For Yanks, numbers chill thrills  —  This was the season the Yankees were supposed to have.  This was the way things were supposed to look and the way they were supposed to be, for Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada, for Derek Jeter and the great Mo Rivera, the only surprise here …

Dodgers claim Loaiza off waivers from A's  —  FOXSports.com, Updated 21 minutes ago  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  The Dodgers have added another starting pitcher to their rotation, claiming right-hander Esteban Loaiza on waivers from the A's.  —  The teams did not complete a trade for Loaiza …

Back troubles KO Kielty and Ramírez  —  NEW YORK — Red Sox outfielder Bobby Kielty said he is scheduled to undergo X-rays and perhaps other tests to determine the cause of continuing back pain, the result, he said, of colliding with the low bullpen wall in right field at Fenway Park in his first game with the team 10 days ago.

M's, Guillen close to reaching deal  —  The Mariners and outfielder Jose Guillen are close to completing a contract extension.  —  The deal, apparently for three years, would replace the one-year mutual option that would have kept Guillen in Seattle for the 2008 season.

Braves strike out with switch  —  Smoltz comes up short on three days' rest; Francoeur ejection pivotal  —  Miami — Just when it looked like the worst night of Jeff Francoeur's major league career couldn't get any uglier, it did.  And it cost the Braves dearly.

It's tough to dislike Rangers' new crop  —  The logical part of the brain says it's too early — way too early — to evaluate how the Rangers did in their trading deadline deals.  The number of players acquired in those deals was impressive.  But most of those players are so far from the majors that any evaluation would be premature.

It's Time for MLB to Rethink the Marlins Stadium Strategy  —  Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard that the Florida Marlins are laboring to get into a new stadium.  Current owner Jeffery Loria has been working to get into a new facility since purchasing the team in Feb. of 2002 …

Acta goes the hard way  —  LOS ANGELES - Manny Acta sat in his office at RFK Stadium, measuring the trauma of three straight losses to the Detroit Tigers and the 32 runs his Washington Nationals had given up in them.  —  In his first season as a big-league manager, having been granted …

eMailbag: MetsBlog Ignores the Bullpen  —  Rick from Brooklyn Heights sent in the following e-mail...  Since being traded to the Red Sox, Eric Gagne has a 9.00 ERA in 11 relief appearances.  —  Since being traded to the Brewers, Scott Linebrink is 1-3 with a blown save and a 4.97 ERA in 13 appearances.

Lucchino: Appealing to "Stupid" Fans is Good Business  —  There has been a gradual change at Fenway Park over the past few years.  It goes beyond the preponderance of pink hats: there are the outrageous actions of Manny Ramirez cutely being dismissed as "Manny Being Manny," …

O's yield 11 in 8th as skid reaches 7  —  The Orioles wandered into the danger zone again last night, clutching a slim lead like an overstuffed purse, the late innings their dark alley.  —  Teams usually try to win games at this juncture.  The Orioles try to avoid another mugging.