Unpredictable Dodgers Find a Steady Rookie  —  Andre Ethier is comfortable being uncomfortable, so he is comfortable playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Ethier said he stayed motivated by not letting himself feel that he was in a firm position.  So these unpredictable Dodgers are the perfect team for the rookie outfielder.

Izzy done?  Bad hip could end his season  —  PHOENIX — Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen will not pitch in this weekend's series against Arizona, and he expects to miss at least the next week as he attempts to alleviate pain and inflammation in his left hip that is at the root of his inconsistency.

Notes: Tigers move on without Young  —  Clubhouse issues may have triggered release  —  MINNEAPOLIS — For the second time this season, the Tigers moved on without Dmitri Young.  This time, it's for good.  —  Craig Monroe moved into perhaps the most prominent spot in the lineup …

A Rotation Makeover?  —  Yankees Will Face Decisions On Mussina, Wright, Lidle  —  BALTIMORE — The Yankees did not make many moves with their starting pitching this season and, to this point, have made the right choices.  —  Their one addition, Cory Lidle, has worked …

Bullet Point Wednesday  —  I have this neverending file of notes that haven't quite made themselves into full articles.  Most don't deserve a full treatment, anyway, so here's a dump of that file, clearing the decks for what should be a great stretch drive.  - The August 31 trade deadline was weird, with very little happening.

Notes: Manuel tells team to relax  —  Skipper wants his players to loosen up for the final 23 games  —  MIAMI — If manager Charlie Manuel has one message for his team over the final 23 games, it's this:  —  Relax.  This game is supposed to be fun.  —  Though not citing any specific players …

Great Leap Forward, NL  —  This is part three of a four part series in which we'll look at which players saw their stock rise and fall the most in each organization.  We continue today with the National League, and the good.  —  Arizona Diamondbacks  —  A 16th-round pick in 2004 …

ESPN GETS A RE-PHIL  —  STEVE INKS NEW FIVE-YEAR DEAL  —  In a move that will push Steve Phillips even more into the forefront of ESPN baseball coverage, the network has signed the former Met GM to a new five-year contract.  —  Phillips, who is in his second full year on ESPN …

No-hitter a first for Loria, too  —  · Like many fans who watched Anibal Sanchez's no-hitter unfold Wednesday, owner Jeffrey Loria did his part to get the right-hander through it.  —  "I never left the chair," said Loria, who tuned in from his New York City apartment.  "Never moved.

Etkin: Smith seeing clearly now after surgery, self examination  —  Double-A Tulsa right fielder Seth Smith went home to Brandon, Miss., during the Texas League all-star break.  And for the better part of three days, Smith pondered his disappointing first half and thought long and hard about how to improve.

Teixeira rediscovers his power after the break  —  SEATTLE — Mark Teixeira is well aware he fell short of many people's expectations, including his own, in the first half of the season.  —  The 26-year-old Rangers first baseman was coming off one of the best offensive seasons ever by a Ranger …

Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic  —  Q: Dejan, with the Bucs now playing above-.500 baseball since the break, coupled with the September expansion of rosters, I was wondering what the Pirates consider more important the rest of the year, evaluation of players or winning games?

Cash can see Bat-sui only  —  The Yankees may actually be at the point where they are expecting Hideki Matsui to be back in their lineup before the end of the season, but they do not expect his return to push Melky Cabrera out of the outfield.  —  Yanks GM Brian Cashman said last night …

He's in for a mound of work  —  Hansen will get chances to shine  —  Reliever Craig Hansen, who began the season at Double A Portland and has been promoted to the Sox three times this summer from Triple A Pawtucket, has had a rough baptism in his first full season of pro ball.

In Lidle, Yanks Have Extra Pitcher and Backup Pilot  —  Cory Lidle earned his pilot's license last off-season and bought a four-seat Cirrus SR20.  He said he's spent about 95 solo hours in the air.  —  When the Yankees fly, the pilots are not only in the cockpit.

Durham back to old form  —  Giant is tops among major league second basemen with 84 RBI  —  Ray Durham's transformation as a hitter extends from head to toe.  —  Start with Durham's mind, which has absorbed steady doses of advice from one Barry Bonds.  —  Proceed to Durham's eyes …