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.

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.

Under The Knife  —  Sushi  —  I wish I could go the rest of my career without talking about steroids, amphetamines, groupies, divorces, cheaters, and jerks.  I can't, but I notice one thing, over and over: it's all fair game until it's your guy.  People ask how Giants fans can defend Barry Bonds …

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 …

Rollins keeps Phils in mix, Cubs on skid  —  9th-inning hit tops Cubs, moves team nearer wild-card lead  —  Juan Pierre and Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins are considered two of the best leadoff hitters in the game.  —  Now the Cubs must consider whether Pierre deserves a Rollins-type contract to keep him in town beyond September.

White Sox limping forward  —  'Must' win over Tigers spoiled by hamstring injury to Thome  —  DETROIT — Overcoming 10 stranded runners and the loss of Jim Thome gave the White Sox some temporary satisfaction Wednesday night.  —  Thanks to the power resurgence of Joe Crede and timely pitching …

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.

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.

Rebuilding the Reds (cont.)  —  2. Mike Arbuckle, Phillies assistant GM  —  The longtime executive is red-hot with recent drafts, having selected Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels.  —  3. Mike Radcliff, Twins scouting director  —  The feeling was he couldn't go wrong with Joe Mauer …

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 …