Bowie to DL, Vidro Likely To Be Activated  —  The Washington Nationals have been working for the last week without a left-hander in the bullpen, ever since Micah Bowie strained a muscle in his upper back — a strain that has left a nasty bruise on his upper arm.

Admit one — With wild card out of play, the games really matter  —  They play 19 games a year, every year, and we treat each unfolding drama as if it were the work of William Shakespeare.  Then the dust settles and the air clears, and in the aftermath, we come to a stunning conclusion.

Escobar holds down Mariners  —  Righty tosses seven solid innings for ninth victory  —  ANAHEIM — The way Mike Scioscia saw it, the Angels could have won an Emmy for their primetime performance on Thursday night, with Kelvim Escobar earning one for best actor.

Borowski proving to be a valuable commodity on young Marlins staff  —  If anyone should have wanted Joe Borowski gone at the trading deadline, it was Taylor Tankersley.  With Borowski pitching elsewhere, Tankersley probably gets first crack at replacing him in the closer's slot.

Etkin: Hynick looks to be steal for Rockies  —  Etkin: Hynick looks to be steal for Rockies  —  The June draft was underway, and pitcher Brandon Hynick was glued to his computer, aware his name was not going to appear right away but hoping to learn his professional destiny before long.

Delgado and Maine Show Their Strength in Lifting Mets  —  From his two seasons as a Phillie, Billy Wagner considers himself somewhat of an authority on tape-measure home runs at Citizens Bank Park.  —  He has seen balls hit harder.  He has seen them hit farther.

Scribes, leaks needle Jason  —  While the reporters who wrote the bombshell Barry Bonds book face potential jail time unless they reveal their grand jury sources, Jason Giambi sounds like he believes they should be compelled to testify.  —  "Everybody wants to know," Giambi told MLB.com.

Mulder struggles in third rehab start  —  OKLAHOMA CITY — Cardinals pitcher Mark Mulder gave up five runs in four innings Thursday in a rehab start for Triple-A Memphis, but felt he made a slight improvement over his last outing.  —  The two-time All-Star walked five and yielded seven hits …

Ranking the Closers: Over the Lidge  —  Has the plug finally been pulled on Brad Lidge?  —  Following another blown save earlier this week, the Houston Astros have apparently decided to go with a closer-by-committee approach.  It remains to be seen if Lidge will be a part of that committee.

The iPod Shuffle (One Year Later)  —  I spent much of this week discussing and planning for my future, which was both exciting and tedious.  I'm happy to announce that the contract negotiations I talked briefly about yesterday have ended, with me signing the first official employment contract of my life yesterday morning.

Summerall, Shocking And Sober  —  PAT SUMMERALL is 76, and is no longer the No. 1 voice of a network's N.F.L. broadcasts.  —  He does radio work for the Dallas Cowboys and sounds as happy as he has ever been.  He is in his 14th year of sobriety, and his transplanted liver is working well, more than two years since surgery.

Coste gets pitch from movie studio  —  Vince Papale and Jim Morris, move over.  —  A representative from a movie studio and at least one major publishing house have contacted Phillies 33-year-old rookie Chris Coste, whose Cinderella season certainly has been the stuff of Disney.

Upton apologized before callup  —  ST. PETERSBURG - B.J. Upton wanted to make sure the slate was clean, the page was turned and the air cleared.  —  He also wanted to lift a weight off his shoulders.  —  So on Aug. 1, the day the Devil Rays third baseman arrived at the Trop after his promotion …