Nats 2, Mets 1: Five to go  —  Congratulations to Nationals lefthander Ross Detwiler, who picked up his first major-league win Monday at the Mets' expense.  Nelson Figueroa again was the hard-luck loser as the Mets lost to Washington, 2-1.  The tiebreaking run came in the sixth on Mike Morse's solo homer off Figueroa.

Gardenhire is the Twins' steady hand  —  Ron Gardenhire was born on a couch in Germany.  He arrived so suddenly it was too late to drive to the hospital.  First Sgt. Clyde Gardenhire, a soldier and not a doctor, didn't panic.  The previous time Mary Jo Gardenhire went into labor …

Bobby Valentine returns to ESPN as Baseball Tonight analyst  —  Bobby Valentine, fresh off his six-year stint as manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, is returning to ESPN as an analyst on “Baseball Tonight.”  —  Valentine, who led the New York Mets to the World Series in 2000 …

In a cinch, Angels clinch AL West title  —  Halos rout Rangers to claim third straight division crown  —  ANAHEIM — The Angels have joined another postseason party, hoping to hang around to the finish this time.  —  Attacking swiftly and often, the Angels flattened the Rangers, 11-0 …

Francoeur: It's great to be young and a Met  —  New York Mets' Jeff Francoeur follows through with his swing as he hits a home run, scoring teammates Carlos Beltran and Daniel Murphy, during the second inning of a baseball game against the Florida Marlins, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, in Miami.

Selig: Pirates not putting profits over winning  —  MLB commissioner: 'If they weren't doing it, you'd hear from me'  —  The Pirates are “absolutely not” putting profit over winning, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said in an extensive interview with the Post-Gazette about his sport's most woeful franchise.

Beckett scratched as Sox close in  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email + Bio  —  The Red Sox [team stats] may be looking at a magic number of 2 before they're officially in the playoffs, but they are already attempting to get their battled veterans ready for the long haul.

Chris Carter Designated For Assignment  —  The Boston Red Sox have designated Chris Carter for assignment, according to a press release.  The 27-year-old outfielder played in 13 games for the Red Sox in 2008 and 2009, and was hitless in five plate appearances this season.

Top amateur to choose Japan or MLB  —  Kikuchi would be first high schooler to opt for big leagues  —  Yusei Kikuchi, the 18-year-old left-hander projected to be the No. 1 overall selection in next month's Japanese amateur draft, is expected to decide as early as this week whether to become …

Phillies' lead trimmed to 4 with another loss  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Yorman Bazardo (FSY) pitched 5 2/3 effective innings against the team that cut him in spring training, and helped the Houston Astros beat Philadelphia 8-2 on Monday night, preventing the Phillies from reducing their magic number.

For Yankees, a Lazy Day to Savor a Job Well Done  —  The lineup taped to the clubhouse door was the first sign things were different at Yankee Stadium on Monday.  No Derek Jeter, no Mark Teixeira, no Alex Rodriguez, no Hideki Matsui, no Nick Swisher.  —  On the day after the Yankees clinched …

Braves creep closer to Rockies  —  ATLANTA—Jair Jurrjens pitched seven outstanding innings, Chipper Jones homered and the Atlanta Braves beat Florida 4-0 Monday night for their 15th win in 17 games, a stretch that has lifted them into playoff contention with less than a week to go in the regular season.