Ump in Bradley flap suspended  —  Umpire Winters Suspended for the Season  —  NEW YORK — Umpire Mike Winters was suspended by Major League Baseball for the remainder of the regular season on Wednesday because of his confrontation with San Diego's Milton Bradley last weekend.

Darling, Hernandez give Mets best broadcast team in baseball  —  He came along right out of a dream — the tall, dashing, well-spoken former New York Mets right-hander with the Yale education and 136 major league victories under his belt.  Ron Darling had even been something of a movie star …

Lowell paces suddenly Red hot Sox  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  BOSTON (AP) - Mike Lowell drove in five runs to lead Boston's revived hitting attack and the Red Sox cut their magic number to clinch the AL East title to two with an 11-6 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.

Alou's hit streak has veteran thinking  —  Mets left fielder says he's leaning toward coming back in 2008  —  NEW YORK — In the midst of a month that's seen Moises Alou all but redefine the scope of what's possible at the age of 41, the Mets left fielder said on Wednesday that he'd like to do it again — at the age of 42.

Arizona drops 3rd straight, 5-1 to Bucs  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks are running into major difficulty in the most unlikely of places.  —  Adam LaRoche drove in three runs with a pair of doubles and Matt Morris pitched effectively over seven innings as the Pirates beat Arizona …

Cubs drop 2nd straight to Marlins, 7-4  —  MIAMI (AP) — Panic, Cubs fans.  —  The Cubs' grip on the NL Central lead became shaky Wednesday night, when they were shut out over the final 5 2-3 innings and lost for the second night in a row to the last-place Florida Marlins, 7-4.

Albert Pujols sets power-numbers record  —  St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols homered in Wednesday's game in Milwaukee, making him the first player to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs in each of his first seven major-league seasons.  —  Pujols, 27, returned from a five …

Geffner: Lo Duca speaks truth about Mets' late-season woes  —  Paul Lo Duca, right, seen here on Sunday, may not return next season because he's had the guts to talk about the Mets' struggles.AP  —  Say all the horrible things you want about Paul Lo Duca and that notorious temper …

Late & Great  —  Summer's over, but the heat's being turned up on some of the game's biggest stars as they take the October stage.  Jonathan Papelbon's reply: Bring It  —  Spring training is a good reason why starting pitchers tend to boast the lowest golf handicaps in baseball.

Lohse pitches Phillies past Braves 5-2  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kyle Lohse gave the Phillies something they've sorely lacked down the stretch.  —  Lohse pitched seven strong innings, and Philadelphia improved its playoff hopes with a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night.

After a Lesson in Hitting, Reyes Passes the First Test  —  In a batting cage under the stands at Shea Stadium, José Reyes tried to resurrect his swing, rescue his season and help make sure the Mets reach the postseason.  Four hours before the Mets played Washington last night …

Tune-ups and Shut-downs  —  Hobbes said that, "between true science and erroneous doctrines, ignorance lies in the middle."  For someone so often accused of arrogance, I say 'I don't know' more than anyone other than Alberto Gonzalez, and I'm proud of this ignorance.

preGame: Mets vs. Nationals (Game 3)  —  The Game  —  The first-place Mets (87-70) look to salvage one vs. the Nationals (71-87) this evening at Shea Stadium, starting at 7:10 pm EDT.  —  The Lineup  — SS Jose Reyes  — 2B Luis Castillo  — 3B David Wright  — CF Carlos Beltran

Brantley says Jays gave him a 'bad deal'  —  BALTIMORE - Mickey Brantley has already been told he is finished as the Blue Jays' hitting coach.  He says he is taking the fall for injuries that crippled the team's offence.  —  "We've had a ton of injuries," he said.  "I can't fix broken hands.

The Big Picture  —  Farewell  —  The end of the regular season brings an end to The Big Picture, as I'll be departing for the Sporting News to do a weekly column at their site.  I want to thank everyone at Baseball Prospectus for the opportunity to contribute to this fine publication.

Massive Tie Scenario  —  The Colorado Rockies held on to defeat the Dodgers last night 9-7.  Each team scored in each of the last four half innings, but the Rockies won that mini-game, too, 3-2.  Colorado gains on every team except the Padres, who won on a Giles home in the ninth inning.