Marlins' Girardi not coming back, source says  —  Joe Girardi, who guided the surprising Marlins into playoff contention despite baseball's lowest payroll, will soon be out as manager after just one season.  —  On a scale of 1 to 10, Girardi's chances of returning next year are "zero," …

Yanks' Boss Says That His Health Isn't Failing  —  A day after the Yankees clinched their ninth consecutive American League East title, the principal owner George Steinbrenner followed yesterday with his usual statement praising the team and its fans.  —  More surprising was the release …

Orioles protesters walk out on team  —  BALTIMORE — Nearly a thousand disgruntled Orioles fans walked out of Baltimore's game against Detroit en masse on Thursday, culminating a demonstration aimed at team owner Peter Angelos.  —  A majority of the protesters wore black T-shirts that read …

Consider This the Beginning of What Will Be a Grind to Finish  —  Now that was a miracle.  —  The Dodgers finally beat the mighty Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, maintaining both their tenuous playoff spot and their slipping sanity.  —  OK, so their starting pitcher barely lasted half the game.

Cry no tears for Martinez  —  Looks sharp in Met loss to Marlins  —  There wasn't a wet eye in the house this time.  —  Driven to tears in Pittsburgh after his disappointing return to the mound last week following a one-month absence to mend a right-calf tear, Pedro Martinez breezed through four …

Pads tab Williams to work rubber game  —  Arizona (72-79) at San Diego (79-72), 7:05 p.m. PT  —  The rubber match between the Padres and Diamondbacks takes place Thursday night, when San Diego will try to hold its ground in a tight division race and take the three-game set from Arizona.

A broken record? … The "natural" home run king.  That's what some would call Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard should he pass Roger Maris' pre-1998 record for home runs in a single season.  —  The title implies that Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds were fueled …

Guillen to finish with his 1st string  —  Manager wants to get 90-plus wins but may rest Crede, Thome  —  Despite the likelihood of elimination from postseason play, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen plans to stick with his regular lineup the rest of the season.

A Change Has Done Him Good  —  "I can see now the benefits of change," Thomas said of his move to Oakland.  "It's like a shot of adrenaline.  It made me hungry to be the player I want to be."  —  The television in the Oakland Athletics' clubhouse was tuned to a mini-drama that Frank Thomas had seen many times before.

Freel out for season with broken thumb  —  Milton also done, will undergo season-ending surgery  —  CINCINNATI — Another Reds player is done for the remainder of the season.  —  Tests performed on Thursday revealed that outfielder Ryan Freel suffered a hairline fracture of his left thumb.

From Arizona, to Columbus, to the Bronx  —  The first inning Brian Bruney pitched for the Yankees, he struck out the side.  The next night, in a game in which 25 runs scored, he allowed no runs in the heat of a pennant race at Fenway Park.  —  The third day, Bruney was on a plane to Ohio …

Jays, Adams approach crossroads  —  Infielder's future with club is uncertain after this season  —  TORONTO — When a team drafts a position player in the first round of the First-Year Player Draft, it hopes that player will one day become "the guy."  —  This doesn't mean that the player …

Rebuilding, the Marlin Way  —  Short of a miraculous final two weeks, the Marlins will miss the playoffs this year.  To be writing that sentence in September is a bit of miracle in itself: aside from the Royals and the Devil Rays, the Marlins entered the 2006 season with the lowest expectations in baseball.

Raiders audition Maddox  —  Former Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox worked out for the Raiders on Wednesday, but the free agent has not been signed.  —  Maddox was flown to the Bay Area for a brief visit to Raiders headquarters in Alameda, one day after he tried out with the Patriots, according to his agent, Vann McElroy.