Pedro Martinez's double off Roy Oswalt helps own cause  —  As much of a hit as Pedro Martinez's pitching was yesterday, his third-inning double - a one-hopper to the left-field wall off Roy Oswalt - garnered attention in the Mets' clubhouse, too.  —  "He's got a little late bat speed there," Willie Randolph said.

Ellsbury to show his range?  —  Ramírez's return will alter his role  —  All-Star third baseman Mike Lowell delivered Boston's first two runs with a line single to center in the third inning.  (JOE GIZA/REUTERS)  —  BALTIMORE - Rookie Jacoby Ellsbury's single in the fourth inning gave …

Brawny arguments for top NL rookies  —  Brewers third baseman's season could net him hardware  —  The Milwaukee Brewers had a difficult second half until recently, but no one could blame Ryan Braun.  —  The 23-year-old third baseman is enjoying the kind of rookie campaign …

Under The Knife  —  Glausgate  —  When Troy Glaus signed with the D'backs for four years and $45 million, he was actually taking a one-year pay cut.  He'd made $9 million in the last year of his deal with the Angels that had bought out his arbitration years, and although he'd been an All-Star …

Notes: Wright not used to time off  —  Entering Sunday, third baseman had started 139 of 141 games  —  NEW YORK — It was a good day to be off, someone told David Wright in the Mets clubhouse late Sunday morning.  Lots of relaxing.  Perhaps monitoring an NFL game or two?  —  Probably not, he said.

Duncan's season may be over  —  PHOENIX — Left fielder Chris Duncan's availability for the remainder of the season is in question after the Cardinals' lefthanded slugger on Saturday aggravated what the club described as a sports hernia.  —  Manager Tony La Russa ruled out Duncan …

Best and Worst MLB Splits, 1957-2006  —  There are some great water cooler conversations out there in baseball land: What are the best infields of all time?  Which squads did their best in clutch situations?  Which teams in baseball history improved the most as the season wore on?

Granderson steals way to elite class  —  Outfielder has at least 20 steals, homers, doubles and triples  —  DETROIT — Curtis Granderson made history yet again in the first inning of Sunday's game against the Mariners at Comerica Park.  —  Granderson stole his 20th base of the season …

BasketballProspectus.com Launches in October  —  Good early morning, all.  —  I am pleased to announce that we will be launching BasketballProspectus.com in the first half of October.  BasketballProspectus.com's initial focus will be on men's college basketball.

Gibbons received banned drugs  —  O's outfielder latest athlete tied to pipeline pharmacy  —  In the ever-widening Signature Pharmacy scandal, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons is the latest pro athlete tied to an alleged illegal internet drug distribution network.

Nats Receive Contributions From All Around  —  Jimenez's Three Hits, Church's 3-Run HR Help Club Rebound: Nationals 7, Braves 4  —  With a pair of forgettable games immediately behind them, the Washington Nationals tried to right things Sunday by inserting a leadoff hitter with a .154 average …

Tigers likely to shut down Bonderman  —  Leyland unsure about righty's season as troubles continue  —  DETROIT — The question has been lingering for a while now: Is Jeremy Bonderman completely healthy?  —  The answer came with a resounding "no" after a disastrous 1 1/3 innings in Sunday's 14-7 loss to the Mariners.

Derek Jeter reluctantly takes the day off  —  KANSAS CITY - Derek Jeter tried to talk his way into the lineup yesterday, but Joe Torre wasn't going to budge from his plan.  —  The Yankees came away with a win despite the absence of their captain, but Jeter will be back in the lineup tomorrow night …

Nats drop one they'd rather forget  —  Defense charged with eight errors over last two games  —  ATLANTA — The Nationals played sloppy baseball for the second consecutive game, and it cost them, as they lost to the Braves, 9-2, at Turner Field on Saturday night.  —  It was almost a repeat of Friday's game.

Dumatrait's rough outing dooms Reds  —  Righty exits game after five batters having recorded no outs  —  CINCINNATI — Reds pitchers were pounded into submission Sunday by the Brewers, who, in the process, kicked in the door to first place in the National League Central.