Padres Finally Get to Astacio  —  Nats' Starter Falters in 7th: Padres 6, Nationals 3  —  The men who make up the Washington Nationals' relief corps frequently play cards before games, sitting around a table ribbing each other, seemingly at ease.  They should be comfortable, really …

The senior circus  —  National League full of clowns  —  Despair not, Metsophiles, over the loss of Duaner Sanchez, the great unknown of Roberto Hernandez/Aaron Heilman/Royce Ring or even the all-too-frequent high-wire acts of Billy Wagner.  Your postseason is assured and it is the ML …

Lords of Flushing  —  Despite huge lead, Mets vow to not get complacent  —  Carlos Beltran won't lie to you.  He looks at the National League East standings sometimes and can hardly believe his eyes.  —  "After all those years of the Atlanta Braves being there, it's a great feeling to be in first place …

Rivera-led offense pounds Rangers  —  But Texas stops Vlad's hit streak with three intentional walks  —  ANAHEIM — The Angels rediscovered their rhythm at the plate just as the Rangers finally found a way to stop Vladimir Guerrero — don't pitch to him.  —  Guerrero tied a club record …

Glavine overcomes mind, Phils  —  Even at age 40, even in a big-league career that is in its 20th season, even as he approaches 300 victories, Tom Glavine admits there are times when he thinks too much.  —  "It's like my golf friend says: If I could get my mind out of the way, this would be a beautiful game," he said.

Reyes learns more lessons  —  As a rookie pitcher whom the Cardinals hoped to groom for the future by having Class AAA success in the present, the advanced-placement lessons come pitch by pitch for righthander Anthony Reyes.  —  Saturday's was Winning 1.  —  Pitch Economy, an upper-level course, can wait.

PITCHER TELLS A STORY  —  Consider a baseball fable.  Once upon a time, there lived a boy named Matt Harrington, who could throw a baseball 95 mph.  Some baseball talent scouts pointed their radar guns at him and calculated that he threw 96 or 97 mph, and a couple registered his fastball at 98 mph.

Let's make a deal, but which one?  —  ST. PETERSBURG - At the July 2005 trading deadline, the Devil Rays were involved in serious talks with the Mets and Red Sox about three-way deal in which they would have given up Danys Baez, Aubrey Huff and Julio Lugo and gotten back a handful of prospects.

YANKS MULL SIGN-AND-TRADE WITH SHEFFIELD  —  Once the Yanks obtained Bobby Abreu, the natural inclination was to assume they would not pick up Gary Sheffield's $13-million option for 2007.  But they are seriously contemplating doing just that.  Not for him to play first base or DH.  But to trade him.

Catcher Hoover embraces his upbringing  —  Having grown up the son of deaf parents, Marlins catcher Paul Hoover is sure he faced some unusual challenges as a child.  It's just that he can't seem to remember them.  —  ''I didn't know any different,'' said Hoover, who became the 21st rookie …

Why not Whitey?  —  Herzog itching to manage again, eyes Cubs job  —  The circumstances would have to be right, but Whitey Herzog told me on the phone Thursday that he would consider coming back to manage a major league baseball team again.  The first thing he wants to let any prospective employer …

Bonds homers in ugly loss for Giants  —  Morris roughed up in sixth inning; Feliz also goes yard  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Bonds' mood was matter-of-fact, terse.  —  "There [were] two unprofessional people out there at that moment," he said after being ejected by home-plate umpire Ron Kulpa …

Seat of power in Washington  —  Bowden reflects on Soriano, Peña  —  Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden must feel like a human piñata, having taken a few whacks from pundits for failing to unload Alfonso Soriano at the trading deadline.

Team Info  —  World Championships: 3  —  The Orioles placed RHP Kris Benson on the 15-day DL with tendinitis in his right elbow.  The move is retroactive to July 26, the day after he last pitched.  RHP LaTroy Hawkins returned from bereavement leave and took Benson's spot on the roster.  —  •