NL could be in playoff tiebreakers until Thursday … If you think the National League standings are making you blind, it could easily get worse.  —  Try looking at the tie-breaker scenarios.  —  If five teams in the East and West finish the season with the same record …

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.

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.

Will Pirates take from main roster to finance development?  —  New GM says 2008 important to management, but players skeptical  —  Neal Huntington, the Pirates' new general manager, sent a shudder through the players' clubhouse when, in his introductory media session Tuesday, he uttered two R-words.

preGame: Mets vs. Cardinals  —  The Game  —  The first-place Mets (87-71) host a makeup game against the Cardinals (74-84) 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

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.

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.

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.

Skip Caray left off TBS' postseason lineup  —  Longtime broadcaster voices displeasure at decision  —  TBS named its broadcast lineup for the baseball playoffs this week, and Skip Caray was none too happy about being excluded.  —  "It hurt my feelings, and I'm mad at myself for thinking …

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 …

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.

CHARLEY WALTERS: Minnesota Gophers coach Tim Brewster hopes to keep state's best players at home  —  Gophers football coach Tim Brewster said Tuesday he "daydreams" about what a terrific football player Ohio State junior linebacker James Laurinaitis of Wayzata is.

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 …