mets don't intend to adjust the dimensions or wall heights at Citi Field for the 2010 season, the Daily News has learned.

Harper: Cy of relief for Mariano  —  BALTIMORE - If this were the Oscars, where a long career of unrewarded greatness has been known to help put a deserving nominee over the top, Mariano Rivera would be a shoo-in this season to win his first Cy Young Award.  —  In baseball, however …

Rays avoid collapse, beat Red Sox 8-5  —  Buzz up!  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—The Tampa Bay Rays keep finding ways to hang in the AL playoff race.  —  “You're not always going to win.  It's not always going to be an oil painting,” manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday night …

Posey's surprise promotion  —  The Giants' surprise decision to promote 2008 first-round draft pick Buster Posey might have been made partly to light a fire under Bengie Molina, who has not returned from a quad injury as quickly as they would have liked, but manager Bruce Bochy …

Florida Marlins Team Report  —  INSIDE PITCH  —  Tensions are flaring in the Florida clubhouse as the team fades from the playoff race.  —  The Marlins held a closed-door meeting Wednesday after All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez got into a shouting match with second baseman Dan Uggla …

Frustrated Pelfrey blows off steam; Mets' lose  —  DENVER - There is frustration,  —  and then there is the scorched-earth kind of rage that Mike Pelfrey was feeling when he was lifted from Tuesday's game after four terrible innings against the Rockies at Coors Field.

Giambi pinch hit keeps Rockies in wild-card lead … DENVER(AP) The Colorado Rockies ' celebration over Jason Giambi 's heroics quickly turned to concern over closer Huston Street 's ailing right arm.  —  Giambi's pinch-hit two-run single off Brian Stokes broke an eighth-inning tie and powered …

Throw Hard or Go Home  —  Last week, while attending a minor league game between Kane County and Beloit, someone noticed me leaning to the right after nearly every pitch to see what the radar gun held by the player tracking pitches said.  “You care about how he's pitching, or how fast he's throwing? …

Senate hopeful of the day: Curt Schilling  —  Add another name to the growing list of pols and would-be pols eyeing a run for Edward M. Kennedy's Senate seat: former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling.  —  That's right, Mr. Bloody Sock himself told NECN's Brad Puffer in an interview today that he has been …

A Losing Streak, Elbow Soreness For Stammen  —  On Wednesday afternoon, the Nats, again looking punchless/hapless/toothless (pick your favorite 2009 adjective; insert), lost to the Padres 7-0.  The updated math is pretty depressing.  This team has lost six in a row.  It was just swept by a last-place team.

Ricciardi accepts blame for Jays' downfall  —  Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, right, tags Toronto Blue Jays Randy Ruiz out at the plate during the fourth inning of American League MLB baseball action in Arlington, Texas September 2, 2009.  The Rangers won 6-4.

Beltran not 100% but game to play  —  One of the first things Carlos Beltran said before beginning his minor-league rehab assignment in Brooklyn Wednesday night was that he's “not 100% (healthy), for sure.”  —  But considering the absurd glut of injuries that has torpedoed the Mets this season …

Jeter Is Approaching Gehrig With a Sense of the Moment  —  BALTIMORE — The records are piling up for Derek Jeter, and the more he hits, the quicker they come.  Most hits at the original Yankee Stadium.  Most hits by a shortstop.  Most hits in the history of the Yankees.