NY Yankees 12, Tampa Bay 4  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — George Steinbrenner moved to the front row of the owner's private suite, and the celebration was on.  —  The New York Yankees clinched their 13th straight postseason appearance, beating the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 12-4 Wednesday night …

Games of the Day  —  This afternoon's matchup between Brandon Webb and Paul Maholm appears to favor the Diamondbacks.  Not only is Webb the Arizona ace, but his ERA drops 0.3 runs on the road.  This means, of course, that the Rockies won't see Webb this weekend.

Mets stumbling toward finish line  —  Alou extends hit streak to 30, but Amazin's continue to reel  —  NEW YORK — Waves of worry washed over Shea Stadium on Wednesday night, when the Mets slipped closer to the once implausible.  Yet another loss to the Nationals had seriously imperiled their lead in the National League East.

KRIEGER: Early prediction was overly modest  —  LOS ANGELES - They say you should always get out in front of negative publicity, so let me say this before somebody else does:  —  I was wrong.  —  I was too negative.  —  I did not appreciate the kid Rocks sufficiently.

Closing encounter  —  Red Sox advance toward division title with victory  —  You don't need Matt Noyes after this steamy night in Fenway to tell you what lies ahead.  The forecast calls for champagne showers - perhaps as soon as tonight, with the probability of a drenching growing stronger every day between now and Sunday.

Good company: Phillips in 30-30 club  —  Reds fall to Astros as second baseman reaches elite plateau  —  CINCINNATI — Trying to become a first-time 30-30 player, the goal teased and taunted Brandon Phillips into frustration for two weeks.  —  On Wednesday, Phillips could breathe easy.

Anderson Takes a Cut at the Umpire Who Ejected Him  —  Marlon Anderson was optimistic after his hearing that his two-game suspension would be reduced, but said he left Major League Baseball's offices feeling "sick to my stomach" after reading the report filed by the umpire who ejected …

The All-NincompoOPS Team  —  In the past, I have unveiled my All-OOPs (Overrated Offensive Players) team at the conclusion of the season.  It was comprised of players who hit for a higher batting average than the league norm while putting up on-base percentages and slugging averages that were below the means.

Rumor: Twins Ace Santana To Dodgers  —  (CBS) Foxsports.com is reporting a trade rumor that would send former CY Young award winner Johan Santana to the Dodgers in a deal for OF Matt Kemp.  —  The Dodgers would also send pitching prospect Clayton Kershaw.  —  Kershaw is regarded as the top pitching prospect in baseball.

Brewers squander chance to gain ground  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Time is running out on the Milwaukee Brewers.  —  The Brewers wasted a chance to cut their NL Central deficit to one game, giving up a first-inning home run to Albert Pujols in a testy 7-3 loss Wednesday night to the St. Louis Cardinals …

Notes: Biggio to catch on Saturday  —  Veteran readies for backstop gig as career winds down  —  CINCINNATI — More than 15 years have passed since Craig Biggio suited up in a chest protector and shin guards, but on Wednesday, four hours before game time, the 20-year veteran seemingly stepped back in time.

Giants, not-so-happy Bonds prepare to enter a new era  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Bonds, baseball's all-time home run king, talks softly, his dark brown eyes smoldering in pain.  —  This makes no sense to him.  He had hoped to tell the San Francisco Giants when he was leaving, not the other way around.

Eight is more than enough  —  Familiar feeling arrives early for O's as Blue Jays blast Zambrano in record first inning  —  Even in this disaster of an Orioles season, it normally takes a couple innings, maybe half a game or more, before the evening's hope at Camden Yards disappears.