After Loss, Trachsel Faces Postseason Questions  —  Endy Chávez of the Mets could not reach Brandon Harper's double in the seventh inning.  Harper later scored on a double by Henry Mateo.  —  Asked to sum up his performance in yesterday's 5-1 loss to the Nationals, Steve Trachsel unwittingly assessed his season.

Arias will get his chance this week  —  ARLINGTON — Rangers manager Buck Showalter planned to start Joaquin Arias, the organization's top minor league prospect among non-pitchers, on Sunday, but delayed it for two reasons.  —  First, Showalter likes the matchup of the right-handed hitting Arias …

Wallace Matthews  —  The anti-Pedro waits on pins and needles  —  One is a "dead raccoon," the other a live guinea pig.  —  That sums up half of the Mets' starting rotation a week before the postseason begins.  The former is Pedro Martinez, who used that term to describe himself yesterday.

Thinking three helps Crawford to rare feat  —  ST. PETERSBURG - Carl Crawford didn't get caught up in theories about how the game has changed or reasons why he accomplished a feat no player has in 76 years.  —  With his sixth-inning triple, his AL-leading 15th, in Sunday's 11-4 win over New York …

Mussina thumped but OK  —  ST. PETERSBURG - Mike Mussina suffered a bruise near his left thumb when he was hit by a line drive yesterday, but said it wouldn't cause any problems in his final start of the season or the playoffs.  —  "My thumb's okay, just a little sore," Mussina said.

Nomar hurting, but delivers again in clutch  —  If this were July, Nomar Garciaparra probably wouldn't be playing because of a sore left quadriceps that has bothered him for more than a week.  —  Fortunately for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he's helping them battle for a playoff berth.

Wagner recognized for fantastic season  —  Closer a finalist for the DHL Delivery Man of the Year Award  —  NEW YORK — At the time, his preference was to run off a streak of scoreless appearances — 10, maybe 12 of them — and maybe 13, 14 scoreless innings.  That would make for a fine how-do-ya-do, Billy Wagner thought.

Pirates Notebook: Burnitz, Randa face uncertain futures  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  SAN DIEGO — The Pirates' Jeromy Burnitz spent much of this six-game road trip in an unfamiliar place to see some unfamiliar faces.  —  A place he sometimes calls home.

Case closed: Eyre says he prefers setup role  —  CINCINNATI — Scott Eyre is not interested in taking Ryan Dempster's place if the Cubs go looking for a new closer for next year.  —  "I like pitching the seventh and eighth [innings]," Eyre said.  "Bobby Howry and Demp can figure that out.

Plenty of fireworks, but sizzle fizzles for champs  —  Champs can't produce encore presentation; new cast on horizon?  —  They locked down U.S. Cellular Field on Sunday afternoon, too early for all the White Sox players and fans who had painted their bandwagons for a second straight parade.

Cards Notebook: Rolen is back  —  Scott Rolen returned to the lineup Sunday, one day after he considered himself "benched" against Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt.  Rolen, whose left shoulder has been a source of concern since he underwent surgery last year, made certain Sunday that reporters knew …

Completing the job seems to be a problem for Oakland  —  The A's aren't helping reputation as a team that can't finish off a foe  —  OAKLAND - This isn't helping the A's reputation as a team unable to finish off an opponent.  —  True, those nine straight losses in potential clinching games came in the playoffs.

Gonzalez could be Girardi's successor  —  CINCINNATI — Joe Girardi's shaky status as manager of the Florida Marlins continues to play a key role in the Cubs' search for a new manager.  —  If Girardi is fired, sources say Atlanta Braves third-base coach Fredi Gonzalez …