With third hit of night, Jeter ties Gehrig  —  Captain even with Iron Horse atop Yankees' list with 2,721  —  NEW YORK — With a bunt, a blast and a rip, Derek Jeter tied Lou Gehrig on Wednesday night for the most hits in Yankees history.  —  Jeter laced the first pitch Rays starter Jeff Niemann threw …

Wang optimistic about 2010  —  NEW YORK - Chien-Ming Wang, who had shoulder surgery in July, hopes to travel with the Yankees during the postseason even through he cannot play.  —  “This is a great team.  We can win the World Series,” he said.  “I want to see that.”

“It's a baseball game; it's not a physically taxing sport.”  —  Interim manager Jim Riggleman feels baseball is not that hard of a sport.  Not hard in the sense that it takes a toll on a player physically.  —  Prior to tonight's game with the Phillies, Riggleman was asked how he plans …

Wolf scratched from Friday outing for LA  —  Lefty has stiffness in elbow; Kuroda to start in his place  —  PHOENIX — Randy Wolf, who is tied for the Major League lead with 30 starts, has been scratched from his scheduled start Friday night in San Francisco because of stiffness in the back of his left elbow.

Hunter wins Branch Rickey Award  —  Angels outfielder honored for community service in LA  —  Angels outfielder Torii Hunter was named the recipient of the 2009 Branch Rickey Award for his work with kids in the Los Angeles community on Thursday.  —  Hunter will be honored at a banquet in Denver on Nov. 14.

Selig pleased with state of the game  —  Commissioner talks balance, economy, Draft with FOX Sports  —  Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H.  (Bud) Selig said his league needs some tweaks, but overall, he's happy with the way things are going given the backdrop of the sagging economy.

Ask Boswell: Nats, Orioles, Redskins and More  —  Washington Post sports columnist Thomas Boswell will be online Thursday, September 10, at 11 a.m. ET to take your questions about the Nats, Orioles, Redskins, Tiger Woods and the latest sports news and his recent columns.

Braves need lift from Lowe in finale  —  Atlanta (71-67) at Houston (67-71), 8:05 p.m. ET  —  HOUSTON — If the Atlanta Braves hope to launch a last-gasp bid for a National League Wild Card berth, they will need more outings such as Tuesday's 2-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

Beware of big dog: Lackey is back  —  Los Angeles (83-55) vs. Seattle (72-68), 7:05 p.m. PT  —  ANAHEIM — The big dog is barking again.  John Lackey has his bite back.  —  The leader of the Angels' pitching staff, in temperament and performance, Lackey appears to be embarking on a run …

Double dose: V-Mart's double lifts Bosox; Roberts hits 50th for O's  —  BOSTON (AP) — Pinch-hitter Victor Martinez (FSY) hit a three-run double to break a seventh-inning tie, and the Boston Red Sox beat Baltimore 7-5 on Wednesday night to improve to 13-2 against the Orioles this season.

GAMES WRITERS PLAY  —  It is a popular game with baseball writers.  It is an easy game to play.  All it requires is a telephone; the number of calls is up to the writer/player.  An Internet column I came across last week epitomized the practice.  —  I won't identify the column …

Kirk Nieuwenhuis Can Now Pull A Baseball  —  It's no secret around here that Kirk Nieuwenhuis did something differently in August.  On the morning of August 1, the left-handed swinging Nieuwenhuis was hitting .251/.342/.410 for St. Lucie with 22 doubles, four triples and ten HR in 3 66 AB.

Pitching for Tommy Lasorda  —  I caught just the middle of the conversation, but Wednesday night, Dewayne Staats and Kevin Kennedy were talking about pitch counts and such, and Kennedy said (among other things) this:  —  When all this pitch-count stuff came in, Tommy Lasorda would pitch Valenzuela 160, 180 pitches.

Astros correct Valverde's age mistake  —  GM Wade said closer's birth date listing was paperwork error  —  HOUSTON — Astros general manger Ed Wade said Wednesday a discrepancy in paperwork led to closer Jose Valverde being listed at two different ages in the team's previous two media guides.

Pujols homers twice, Wainwright wins 18th  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Albert Pujols hit two home runs for a majors-leading 47 and Adam Wainwright picked up his 18th win with seven scoreless innings in the St. Louis Cardinals' 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.