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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Baker: 'Wildest game I've ever seen'  —  Watches Cubs overcome 6 errors, win on Izturis' single  —  Carlos Zambrano was asked before Tuesday's game why he didn't want to shut down for the rest of the year.  —  "First of all, I don't want this team to get 100 losses," Zambrano replied.

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 …

Hernandez Hopes to Stay In Arizona  —  On the day he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, former Washington Nationals right-hander Livan Hernandez reiterated that he was disappointed to be dealt away because he wanted to throw the first pitch in the Nationals' new ballpark when it opens in 2008 …

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.

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 …

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?

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 …