David Wright's homer sparks MVP talk, backs Oliver Perez  —  Any concern about the Mets holding on in the NL East has subsided.  Now the Shea faithful wonder whether David Wright will be MVP.  —  Beginning a week in which the Braves and Phillies potentially make their last stands with visits to Shea …

GLAVINE:1 MORE YEAR  —  FUTURE HALL-OF-FAMER HAVING TOO MUCH'FUN' TO RETIRE NOW  —  THE Mets' pitching picture is a lot brighter with Pedro Martinez's return from shoulder surgery, but there is more positive news.  Tom Glavine wants to come back for a 22nd major-league season.

All for naught  —  Schilling shines but Sox can't solve Kazmir  —  It wasn't long before the "70," left cockeyed by a forceful meeting with Jacoby Ellsbury's back, was tucked back up into its place on the left-field wall.  Representing the number of losses Toronto had accrued …

Roger Clemens likely to return against Red Sox  —  Roger Clemens will rejoin the Yankees in Toronto today, taking another step toward a possible return this weekend at Fenway Park.  Clemens, who didn't return calls or e-mails from Joe Torre over the weekend, spoke with Brian Cashman yesterday …

PLAYOFFPROBLEM  —  NEW MLB RULE COULD HURT YANKS' HOPES  —  Of all the years for the Yankees not to finish with the best record in the AL, this is not the one.  —  Because while the team has taken control of its own regular-season destiny by opening a 31/2-game wild-card lead over the Tigers …

Pudge, Zumaya are injured  —  Catcher leaves with dizziness, while pitcher tears his fingernail  —  DETROIT — For a few precious games last weekend, the Tigers had their main contributors healthy for the first time all season.  That didn't last long.  —  On the same day the Tigers learned …

Peña, Hill Lift Nationals Further Out of the Cellar  —  Isolated howls or cheers occasionally sprang from the crowd before fading into all of those empty, plastic seats.  Individual clapping could be heard.  The organist, for the most part, didn't even bother to try to entertain.

Who Can Afford a 60-HR Man Next Season?  —  Some mysteries are no mystery at all.  Take the ongoing speculation over whether or not Alex Rodriguez will be a Yankee next year.  This is not, in fact, a mysterious issue.  It was clear in January that he would opt out of his current contract …

Can The Yankees Win The East?  —  The Yankees are 5 games out, 4 in the loss column.  Two weeks ago, that wouldn't be bad, but with the Yanks and Sox having only 36 remaining games combined, that's a massive deficit.  Even the Yankees' three games against Boston this weekend don't make things …

Andruw Jones and the Nationals  —  When we last considered the idea of the Nats signing Andruw Jones, it was April and he seemed in line for a six or seven year contract.  The idea of bringing in Andruw was to create some goodwill with the fans through some rebuilding years, a la the Gil Meche signing in Kansas City.

Cardinals keep battling through crises on, off field  —  PHOENIX — St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa tries writing out his lineup card, but his eyes wander to the newspaper clippings spread across his desk.  —  The longer he reads, the more he feels the fury building inside.

Rangers' Kinsler keeps his legs  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  It seems to happen every September.  Some rookie hotshot heads into the uncharted territory that extends beyond the minor league season and watches the air slowly but steadily leak out of a promising year.  —  It happened to Michael Young in 2001.