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?

Astros name Wade as new general manager … Former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ed Wade is the new general manager in Houston.  —  The Astros made the announcement offiial at a news conference Thuersday afternoon.  Wade emerged from an exhaustive search that lasted nearly a month and included 11 official interviews.

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 …

Padilla perplexing in Rangers' 4-2 loss  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  MINNEAPOLIS - Before Wednesday's start at Minnesota, which was probably his last of the season, Vicente Padilla promised Rangers manager Ron Washington he'd give a make-good performance and stick around as long as he possibly could.

Hairston is Mr. Clutch once again  —  Padres remain one game back of D-backs in NL West  —  SAN DIEGO — Of course, he looks.  It's September, a pennant race.  He can't help himself.  —  No matter where he stood on Wednesday at PETCO Park — the dugout, left field or at the plate …

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.

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.

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.

DELGADO GETS SET FOR RETURN  —  Carlos Delgado, out since Sept. 4 with a strained hip flexor, took to the batting cage at Dolphin Stadium today for a simulated game.  It's the final hurdle before he makes his return to the lineup, which he'll do at some point during this current series.

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.

Approach of Winter a Big Factor in Stadiums Race  —  As the Yankees and the Mets make their playoff stretch runs, the prospect of approaching winter has construction crews working full blast on the city's two new baseball stadiums.  —  Getting ahead on the interior construction of the Bronx …

RFK Is Full Of Concrete Memories  —  Sometime in the next four days, I'll go to 2400 East Capitol St. SE to say goodbye to RFK Stadium.  Don't know when it will be.  Don't know how I'll feel.  It's hard to believe that a big old beautiful dump of a park can be so much a part of your life.

Kapler wants a return  —  It's one and done for Greenville manager Gabe Kapler.  —  Kapler informed the Red Sox that he plans to leave his post with Boston's Single-A club in the hopes of resuming his playing career next season.  Kapler led Greenville to a 29-41 mark in his first professional foray into managing.