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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

Cameron ‘willing to make a sacrifice’ to stay in Milwaukee  —  Impending free agent Mike Cameron said yesterday that he'd like to remain in Milwaukee beyond this season and “would be willing to make a sacrifice to make that happen.”  —  Cameron is earning $10 million this season and would fetch …

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.

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

Peavy happy to end up on South Side  —  Hurler eager to help White Sox after offseason uncertainty  —  NEW YORK — There was Jake Peavy, in full uniform, joking with teammates on the field prior to Thursday's Cubs-White Sox makeup contest at Wrigley Field.

Tigers sweep Tribe and increase division lead  —  DETROIT (AP) — Placido Polanco (FSY) hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday.  —  The Tigers completed a three-game sweep and increased their lead in the AL Central to five games over the idle Twins.

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 …

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 …