Rocket sputters: Clemens to have MRI on elbow  —  NEW YORK — Roger Clemens got banged up by the Seattle Mariners, and then quickly left the clubhouse after the Yankees' 7-1 loss on Monday to get an MRI exam on his balky right elbow.  —  The 45-year-old Clemens, who allowed five runs …

preGame: Mets at Reds (Game One)  —  The Game:  —  The first-place Mets (76-60) welcome Pedro Martinez back into the fold as they kick off a three-game series against the Reds (62-75) this afternoon at Great American Ballpark, starting at 1:05 pm EDT.  —  The Lineup:

Loaiza, Dodgers rip Zambrano, Cubs 11-3  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Zambrano heard the boos from the Wrigley Field faithful and pointed to his head.  Esteban Loaiza had just gotten the Los Angeles Dodgers off to a win in his first try, while Zambrano remained winless for more than a month.

Indians beat Santana for 5th time in '07  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — If the Cleveland Indians avoid a colossal collapse and finish with the AL Central title at the end of this month, they can count their mastery of Johan Santana and the Minnesota Twins as one of the reasons for the success.

Flat-out good  —  Youngsters again are crucial to a Red Sox victory  —  You can't really call them the Cardiac Kids.  If anything, the young players the Red Sox have brought up have kept the heartbeats of management fairly steady.  When you dip into the farm for reinforcements to fill …

Padres take lead in NL West race  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  PHOENIX (AP) - Greg Maddux no longer has to explain his drought in the desert.  —  The future Hall of Famer won for the first time in Phoenix and extended his streak without a walk to 49 1/3 innings over seven starts in leading …

Stretch Run  —  The dog days are behind us and we enter the stretch run.  The Yanks, as we all suspected, didn't and won't go away.  The kid twirls a no no and the rest of the kids contributed yesterday to another big win.  There are a few questions posed earlier I am planning to answer this week.

How low can they go?  —  Orioles don't simply lose, but invent ways to look bad  —  When the Orioles were no-hit by Clay Buchholz on Saturday night, it was the first time since 1991 that a pitcher had thrown a no-hitter in one of his first two major league starts.

Joe Torre might want to return for 13th season as Yankee manager  —  Less than two months after telling the Daily News that this has been his toughest year as Yankees manager, Joe Torre sounded like a man in no hurry to leave town.  —  Asked yesterday if he hopes to return for a 13th season in pinstripes …

David Ortiz Raps!  —  In addition to being a premier MLB slugger, David Ortiz has now added reggaeton star to his resume.  Check out this video of Big Papi rocking the mic like he's Gza's next rhyming hero, compliments of You Been Blinded.  —  Much like the video of Auburn fans screaming …

AL Rookie of the Year: First impressions  —  Terry Francona, employing the diplomacy of a seasoned politician, sidestepped the question.  —  Who, it was posed to the Boston Red Sox manager, should be the American League Rookie of the Year?  —  "At some point, it'll be fun to talk about," Francona said.

Zimmerman Plays Nats' Hero — Again  —  When Ryan Zimmerman steps to the plate at RFK Stadium with the chance to win a ballgame, he slows everything down, because the moment is different and there's no point denying it.  He goes through his routine in the batter's box.  He steps out.

Lower Bonds rating?  Barry in lineup less often  —  SAN FRANCISCO — With four weeks left in the season and the Giants hopelessly out of contention, Barry Bonds is seeing his name on the lineup card less and less frequently.  —  That has led to the inevitable speculation: Is the Bonds era winding down?