One Swing Is Difference vs. Cardinals Again  —  The teams were the same.  So was the site.  The Mets' pitcher of record was the same, and the game was again decided by a home run.  —  Only this time, it was the Mets who were whooping it up at home plate while the St. Louis Cardinals retreated …

Cubs win in wild ninth  —  Alfonso Soriano earned a $136 million contract last winter because of his ability to hit a baseball.  —  Wrigley Field security guard Anton Migursky earns considerably less than that for ensuring a safe atmosphere at the Friendly Confines.

Nats SS Guzman to miss rest of season  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Washington Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman will miss the rest of the season following surgery Monday to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb.  —  Guzman sprained his left thumb in the fifth inning Sunday while tagging …

Gyro to the Beat: Matsuzaka to Release Music CD  —  Gyroating into a record store near you, Japanese pitching sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka.EMI Music Marketing announced today the upcoming album Music From The Mound from Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.  EMI will distribute the album …

Stumbling Yanks Keep Taking Steps Backward  —  There is more than half the season remaining.  But if the Yankees continue to sputter and wheeze, the seventh inning of Sunday's game might have been their last stand.  —  In the top of the inning, Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada and Bobby Abreu came off the bench in succession.

Jon Heyman: White Sox fire sale imminent  —  Also in this column:  —  The White Sox are heading south, and we don't mean just 35th Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway, on the South Side of Chicago.  But much farther south, so far down in the standings that the team-wide selloff appears at hand.

Notes: Gallardo may head to 'pen  —  Rookie may be odd man out when Capuano returns  —  MILWAUKEE — With left-hander Chris Capuano about a week away from returning from a stint on the disabled list, it appears the Brewers are leaning toward shifting 21-year-old Yovani Gallardo to the bullpen after his next start.

Guillen named AL Player of the Week  —  Tigers shortstop bats .476 over week ending June 24  —  After going 10-for-21, good for a .476 batting average over the last week, Detroit Tigers shortstop Carlos Guillen was named the Bank of America Presents American League Player of the Week.

Lo Duca suspended after tossing equipment  —  NEW YORK — Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca was suspended two games and fined after he tossed every piece of equipment he could find onto the field after being ejected Saturday night.  —  Lo Duca appealed the penalty and cannot be disciplined until after a hearing is held.

Companies Not Chasing Bonds's Home Run Chase  —  You might have noticed that corporate America has taken a pass on Barry Bonds, that major companies have exhibited little interest in linking their brands to the near-certainty of Bonds hitting his 756th home run this year.

Fielder holds All-Star vote lead  —  Slugger could be club's first All-Star starter since 1999  —  MILWAUKEE — With some help from his friends, it was another very good week at the All-Star polls for Brewers star Prince Fielder.  —  For the second straight week, Fielder was at the top …

On the move: Dodgers to put Nomar at third  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Nomar Garciaparra is moving across the diamond.  —  After spending the past season and a half as the Los Angeles Dodgers' first baseman, Garciaparra will move to third base, perhaps as early as Friday.

Brewers sign top Draft pick  —  Milwaukee and LaPorta agree to terms  —  MILWAUKEE — This time, it's official.  —  After weeks of speculation and several published reports indicating a deal was already in place, the Brewers and top Draft pick Matt LaPorta formally came to terms Monday on a Minor League contract.

O's set to resume managerial search … It has been more than a week since the Orioles fired manager Sam Perlozzo, and the search to find his replacement begins in earnest tomorrow, when new club president Andy MacPhail settles in at the warehouse.  —  MacPhail and the Orioles' front office thought …

Chicago vs. Colorado  —  GameCenter  · Full Play-by-Play  · Box Score  · Recap  · Game Chart  · Photos  · Live Commentary (Glog)  —  ROCKIES 1ST  —  Jason Marquis pitching:  —  Strike looking, Strike looking, Ball, Taveras struck out swinging.