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.

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 …

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.

Notes: Outfielders bitten by injury bug  —  Bay to have MRI on Monday; Doumit sits with ankle problem  —  PITTSBURGH — It took Ryan Doumit 26 days of nursing a sprained wrist before he was able to see action in the field again.  The encouragement of feeling healthy, however, lasted just minutes.

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 …

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.

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?

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 …

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 …

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 …

Guthrie hurt in O's loss to Boston  —  RHP leaves game in 5th, likely out for the season; Orioles have lost 16 of 19  —  As soon as the last pitch that Orioles rookie Jeremy Guthrie will likely throw off a major league mound this season settled into the mitt of catcher Ramon Hernandez, Guthrie headed straight to the dugout.

Arizona 6, St. Louis 5  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona manager Bob Melvin walked to the mound with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday and didn't say a word to his closer.  —  "I didn't tell him anything," Melvin said of right-hander Jose Valverde.  "He didn't want to see me.  He's a pretty superstitious guy."

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.

Nationals 1B Young: "I've resurrected my life"  —  MIAMI GARDENS - Dmitri Young has resurrected more than his career in his All-Star season with the Washington Nationals.  —  "I've resurrected my life, man," said Young, a Broward County resident who returns to South Florida to play the Marlins in a three-game series beginning tonight.

Trachsel imperils his spot in rotation  —  PITTSBURGH — Manager Lou Piniella said after Sunday's loss that he didn't know whether he would start Steve Trachsel in his next scheduled slot Saturday in St. Louis.  —  "We have to think about this," Piniella said.  "I don't know what we're going to do.

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.

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.