Girardi's decision to leave Burnett on mound backfires for Yankees  —  Tweet  —  One important decision was removed for manager Joe Girardi yesterday — but not the one the Yankees needed.  —  He will not have a chance to be considered to manage the Cubs, who instead of waiting …

Charlie needs to shake up Phillies lineup now  —  For the 12th time in a tease of a baseball season, the Phillies were shut out Tuesday, rapping three singles, never approaching third base, never threatening to win Game 3 of the NLCS.  —  They were flimsy at the top of their order, soft in the middle, broken at the end.

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira likely out for remainder of postseason with hamstring strain  —  With their season teetering on the brink of oblivion, the Yankees' long-shot odds of rallying from a 3-1 deficit got a little longer when Mark Teixeira likely went down for the remainder …

Lee's Price Climbs Ever Higher  —  How the Luxury Tax Could Price the Yankees Out of the Market for the Rangers Ace in the Offseason  —  It was a testament to how well Cliff Lee pitched Monday in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series—eight shutout innings, two hits, 13 strikeouts …

Contrite Francisco Rodriguez settles grievance vs. New York Mets  —  NEW YORK — Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez's confrontation with his girlfriend's father at Citi Field on Aug. 11 proved costly.  —  Rodriguez officially agreed Tuesday to forfeit $3.14 million in salary already withheld by the organization.

Pat Listach will interview for Milwaukee Brewers manager job today  —  Nationals third base coach Pat Listach flew to Milwaukee today to interview for the Brewers' vacant managerial job.  The Nationals intend to bring back their entire coaching staff, but they granted the Brewers permission to speak with Listach.

Braves release Cabrera, Saito … ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves released outfielder Melky Cabrera in a curious decision Tuesday and also let go of right-hander Takashi Saito.  —  The 26-year-old Cabrera hit .255 with four homers and 42 RBIs and started in 115 games during the regular season …

Padres' Gonzalez to undergo shoulder surgery  —  Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is scheduled to undergo surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday in New York, general manager Jed Hoyer said.  —  Hoyer on Tuesday described the procedure as a labrum “clean up” and that Gonzalez opted …

Nats sign Rizzo to five-year extension  —  GM receives promotion to executive VP of baseball operations  —  NEW YORK — The Nationals promoted general manager Mike Rizzo to executive vice president of baseball operations and GM and signed him to a five-year contract extension on Tuesday.

Memory of Adenhart lives with O'Day  —  Rangers reliever continues to pay tribute to his fallen friend and former teammate  —  NEW YORK — Texas Rangers right-handed reliever Darren O'Day threw only 66 pitches in a New York Mets uniform, yet the experience is ingrained in his memory for a tragic reason.

La Russa returns with “fire”, ready with some answers  —  ST. LOUIS - With fuel in his tank and playoff games on the radio, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said he realized “the fire was still in the gut” during his cross-country trip home.  —  He knew then he wanted to manage the Cardinals.

Red Sox eye shorter Fenway Park right field for bullpen upgrade  —  There will be big changes to the Red Sox [team stats] bullpen next year, but not necessarily the kind Boston fans are counting on.  —  The team is seeking approval from the Boston Landmarks Commission to widen Fenway Park …

Rangers' Hamilton hits two homers, quotes ‘Anchorman’ movie  —  already weren't performing like the coolest guy in the playoffs (aside from Cliff Lee  —  ), he went and quoted “Anchorman” in a postgame interview Tuesday night.  —  Hamilton hit two more homers in Game 4 of the ALCS …

Ted Lilly finalizes Dodgers deal  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers finalized a three-year, $33 million agreement with Ted Lilly on Tuesday after the veteran left-hander passed a physical examination.  —  The deal ensures that at least three of the team's starting pitchers from 2010 will be back in the rotation in 2011.

Sources: Alex Rodriguez target of man  —  The man who ran onto the Yankee Stadium field Monday during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series between the Yankees and Rangers intended to confront Alex Rodriguez, according to multiple sources.  —  The man told police he wanted …

Sweet Spot  —  A.J. Burnett came very close to hitting the sweet spot for Bengie Molina when he was trying to work out of a jam in the sixth inning Tuesday night.  The following heat map shows Bengie's slugging percentage by pitch location, with the white circle the location of Burnett's pitch:

Minor League Transactions: Oct. 10-17  —  Released: RHP Erik Crichton, C Tyson Kendrick, 2B Chris Sedon, OF Londell Taylor  —  A 49th-rounder in June, Tyson Kendrick was the first-ever draft pick from Tabor (Kan.) College.  With short-season Connecticut after signing, he got into 12 games as a backup catcher and 5-for-20.

Jays eliminate four from list of potential managers  —  TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have started paring down their list of managerial candidates, with Rob Thomson and Dave Martinez among those told they are out of the running.  —  Internal applicants Luis Rivera, the manager at double-A New Hampshire …