Albert Pujols contract drama heats up again with Cardinals  —  St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols stares intently at the pennant race discussion on TV, tilts his head back, and slowly exhales.  —  It wasn't supposed to be this way.  Not now.  Certainly, not in early September.

Live updates: Red Sox at Blue Jays  —  Top of 8th: Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 6  —  Shawn Camp relieved Jesse Litsch and kept the Red Sox off the board, despite giving up a two-out double to center to Jacoby Ellsbury, who picked up his fourth hit of the game and 39th double of the season.

Phillies star seeks mermaid  —  Philadelphia Phillies star John Mayberry Jr. may be on a streak on the field, but he still needs his agent to get him a date.  His CAA reps have been trying to hook him up with stunning actress Antoinette Nikprelaj, who played a sexy mermaid in “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Martinez hits grand slam, Verlander wins as Tigers top Indians  —  CLEVELAND — Justin Verlander won his 10th straight start and earned his 22nd victory overall, helped when Victor Martinez hit a late grand slam that sent the Detroit Tigers over the Cleveland Indians 8-6.

Aaron Harang helps Padres handed Giants crucial loss  —  SAN DIEGO - Aaron Harang threw seven strong innings and Cameron Maybin had two hits and an RBI as the San Diego Padres dealt a big blow to the San Francisco Giants' fading playoff hopes with a 3-1 victory Wednesday night.

Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees, and the Death of Sabermetrics  —  Why has Jeter been able to defy expert opinion, including New York Yankees staff members, hitting like it's 1999 to close the season?  Does it mean the death of sabermetrics?  I sure hope so.

Selig has a cure for baseball's long September  —  Not even Bud Selig, baseball's biggest booster, can spin this September into something compelling.  The division races have dissolved.  The jockeying for home field in the playoffs is dull.  All of the leftover buzz surrounds individual awards, not team races.

Q&A: Ken Singleton  —  Ken Singleton is among the most underrated players of his era.  The former Expo and Oriole finished in the top 10 in OBP nine times from 1973 to 1983 — topping the .400 mark four times, and seven seasons receiving MVP votes.  In the words of Bill James …

2011 Minor League Player Of The Year Mike Trout  —  If you're a scout, you log your miles and rack up your Marriott points.  You sit through the rain delays and sweat in your khakis.  You miss your family and worry about your kid's cough from afar.  You spend night after night watching baseball …

All Wet: Nunez, Sloppy Yanks Lose to Orioles in 11  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Eduardo Nunez and the Yankees were as sloppy as the weather.  —  Mark Reynolds hit a tiebreaking single in the 11th inning after striking out four times and the Baltimore Orioles outlasted New York 5-4 on Wednesday …

Yankee Stadium all wet on proper replay angle for Cervelli homer  —  Orioles at Yankee Stadium, disputed home run, Baltimore comes out on the short end.  This rings a 15-year-old bell.  —  Does anyone know the whereabouts of Jeffrey Maier and Tony Tarasco in the wee hours Wednesday morning?

Phillies' protest denied by MLB  —  A formal protest filed by the Phillies on Sunday regarding fan interference and the use of video replay was denied.  —  Major League Baseball executive vice president for baseball operations Joe Torre announced the decision in a statement on Wednesday.

Moscoso loses no-no in 8th; A's shut out Royals  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Guillermo Moscoso held Kansas City hitless until rookie Salvador Perez singled with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Royals 7-0 Wednesday.  —  Moscoso (8-8) wound up allowing two hits in 8 2-3 innings.