RANGERS NOTES  —  Slump sends Blalock off course  —  DETROIT — One of Hank Blalock's main goals for this season was to be consistent at the plate from Opening Day to the end of the year.  He has had a tendency to fall off pace in the second half of the season and wanted to change the pattern.

Yankees Win, but Lidle's Postseason Pitch Misses  —  Among the subplots of last night's 8-4 Yankees victory over Tampa Bay at Yankee Stadium was the audition for the fourth slot in the postseason rotation.  Cory Lidle, the starter, had a chance to make his case.

Sampling the bigs  —  Top-prospect Hughes works out at Stadium and gains experience  —  A year from now Phil Hughes very well could be on the mound for the Yankees pitching meaningful games.  But for now he's been watching from the stands, in the family section.  —  Understandably, he hasn't been recognized once.

Cheating talk steams scout who hit home run with Howard  —  As Ryan Howard streaks toward the realm of Roger Maris, the man who helped discover him rolls on across the Midwestern portion of Interstate 70, mining for more talent just south of Maris country.  —  Jerry Lafferty has been scouting …

In Nats' Loss, Former Mates Use Old Tricks on Each Other  —  Brian Schneider had never been in such a situation, so intimately familiar with a subject yet completely unsure of how to approach it.  For 3 1/2 seasons, Schneider was Livan Hernandez's catcher, his sounding board, one half of his brain.

Choice is clear: Jeter  —  What fun would life be without a good old-fashioned baseball MVP argument?  —  I know poor Papi never imagined the consequences of just being a loyal member of Sluggers, Inc. David Ortiz was simply stating the case for his fellow boppers, as opposed to the table setters of the world.

50 Years in Game Is Enough for Kaat  —  Jim Kaat figures it is time to retire from calling Yankees games, to spend more time with his family, play more golf at home in Stuart, Fla., and tour the country in his recreational vehicle with his wife, Mary Ann, a pursuit inspired by the example of Bill White, a former Yankees announcer.

Waiting nothing new to Randolph  —  The names of the teams are no longer important to Willie Randolph.  One is the same as another now.  Being told for years that he wasn't good enough, wasn't qualified enough, that is another matter entirely, and something you never forget.

Remembering the Ryan Express  —  "God gave Nolan the ability to throw a baseball faster than anybody else."  —Phil Garner, former Astros teammate  —  The recent rant from Joe Morgan regarding radar gun readings while watching Detroit Tigers rookie fireballer Joel Zumaya placed a spotlight …

Sox left in Orioles' wake  —  Nothing to show for return  —  BALTIMORE — No one will ever really know, of course, whether the stress fracture in Tim Wakefield's rib cage was the fault line on which the Red Sox' season began to crack.  —  Suffice to say, things looked considerably better …

Short and sour for Marquis  —  Monday and Tuesday moved the Cardinals closer to the playoffs.  Wednesday's ugly loss to the Houston Astros reminded them that they still haven't figured out what to do when they get there.  —  Pitching on short rest, Jason Marquis fell deeper into an enigmatic season …

Royals can't just hit it off  —  A scuffle like the one between Buck and Hernandez is not that unusual in sports.  —  CLEVELAND |  Throw a hissy fit if you must, treat it like a civil war if you like.  But understand this: teammates John Buck and Runelvys Hernandez throwing haymakers …

Ten Things I Didn't Know Last Week  —  What a great time of year.  We've got close races in several divisions, plus the drama of a couple of young teams (the Tigers and Marlins) heading in opposite directions.  According to SABR-L's Frank Vaccaro (as of September 8) ...

Cubs pitcher Rusch out for season with blood clot  —  CHICAGO - Cubs reliever Glendon Rusch was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung and will miss the rest of the season.  A team trainer said the condition was not life-threatening.  —  Rusch was sent to Northwestern Memorial Hospital …

Closing up shop: Giants' Benitez done for season  —  SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco closer Armando Benitez is done for the season with inflammation in his right knee.  —  The Giants planned to place the right-hander on the 60-day disabled list Thursday, after the club said Tuesday it hoped …