Martínez Is Hurt and Then Routed  —  After missing nearly a month with a hip injury, Pedro Martínez had again become a master of reinvention for the Mets, using his cunning and guile to replace the speed lost on his fastball.  —  But he will be 35 in October and, like an old house …

Reverse gear  —  Tigers halt skid by ending Sox' winning streak  —  No one should presume that the Detroit Tigers are a mere warmup act this week to the Yankees, not when the Tigers arrive in Fenway Park with the best record in baseball, even if burdened with a five-game losing streak.

S. Florida may need to bid farewell to Loria  —  Jeffrey Loria is at it again.  —  The Florida Marlins owner has proved adept at embarrassing himself and the game of baseball, but his latest misstep is an uncharacteristic one.  As you may have heard, Loria was reportedly a hairsbreadth …

Ortiz and Nationals Battered by Braves  —  Washington Nationals Manager Frank Robinson would've liked to have sat back in the dugout last night at RFK Stadium, set aside the mounting concerns about his last-place team and admired another outstanding effort by Ramon Ortiz, his most reliable starting pitcher of late.

Even Near-Miss Hits the Spot for the Yankees  —  The record will show that Alex Rodriguez came through when the Yankees needed him last night, driving in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the seventh inning.  Yet the moment left Rodriguez and the crowd craving more.

Castilla back with Rockies  —  Original Rockie signs minor league deal, will end career here  —  For all practical purposes, Vinny Castilla said, his big league career began with the Rockies.  —  It is going to end with the Rockies, too.  —  Castilla, whom the Rockies took from the Atlanta Braves …

With faith in friends' approach, DeRosa emerges as a hitter  —  ARLINGTON - Mark DeRosa's cellphone buzzed Saturday with a familiar voice:  —  "I don't even feel like I know you anymore," old teammate and friend Chipper Jones said.  "Who are you?"  —  Good question.

Hairston keeps positive outlook despite lack of playing time  —  ARLINGTON — Before he was traded to the Rangers on May 31, Jerry Hairston Jr. had played in 682 career games and had started 592 of those.  —  With the Rangers, he's an afterthought — valuable because of his experience and talent …

Esprit de clubhouse  —  Current Mets laud title team for camaraderie; choirboys need not apply  —  The 1986 World Series was referred to in Boston and Queens as George Steinbrenner's worst nightmare.  At least one of the Yankees, however, couldn't help but appreciate what was going on across town during that magical season.

Give up on Prior?  Give me a break!  —  Cubs fans are out of their minds if they want to cast him aside  —  HOUSTON — After Mark Prior was placed on the disabled list for the latest time—and pretty soon only Antonio Alfonseca will be able to count 'em up on his fingers …

Who or what is really to blame for Ameriquest Field being a hitter's paradise?  —  Until a certain wide receiver landed in the area, the resident media whipping boy was a poor, beleaguered figure known as Ameriquest Field.  —  The Rangers play in one of the nicest parks in Major League Baseball …

Rodriguez Says Injuries Led to Change in His Mechanics  —  The important thing, Alex Rodriguez says, is that he is healthy now and has been for a while.  —  "Let's put it this way: For the last three or four weeks, I feel 100 percent," Rodriguez said yesterday.  "I feel good to play that way.

For Drew, It's a Living With Very Little Life  —  The other day, J.D. Drew singled in the first inning, and while that should've been enough to stop the game and award him the ball, he drove in a run.  —  And I swore, as Drew rounded first base and came to a stop, I saw him clap both hands together almost as if he were excited.

BORN TO HIT  —  MANNY WIELDS ONE MEAN BAT  —  MAYBE Manny being Manny simply means this: He is the best hitter of the generation.  —  Manny Ramirez had his 27-game hitting streak end on Sunday, in part because he did not run hard on a grounder that bizarrely spun from routine to beyond pitcher Todd Williams' initial stab.

Stats Geek: Double-threat Sanchez steady in the field, too  —  By Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  Is there anything sweeter than a Freddy Sanchez double, in all its bounty and variety?  —  Of course there is, but this is a baseball column.  So let us now praise Freddy's bloops …