Mulder, Edmonds out for season?  —  Report: Cardinals could be without two key players  —  ST. LOUIS (Ticker) — The St. Louis Cardinals reportedly could be without lefthander Mark Mulder and center fielder Jim Edmonds for the rest of the season.  —  The web site of the St. Louis Post …

Bird knows the feeling  —  On March 17, 1998, Indiana Pacers coach Larry Bird was in the midst of barking instructions to his players during a tight game against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls when he suddenly felt his heart ``kick out.  ``It was all out of rhythm," Bird recalled.

Liner hits Mariners' Soriano in the head  —  Reliever stays conscious; M's hold on for sixth win in row  —  There was no joy in victory, no agony in defeat.  —  There were just athletes concerned for one of their own.  —  Mariners reliever Rafael Soriano had to be wheeled off …

Dr. Strangeglove: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Jose Reyes  —  I consider myself to sit on the fence of baseball and lean to the left.  I am a sabermetrician.  I look to reason, statistics, economics, and science to determine the best ballplayers at the best prices.

Reds ink Johnson to Minor League deal  —  Veteran right-hander pitched for Indians, Red Sox this year  —  LOS ANGELES — Doing what they can to bolster their playoff chances, the Reds made another addition to the pitching staff Wednesday when Jason Johnson was signed to a Minor League contract.

Skipper Hurdle pulls plug on Barmes  —  Character is admirable.  But as the Rockies have proved the past few weeks, even the best of men can be on the worst of teams.  Once on the verge of being a postseason threat, Colorado has plunged into the National League West basement, falling 10-5 to the New York Mets on Tuesday night.

Oswalt, Astros agree to 5-year, $73 million extension  —  HOUSTON — Roy Oswalt got a $73 million birthday present from the Houston Astros.  —  The two-time 20-game winner agreed to a five-year, $73 million contract extension on his 29th birthday Tuesday, the biggest multiyear deal ever given to an Astros pitcher.

Mets talking to Rockies about Ardoin  —  The Mets, seeking to upgrade their backup catcher and add infield depth, are talking to the Rockies about acquiring catcher Danny Ardoin and infielder Luis Gonzalez for a minor-league pitcher, FOXSports.com has learned.  —  Ardoin, 32, was designated for assignment by the Rockies last Friday.

Atlas Slugged … There have been several indications that this just isn't Alex Rodriguez's year.  One came on June 30, the day after he hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 12th inning to beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 and awoke to headlines that read "Okay, but Do It Again."

Matsui gets reminder of unhappy time in New York  —  Kaz Matsui was able to escape New York.  —  And yet, at least for the next two days, Matsui still will be unable to escape the suffocating Big Apple spotlight.  —  As if Matsui needed to be reminded he was playing against his former teammates …

Mulder considering season-ending surgery  —  Cardinals left-hander Mark Mulder is considering undergoing season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder, FOXSports.com has learned.  —  Mulder, 29, is expected to seek a second opinion before making his final decision.

Old unreliables  —  In a lot of ways, the Giants have absolutely no business being mentioned in the same sentence as the word postseason.  This is not a particularly good team.  In fact, this is an old not particularly good team, prone to slumps, bone-headed plays and, in general, extended bouts of bad baseball.

A Scab By Any Other Name  —  The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is often called — whether as praise or as caution — the most powerful trade union on earth.  There's no question about the powerful part: the MLBPA has, in less than four decades, taken baseball players …

Pavano's New Injury Bemuses the Yanks  —  Technically, Johnny Damon has never been teammates with Carl Pavano.  They have occupied the same Yankees clubhouse, but Damon has never played behind Pavano, who has had more disabled-list adventures than any pitcher in memory.

Mets acquire catcher Mike Nickeas from Texas  —  The New York Mets today acquired minor league catcher Mike Nickeas from the Texas Rangers in exchange for outfielder Victor Diaz.  Nickeas will report to St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League while Diaz will be assigned to Oklahoma (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League.