The Red Sox squandered a two-run lead and a huge opportunity to get Tim Wakefield his 200th career win after Daniel Bard was charged for a career-high five runs and threw a season-high 36 pitches in a ruinous five-run eighth-inning eruption by the Blue Jays in a 11-10 loss before a Rogers Centre crowd of 16,154.

Padres Win Shrinks Giants' Playoff Hopes  —  SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Pitcher Aaron Harang foiled San Francisco's plans of maintaining momentum in the chase for a playoff berth by leading the San Diego Padres to a 3-1 victory over the Giants on Wednesday.  —  The defending World Series champions …

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.

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.”

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.

McCutchen Homers Twice, Pirates Beat Astros 5-4  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen homered twice, pinch-hitter Jason Jaramillo singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Houston Astros 5-4 on Wednesday night.  —  McCutchen hit a solo homer …

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 …

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.

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?

Rethinking the five-man starting rotation  —  For the first four months of 2011, the Detroit Tigers struggled to separate themselves from the rest of the American League Central division, and one reason was apparent every fifth game.  No AL contender has gone through as many dalliances …