No relief as Sox collapse in 9th  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Remember when Red Sox Nation was ready to panic in the streets?  It was premature.  But maybe now . . .  When you can no longer rely on Jonathan Papelbon to close out a one-run game; when you can no longer depend on Manny Ramírez …

Floyd Put on D.L.; Tucker Is Recalled  —  The Mets placed Cliff Floyd on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with tendinitis in his left Achilles' tendon, and purchased the contract of outfielder Michael Tucker from Class AAA Norfolk.  —  Floyd did not start in left field against the San Diego Padres …

Prospectus Today  —  Summer Drama  —  It's been a long, hard slog from their 17-24 start, but as of this morning, the Minnesota Twins have the third-best record in the American League and a tenuous grip on the AL's wild-card slot.  They won two out of three this week in Detroit …

Ex-Peabody star Allison suffers heroin overdose  —  The sad saga of former Peabody High ace and Florida Marlins pitching prospect Jeff Allison , whose once-promising baseball career has been derailed by drug problems, took another disappointing turn Monday when, according to a Medford Police report, he suffered a heroin overdose.

Cubs, Zambrano lose; Baker mulls his future  —  MILWAUKEE — No matter what he does or says, Dusty Baker can't seem to dodge speculation about his future.  —  But before the Cubs' 6-3 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday night, Baker hinted for the first time that even if he's asked to return, he's not sure he would say yes.

The Shifting Swings of A-Rod and Andruw: Part 1  —  It might be different in New York, but from here in Atlanta, it seems as though the media criticism of Alex Rodriguez has tapered off.  Apparently, all is well now that the Yankees have returned to their rightful position at the top of the AL East.

Guillen Says He'll Be Back By the Spring  —  Washington Nationals outfielder Jose Guillen, who is recovering from recent elbow surgery, vows to be healthy by 2007 spring training despite the severity of his injury.  —  "I'll be hitting in three months," a smiling Guillen said before last night's game.

Young gets the call in finale at Shea  —  San Diego (58-55) at New York (68-44), 9:10 a.m. PT  —  Chris Young makes his Shea Stadium debut on Thursday, engaging the always entertaining Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez in a duel of right-handed stylists.  —  "Being in New York …

Cubs' scheme a bad sign  —  Proving that there's as much justice in the justice system as jazz in Utah, an appeals court ruled recently that the Chicago Cubs' ticket-scalping scheme did not violate state anti-scalping laws, despite clearly violating the state's anti-trust law.

Position Breakdown: Center Fielders  —  The 2005 draft is looking like it could go down in history as the year of the centerfielder.  Half of the 12 players listed here were selected in the first round of last year's pickfest, and two of the five honorable mentions were selected later on.

Who Needs a Heart When a Heart Can Be Broken?  —  Like something from Mark Twain's imagination, the big, red paddle wheel on the Mississippi Queen slowly churned through the muddy Ohio River, just beyond the right-field seats of the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

Tigers fall short in finale vs. Twins  —  Zumaya gives up game-deciding homer in eighth  —  DETROIT — For the third time in this six-game homestand, the Tigers went ahead with late-inning heroics.  This time, however, the other team answered back.  —  Brandon Inge's two-run …

Garcia bracing for Chicago exit  —  In other circumstances, he would wear the nickname ''Big Game'' like a badge of honor.  —  The problem is White Sox pitcher Freddy Garcia knows his nickname also has a stigma attached to it that inevitably will lead to his being traded this offseason.

Book excerpt: Spalding's World Tour  —  The Epic Adventure That Took Baseball Around The Globe — And Made It America's Game … Rough seas made the four-day trip due west from Auckland to Sydney one of the more difficult legs of the tour, but the welcome Spalding and his men received …

Calling his bluff  —  Met loves poker, sez source, as Paul's mum on teen tryst  —  Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca's public declaration that he only bets on horses was torpedoed yesterday by a source who recounted the slugger's part in high-stakes poker games and trips to Atlantic City.

Nats Win To Snap 3-Game Slide  —  Ortiz Supported In a Solid Start: Nationals 5, Marlins 2  —  Washington Nationals right-hander Ramon Ortiz was not necessarily taking it personally, but the numbers were emphatic: In his nine losses, his teammates had scored only 17 runs and were shut out three times.

With Henry, dinner and The Show  —  It's 7 p.m. on a glorious Tuesday in a leafy suburb not far from Fenway Park and John Henry is in his home office, staring at a computer screen almost as big as the frame bordering Jane Swift's gubernatorial portrait.  He's downloading some crucial information …