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.

Time for Jon Lester to Hope He's Not the Next Matt Clement  —  With the postseason looming large, the Red Sox always knew that a lot would be riding on the left arm of Jon Lester this September.  No one was thinking much about his right leg.  —  But now, with Lester working hard to recover …

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 …

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 …

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.

Some good news to share with you  —  Now that everything is finalized, here is some more news for you.  —  I'm thrilled to announce that The Journal News has hired Chad Jennings of the Times-Tribune in Scranton and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Blog to cover the Yankees.  Chad starts on Oct. 7.

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.

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.

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 …

With fate hanging in balance, Trembley soldiers on  —  ‘You worry about it, but you try not to show it,’ manager says of his job status  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - All the losses and the uncertainty eat at Dave Trembley, keeping him up late into the night and pulling him awake in the early hours of the morning.

Is Sano saga finally nearing end stages?  —  There was a time when it seemed like the Orioles were one of the favorites to sign Dominican shortstop Miguel Angel Sano.  —  That no longer seems to be the case, but the O's aren't out of it yet, either.  —  John Stockstill, the O's director …