Fans at Fenway Face Test of Faith  —  THE Boston Red Sox are a poor excuse for a good baseball team.  For the second year in a row, they have squandered an advantage they had over the Yankees, this year even more grievously than last.  Like last year, they will very likely pay for their profligacy.

Cabrera, Benson back in rotation  —  TORONTO // As expected, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo announced yesterday that Daniel Cabrera will start today's game against the Toronto Blue Jays.  —  It will be the 25-year-old's first start since July 13 against Texas, a game in which he gave up four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Reds Place Ex-National Majewski on Disabled List  —  On the day the Cincinnati Reds placed relief pitcher Gary Majewski on the 15-day disabled list with a sore shoulder, Majewski revealed he had been treated for shoulder tendinitis while pitching for the Washington Nationals this season.

Detroit 9, Twins 3  —  DETROIT - The Comerica Park scoreboard didn't explain half of the Twins' horror after Monday night's 9-3 defeat to the Detroit Tigers.  —  Francisco Liriano, Minnesota's rookie All-Star, is out indefinitely with what appears to be a left elbow injury.

Owner, manager boil, but don't overheat  —  A bizarre clash of egos ended with a truce, but not before the Marlins almost lost the best young manager in baseball.  —  Heated words on a super-heated summer Sunday took owner Jeffrey Loria and manager Joe Girardi to the brink, but they found a way to calm down and shake hands.

Mets claim Dodgers OF Ledee on waivers  —  LOS ANGELES — Ricky Ledee is headed back to the Big Apple, this time with the New York Mets.  —  The backup outfielder was placed on waivers Monday night by the Los Angeles Dodgers and quickly claimed by New York.

Yankees' pitcher establishes himself  —  The Yankees signed Chien-Ming Wang on May 5, 2000 and sent him to pitch for their Class A team on Staten Island five weeks later.  The right-hander from Taiwan spoke no English and had never been to the United States before.

Rangers forced to shuffle rotation  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Rangers left-hander John Koronka admitted he was surprised at being optioned to Triple A Oklahoma.  —  The rookie, who was traded to the Rangers by the Chicago Cubs days before Opening Day, had been in the Rangers' starting rotation since the start of the season.

Digging Beyond Statistics in Order to Figure Abreu  —  Bobby Abreu was 18 years old, four levels from the majors, in the summer of 1992.  He was the right fielder for the Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League, just another prospect in the Houston Astros' farm system.

1. Adam Miller, rhp, Indians (Double-A Akron) … IN THE TEAM PHOTO … THE NOT-SO-HOT SHEET … BLAST FROM THE PAST … HELIUM WATCH

Beltrán No Longer Just a Shadow of Himself  —  The children sitting in a classroom at Harlem RBI headquarters yesterday afternoon knew the basics about their special guest, Carlos Beltrán.  They all professed to like the Mets more than the Yankees, and they said that center field was their favorite position.

Futility vs. A's spoiling season for M's  —  It was time for a statement.  It was time for an effort on which to hang the final third of the Mariners' season.  —  That statement came in the eighth inning and was repeated in the ninth for good measure.  Only it wasn't what the Mariners wanted …

Piazza emotional on eve of return to New York  —  SAN DIEGO — His eyes were filled with tears when he departed Shea Stadium, and 10 months later, Mike Piazza fears the same emotion could overwhelm him again tonight in his return.  —  The standing ovations, the curtain calls, the video tribute.