Game 140: Rays at Yankees (updated with Robertson injury news)  —  YANKEES (89-50)  —  Pitching: RHP Chad Gaudin (1-0, 4.08).  —  RAYS (72-66)  —  Bartlett SS  —  Crawford LF  —  Longoria 3B  —  Zobrist CF  —  Burrell DH  —  Richard 1B  —  Zaun C  —  Gross RF  —  Iwamura 2B

Bumgarner to start tonight for Lincecum  —  A quick update from The Chronicle sports desk as Bruce Bochy speaks to reporters: Bochy has confirmed that Bumgarner is starting in Lincecum's place tonight.  Bochy said Lincecum should be better in a couple days and did not indicate there is an long-term problem with Lincecum.

Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran set for return after rehab stint  —  The Mets are expecting good news Tuesday.  It may be too late to change their ultimate fate, but the return of Carlos Beltran is plenty welcome for a club that's suffered one misfortune after another.

How to make the Yankees perfect  —  It might be too late.  But I wonder if the Yankees should send Phil Hughes to their secret compound in Tampa and retrain him to throw six innings at a pop. Because lately the Yankees seem to have only three starters, and these days you need four in October.

Moore answers questions online  —  Royals GM hosts monthly Royals Relay chat  —  Dayton Moore: Thank you for joining me today, let's get started.  —  adamb1969: What are the chances of Joakim Soria being moved to the rotation next year?  —  Moore: We are continuously evaluating our players …

No, Really: Now Will You Believe Us When We Tell You How Heidi Hamels Is Ruining Everything Beautiful That Was Once Cole Hamels?  —  Words can barely do justice to this ad for The Residences At Two Liberty Place, in the current issue of PhillyMag.  First off, is Heidi really pimpin' that baby bump for rent credits?

Pittsburgh's certainly not alone in baseball's era of futility … The talk, of course, revolves around the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have now clinched their 17th consecutive losing season, a record of beautiful futility.  * But there might be something else going on in baseball.

MASSIVE TIE SCENARIO  —  In the National League yesterday, the Phillies lost, which helped the massive tie scenario, but the Dodgers won, which didn't.  The Marlins and Braves didn't play, but Colorado and San Francisco kept pace with wins as well.  —  The following outcomes result in a six …

Chiefs 5, PawSox 3: Miserable season ends with a thud  —  •THE MERCIFUL END: The PawSox' last contest of the season turned in the bottom of the eighth when Syracuse rallied for three runs against Pawtucket reliever T.J. Large (3-4).  Syracuse catcher Gustavo Molina produced the winning runs …

Rodney suspended, fined for throw  —  Closer claims no malice intended in heave toward stands  —  KANSAS CITY — Fernando Rodney's throw into the press box at Tropicana Field over the weekend is going to cost him some time off from the mound.  Major League Baseball announced Tuesday …

New York Yankees' Ian Kennedy throws first simulated game  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees pitcher Ian Kennedy felt good after his first game-type action since surgery in May to remove an aneurysm below his right biceps.  —  Kennedy threw 22 of 35 pitches for strikes over two innings in a simulated …

Mets assistant GM Ricco not after the boss' job  —  John Ricco's baseball playing career ended after his sophomore year at Cresskill High School, when he decided golf and the student newspaper suited his undersized frame better than a spot on the pitcher's mound.

Nationals to promote five players  —  Shortstop Desmond, four pitchers and coach coming up  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals have decided to promote pitchers Ross Detwiler, Marco Estrada, Logan Kensing and Zack Segovia and shortstop Ian Desmond to the big leagues.

Give Chase His Due  —  In all likelihood, the National League MVP is going to Albert Pujols for the second consecutive season, and probably rightly so.  He's at or near the top in many of the traditional and non-traditional stats and is 2nd behind Tim Lincecum in wins above replacement with 7.5.

Putting the Rangers “DVD” Era Drafts in Perspective  —  The Rangers decision to waive RHP Thomas Diamond last week, which ultimately led to the Chicago Cubs claiming him, officially put an end to the once-celebrated “DVD” Era in Rangers history.  DVD stood for Danks-Volquez-Diamond and together …

Manuel fumes after Phillies fall again  —  HOUSTON - Yes, the Phillies proved their talent by winning the World Series last year.  And yes, they still hold a comfortable lead in their division.  —  But none of that soothed manager Charlie Manuel after yesterday's 4-3 loss to Houston sealed a four-game sweep by a mediocre team.

Seth Smith wins NL Player of the Week honors  —  DENVER — All Seth Smith does is hit.  Whether he's pinch-hitting or starting.  It doesn't matter.  The rest of baseball took notice with his recent performance as Smith won National League Player of the Week honors.