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 …

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 …

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 …

Firing Buck or Jon won't solve problem  —  For those angry enough to still care, your disgust with the Rangers is coming in loud and loaded.  —  Stop the media coddling of Buck Showalter, you demand.  —  This man must be fired.  Now.  And if not now, October for sure.  —  Four years of nothing is enough.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Freeze This Moment  —  So.  Eighth inning.  Two on.  One out.  Aaron Heilman on the hill.  Here comes Mike Piazza, 800 feet of home runs hastily appended to his resume, only this time we're not talking about some cosmetic solo shot.  He's the go-ahead run.

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.