Yanks clinch 13th straight playoff berth  —  Seven-run fifth against Rays helps secure October appearance  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Celebrate!  The Yankees popped the corks and sprayed some bubbly on Wednesday, clinching their 13th consecutive postseason appearance with a 12-4 victory over the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field.

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.

Armas Plugs the Leak  —  Tony Armas pitches the third for the Pirates and retires the side in order.  Arizona should try to get through the next two innings as fast as possible so this game is official.  Armas threw 19 pitches in that inning, so the DBacks aren't trying to put the ball in play early.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.