Rattled Ortiz reacts  —  He insists media misrepresented him  —  BALTIMORE — MVP?  —  On this night, that would stand for a mightily, vociferously peeved David Ortiz, distressed at the way his remarks about the American League MVP race were used to portray him as selfishly campaigning …

Girardi's status is still tenuous  —  With the Marlins continuing to amaze, why does manager Joe Girardi remain in jeopardy of losing his job at season's end?  The more we hear, the more it becomes clearer why owner Jeffrey Loria issued another ''no comment'' this week regarding Girardi's future.

Notes: Kendrick's kryptonite is curve  —  But Angels still want infielder to maintain his aggressiveness  —  ANAHEIM — Howie Kendrick already had his welcome-to-the-big-leagues moment and now he's getting the refresher.  —  If his skills take him as far as many predict …

Thunder in the eighth  —  Delgado's 3-run HR, Floyd's RBI double rally from 4-1 deficit  —  MIAMI — The Mets officially ended the Braves' unprecedented run of 14 consecutive division titles with last night's rain-delayed 6-4 victory over the Marlins.  But if they want to uncork …

Sharing the Wealth  —  The Dodgers took a 7-0 lead on the Cubs after three innings.  Seven different Los Angeles players scored.  A nice socialist game.  —  Update: The Cubs are convinced to the validity of the socialist system as they score five in the bottom of the fifth.

Lots of reasons why it ended for Braves  —  When you finish first 14 times over 14 completed seasons, you assume every year is your year.  For the imperial Braves, this one finally wasn't.  The Mets made it official Tuesday night, winning in Florida to eliminate the Braves from the NL East race.

Pirates Notebook: Cost of business in Latin America soars  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  Early this month, the San Francisco Giants paid a $2.1 million signing bonus for a 16-year-old Dominican third baseman, Angel Villalona.  —  And that came not long …

Notes: Nats ponder Johnson's spot  —  Manager unsure if cleanup is best suited for slugger  —  PHOENIX — Nationals left fielder Alfonso Soriano isn't the only one on the Nationals that is putting up nice offensive numbers.  First baseman Nick Johnson is having the best season of his career.

Notes: Radke plays catch without pain  —  Twins reflect on Mauer beaning; club loses coin flips  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Pain had become such a part of throwing for Brad Radke that he almost didn't remember what it felt like to throw without it.  —  But on Tuesday, Radke played catch …

Royals get nasty  —  Runelvys Hernandez and John Buck liven up 5-3 win over Indians with a fight in the dugout.  —  There's proof.  Right there on tape.  A bit of September spice to Tuesday's 5-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians that, by the way, ended an 11-game losing streak at Jacobs Field.

MVP voters prefer run producers  —  Deductive reasoning will get you only so far with baseball writers.  I know.  I am one.  —  I have voted for baseball's top awards since 1984.  I can't say I've always seen the winners coming.  —  Juan Gonzalez over Alex Rodriguez for the American League MVP in 1996?

A look at the Braves' streak of 14 straight division titles  —  Braves' streak ends  —  Using 18 rookies, including 12 making their big-league debut, the Braves pull out their 14th straight division title by two games over Philadelphia.  Andruw Jones finishes second in MVP balloting with 51 HRs and 128 RBI.

New York Mets  —  Average Ticket Price: $25.28  —  Average Cost of Concessions and Souvenirs: $106.00  —  How expensive is stadium parking?  —  • FREE: 4%  —  • $5-$10: 9%  —  • $10-$15: 66%  —  • $15-$20: 12%  —  • More than $20: 4%  —  Is public transportation a viable option?

Beinfest: No regrets about standing pat  —  · If Larry Beinfest knew then what he knows now, he still wouldn't have done anything differently.  —  Tuesday, the Marlins' general manager said he has no regrets about standing pat at the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline.

Cards Notebook: Carpenter and Clemens  —  Carpenter and Clemens  —  Chris Carpenter's shutout Monday night was his third of the season, and all have been at Busch Stadium.  It is his second consecutive season with three home shutouts.  According to the Elias Sports Bureau …