Contenders take aim at securing playoffs  —  Yanks look to clinch berth; others try to lower magic numbers  —  The Yankees are looking to clinch a playoff spot.  The Angels are chasing the Yankees for the best record in the American League as well as closing in on the AL West title.

Can We Measure Clubhouse Chemistry?  —  This past weekend brought the news that Milton Bradley, the underperforming Chicago Cubs right fielder, was being suspended for the rest of the season.  The suspension was brought about by his comments to the Daily Herald newspaper …

Francoeur: Marquis would love to join Mets next season  —  Jason Marquis apparently holds no grudge toward the Mets for their lack of interest in him last winter.  —  Jeff Francoeur told The Post yesterday that Marquis, whom he considers a close friend, desperately wants to pitch for the Mets next season …

Wakefield stint?  Pain, suffering  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The game was lost after Tim Wakefield had retreated to the Red Sox clubhouse, sanctuary from the rain and the aching in his left leg after he had thrown all 103 of his painful pitches.  That he was an observer when the members …

Cooper might not be the only manager fired  —  The spring day that Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane picked up Cecil Cooper's contract option for 2010 was the day another club official predicted Cooper would not last the season.  The option, the official said, gave McLane cover to drop …

Young starters a mystery for Nats  —  Progress still being assessed  —  At the beginning of the year, it was the key to whether the Washington Nationals would be improved enough to reach the realm of respectability.  When that prospect had vanished by mid-May, it became the only reason to extract meaning out of the team's season.

Eric Wedge, of Cleveland Indians, not worried about job security  —  AVON, Ohio — Sitting on the gym stage, Indians manager Eric Wedge looked across at the bleachers packed with screaming elementary school kids and observed the future.  —  He's not so sure about his own.

Free agents the Mets should avoid  —  I made what will probably be my final visit of 2009 to Citi Field last night, and what came to mind was Meredith Grey's pronouncement from this episode of “Grey's Anatomy”: “It's over.  You can all go home.  It's over.  Sooooo over.”

The Yankees are doomed  —  OK, maybe doomed is too strong.  But, once again, I don't think Brian Cashman has built a team made for the playoffs.  Mainly, the problem is pitching.  Starting pitching.  As the Atlanta Braves showed us throughout the 1990s, having a load of B+ starting pitchers …

On Jackson and tipping pitches  —  One of the things pitching coach Rick Knapp mentioned Sunday that he and bullpen coach Jeff Jones were working on with Edwin Jackson in his morning side session was a quirk that they believed was tipping his slider, letting hitters know it was coming.

Joba's October jeopardy  —  Talking earlier today about Joba Chamberlain's shaky stretch since early August, Joe Girardi said it was “time for him to step it up.”  And in a phone conversation with the Record on Monday, GM Brian Cashman stressed the urgency of Joba's final two regular-season starts.

Cards void Mateo's contract  —  The Cardinals announced today that they terminated the contract of top Dominican prospect Wagner Mateo because of “pre-existing injuries and physical defects” discovered during a physical exam.  —  Post-Dispatch baseball writer Joe Strauss reported Saturday that Mateo has vision problems.

Reyes trying for 2009 return  —  Jose Reyes refuses to give up, even if he makes it back for just the final game of the regular season on Oct. 4.  —  After resuming indoor batting practice Monday, Reyes said he plans to test the torn right hamstring that has sidelined him since May in on-field running drills Friday.