Mirabelli: One Game At A Time  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — The last time the Red Sox were surrounded by this much negativity was in the 2004 ALCS after the Yankees pounded them 19-8 to take a 3-0 lead.  —  As one of the holdovers from the team that rallied to win the series …

Stack 'Em Up  —  It's been a few months since I've done one of these, so let's see how our batters compare position by position to their friends around the league.  —  All stats are by players at that respective position and don't necessarily reflect their total stats.  40 AB minimum

Some advice: Don't look now  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Going into last night's game, the Red Sox had lost six straight, the most since Joe "The Nutty Professor" Kerrigan manned Boston's Southbound Train in 2001.  —  The 2006 Sox had lost 10 1/2 games in the standings since July 4.

Dodgers Feeling Ejected  —  Lugo, Little and Penny are thrown out, but most of the damage is already done, as the Padres complete a sweep with 7-2 victory and cut lead to one game.  —  SAN DIEGO — All it lacked was music and a circle of chairs.  —  A scene as childish as it was surreal played …

Mets show Cards who's boss  —  Three big offensive innings help Trachsel to win No. 13  —  NEW YORK — The Cardinals came into New York playing second fiddle to the Mets in the National League standings, but this series presented an opportunity for the Redbirds to send a message to the National League's best.

Stock Skips His Way To USC  —  Across America this month, millions of teenagers were preparing for their final year of high school, brushing up on their calculus and narrowing their list of colleges to attend a year from now.  —  Robert Stock is a year ahead of them.

WILD HORSES  —  Myers, Howard, Rollins help close gap in race  —  CHICAGO - Even before the first pitch was thrown and the sun began to set on the ancient bricks and ivy of Wrigley Field and the azure expanse of Lake Michigan several blocks beyond the bleachers in right …

Ex-groundskeeper sues Phillies  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former longtime groundskeeper for the Philadelphia Phillies filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the team, claiming he was repeatedly degraded by a younger supervisor.  —  Mark "Frog" Carfagno filed the complaint in federal court on Wednesday, his 53rd birthday.

Mariners Notebook: A lesson in patience  —  Young Mariners hitters learning to see more pitches  —  If it seems like the Yankees are up to bat every time you look at the television this week, it's not your imagination.  They spend a lot of time at the plate.

Snelling shows a healthy attitude  —  Chris Snelling is a Yoda man.  —  Always has been, from his early days in the minor leagues, when he affixed a picture of the Jedi master to his glove and would write "Yoda" on all his bats, to this very day, when he carries a Yoda stuffed doll with him as a good-luck talisman.

Japan trip appeals to Papelbon, not team  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jonathan Papelbon has been asked by Major League Baseball to be a member of the team of major league players traveling to Japan to play a series of exhibitions in November.  Papelbon said yesterday he wants to go, but the club would prefer he take a pass.

Wang Finds His Sinker Against Mariners  —  Jason Giambi was greeted in the dugout after scoring on Robinson Canó's single in the first inning.  The hit also drove in Bobby Abreu.  —  Only one other player, Octavio Dotel, was in the Yankees' clubhouse Wednesday afternoon …

Park out at least a month after intestinal surgery  —  Padres pitcher Chan Ho Park will miss at least the next four weeks of the season after undergoing surgery yesterday to halt the bleeding in his small intestine.  —  "We're looking at four weeks at the earliest before he can return …

Young and cool  —  Jered Weaver learned that emotional control is as important as pitch control.  And what a lesson it has been.  —  sbisheff@ocregister.com  —  ANAHEIM - On the mound at Angel Stadium tonight, Jered Weaver will be the epitome of California cool, with his surfboard-thin body …