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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Prodding Hanley Ramirez is a team effort  —  Buzz up!  —  MIAMI - They would have you believe it was overblown, this pregame flareup that occurred Wednesday between Hanley Ramirez  —  , the Florida Marlins' All-Star shortstop, and Dan Uggla  —  , his double-play partner …

New York Mets' future looks downright gloomy  —  Trading Jose Reyes could be a huge step toward jump-starting moribund franchise  —  Their season hasn't just been a disappointment.  It's been a Freddy Krueger movie.  —  But at least there's one good thing those fast-sinking New York Mets can say about their 2009 horror show:

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.

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 …

Mets' Wright won't get big head over helmet  —  DENVER - The Hall of  —  Fame contacted the Mets Wednesdayabout David Wright's new headgear.  And no, it wasn't to say he looked like the Great Gazoo, Beetle Bailey or Dark Helmet from “Spaceballs.”  —  >> See David Wright in his new helmet against the Rockies

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 …

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.

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? …

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.

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 …