Sox suffer ex-treme damage  —  Ordonez's 2 HRs add insult to fading hope of his former team  —  The White Sox's sense of urgency was evident Monday night after eight pitches.  —  Unfortunately, the damage already was done before pitching coach Don Cooper visited the mound and rookie knuckleballer Charlie Haeger began to warm up.

Toast of the town!  —  The Mets had waited for what seemed like forever, 18 long years and one interminable weekend in Pittsburgh, before the coronation could officially take place last night at Shea Stadium.  —  It was set in motion by the bat of the Marlins' Josh Willingham …

With timing down, Murphy clocks one  —  NEW YORK — David Murphy led off the first game of yesterday's day-night doubleheader by slamming a Jaret Wright fastball into the right-field bleachers at Yankee Stadium for his first major league home run.  Tall, lanky, and with a sweet swing, Murphy …

Padres-Dodgers Preview  —  The San Diego Padres have clawed their way back into first place in the NL West.  —  Now, they'll look to create some breathing room atop the division when they wrap up a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday at Dodger Stadium.

Ortiz lifts Nats past Marlins  —  Right-hander outpitches Willis for his ninth win of the season  —  WASHINGTON — After the Nationals stopped their three-game losing streak by defeating the Marlins, 5-2, on Wednesday night at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, manager Frank Robinson stopped …

Notes: A's pitching lagging this month  —  Starters have struggled to a 6.39 ERA since Sept. 4  —  OAKLAND — During the first five months of the season, the A's had largely relied on their starting pitching.  Their starters' ERA has been ranked in the American League top five for the whole season …

Yankee rookies get Boss treatment  —  As part of hazing tradition, players dress like Steinbrenner  —  NEW YORK — The Yankees are an organization steeped in tradition.  From their 26 World Series titles to the Hall of Famers who have called Yankee Stadium their home, tradition is a big part of what makes the Yankees who they are.

Rays drop seventh straight  —  Bullpen can't hold lead in loss to Blue Jays in series finale  —  TORONTO — Another road game, another loss for the Devil Rays.  —  This time, it was a late-inning homer that cost Tampa Bay in a 5-3 defeat to Toronto on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

Notes: Nolasco's health a bright spot  —  Right-hander's knee came through fine after two missed starts  —  NEW YORK — Not all was lost for the Marlins in their disheartening 8-7 loss in 10 innings to the Braves on Sunday.  —  Rookie Ricky Nolasco shook off the rust of skipping two starts …

Cards fall in 9th  —  MILWAUKEE — Sifting through the rubble of a ninth-inning loss, the Cardinals were left to ponder an intriguing question: Can Anthony Reyes pitch for this team in October?  —  The 82-loss Milwaukee Brewers took care of the details Monday when second baseman Tony Graffanino ended …

Mojo trumps all in AL Central  —  It's crunch time.  With just under two weeks to play, the Detroit Tigers are a game up on the Minnesota Twins in the race for the American League Central division crown, and the Twins are four games ahead of the Chicago White Sox in the wild card race.

The Lost Weekend  —  Pirates 3 - Mets 0  —  When the Mets get around to drinking that champagne it's bound to be a little flat.  John Maine overcame a rough start to pitch a good, gutsy game, but once again the Mets offense was non-existent.  The inability to get the big hit killed us again.

Minors set attendance mark  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Pacific Coast League drew the most fans this season, helping Minor League Baseball set an all-time attendance record of 41,710,357.  —  The PCL had 7,413,505 fans, and the minors set a record for the third consecutive season with an increase of 377,078 from 2005.