Wallace Matthews  —  Don't mean a thing if he ain't got that Oct. swing  —  The lead in the division is nine games, the magic number is down to 18 and the fans have become downright leisurely, wandering in and out of the action like a U.S. Open crowd prowling the outer courts.

Cubs can't overcome Big Z's early exit  —  Theriot hits three-run double in rally effort, but error looms large  —  CHICAGO — Carlos Zambrano tried to be a hero on Monday.  It wasn't a good move.  —  Zambrano, who has been the one constant in the Cubs rotation this year …

A question of mistrust  —  Is Ryan Howard juiced?  —  Don't blame me for wondering.  It might not be fair, but it isn't my (or your) fault for asking before plunging headlong into another home run chase.  —  Blame baseball, blame society, blame a summer that has given us Floyd Landis …

Mock's surgery successful  —  WASHINGTON—Right-hander Garrett Mock, one of two pitchers the Nationals acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in an Aug. 7 trade for veteran Livan Hernandez, had surgery to repair a tear in the patella tendon of his left knee yesterday and will need four to five months to rehabilitate the injury.

Sox fail to extend wild-card lead  —  After losing 2 of 3 to K.C., White Sox bracing for Boston  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After losing two of three games to the team with the worst record in the majors, the White Sox know better than to take a depleted Boston team lightly when they visit Fenway Park …

Ojeda catches on with Rangers  —  ARLINGTON - There was a time this season when Miguel Ojeda was unhappy with baseball.  The veteran catcher played 25 games with Colorado before he was sent down to the minors.  —  "Sometimes you get tired of moving around," Ojeda said.

Notes: Broxton a strong asset for LA  —  Rookie reliever has allowed just two runs in his last 18 outings  —  LOS ANGELES — While Andre Ethier garners most of the national attention as the Dodgers' top Rookie of the Year candidate, overshadowed is the solid play of reliever Jonathan Broxton.

Nagging injury delays Street's return  —  A's notebook  —  OAKLAND — A's closer Huston Street was eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday.  —  As Street said, "That's not going to happen."  —  Street's strained right groin wasn't supposed to sideline him longer than his allotted time on the DL …

Notes: Rottino starts, gets hit  —  Racine native's single sets up three-run rally in eighth  —  cgardner@journalsentinel.com  —  Racine native Vinny Rottino made his first major-league start on Sunday, hitting seventh in the Milwaukee Brewers order and playing at third base in their 10-3 loss to the Florida Marlins.

A White Sox Fan Discusses Hawk Harrelson  —  If you haven't noticed, the Toaster's Catfish Stew has added a new writer, Phillip Michaels.  I've really enjoyed his new voice here.  Considering how many A's blogs there are it can't be easy to come up with a unique spin on the team …

Moneyball, Part 2: The Cliché Comes To Life  —  Moneyball is a raincloud, and A's bloggers are Eeyore.  The book follows you where ever you go.  It's difficult to come up with an interesting angle on the A's that hasn't been covered by Moneyball, or by the seven hundred billion gazillion essays …

Gload making the most of bit part  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ross Gload didn't get his first hit until April 25 and once went 11 games this season without playing.  —  That didn't discourage Gload, who has become a valuable part of the White Sox's roster.  —  Gload has raised his batting average …

Bert red-faced over blue words  —  Twins analyst Blyleven was suspended after obscenity he used Sunday got on the air.  —  Twins television analyst Bert Blyleven has been suspended for two telecasts for accidentally using obscenity on the air before the start of the Twins-Yankees game Sunday afternoon in New York.