Mets should have slammed NL East door long ago  —  Fingers crossed, prayers muttered fast and furious, the Mets begin a critical series Thursday night against the Marlins, hoping to address two pressing questions:  —  Is the worst of their near-historic collapse over?  And, were they really as awful as they looked?

Running on empty  —  Lifeless Sox swept away by Blue Jays  —  TORONTO - Maybe if the Yankees weren't involved, it would be different.  Maybe, despite another mind-numbing Red Sox defeat, this one featuring a grand slam surrendered by Jonathan Papelbon in a 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays last night …

Astros to name Wade as new general manager  —  Former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ed Wade is the new general manager in Houston, sources said Thursday.  —  Wade was in Houston on Thursday.  Indications earlier in the day were that while club president Tal Smith apparently had recommended Wade …

Gulf Coast League Top 20 Prospects List  —  Subscribers can read scouting reports on all 20 players (Click here to subscribe)  —  The Rookie-level Gulf Coast League is always packed with tons of potential, but this season was difficult to gauge, especially from a numbers standpoint.

Twins' Hunter considers Rangers  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Rangers manager Ron Washington has a wish list of what he wants in the off-season.  —  There's no doubt about what's at the top of the list.  —  "I want a center fielder first," Washington said.  —  It just so happens the Rangers …

New patch to say 'Farewell' to Shea  —  The Mets are to wear this neat patch next season.  I love how it combines the original look of Shea with the orange and blue panels and the modern neon players.  —  Truth be told, the Mets have mixed success with special patches.

Eight managers on the hot seat … September is more than just a time for spine-tingling pennant race drama.  It's also a time for spine-tingling job preservation drama.  —  Our Rumblings and Grumblings Managerial Employment Status Division has counted eight managers whose jobs could be on the line this month.

Griffey leaves Reds game in 8th inning with injury  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Cincinnati Reds right fielder Ken Griffey Jr. had to leave Wednesday night's game against the Chicago Cubs in the eighth inning after straining his lower abdomen as he tried to make a throw to the infield.

McGwire has hand in Holliday's hitting  —  As part of Matt Holliday's transformation from all-star to leading National League MVP candidate, he received a little assist from Big Mac.  —  In August 2006, former Oakland and St. Louis great Mark McGwire visited Coors Field as a guest of former teammates Mike Gallego and Jamie Quirk.

Pirates Notebook: Chacon, Armas, Izturis unlikely to stay  —  SAN DIEGO — Many changes could come to the Pirates in the coming months, but only three seem certain: Shawn Chacon will try free agency, and Tony Armas and Cesar Izturis will not have club options exercised.

The value of a batted ball  —  Here at The Hardball Times, we like to talk about batted ball statistics.  We think they can be useful and illuminating and there's still a lot to that can be learned about player performance by looking at batted ball numbers.

...And Down the Stretch They Come!  —  The famous horse racing call is an appropriate description as Major League Baseball winds down its six-month regular season with four division titles and two wild cards still to be determined.  The postseason horses are on the board in the American League …