How the Wild Card race got interesting  —  After a long regular season with the best teams separating themselves from the rest of their respective leagues, the September Wild Card races have gotten too interesting for fans of the Red Sox Nation.  Tampa Bay swept the Red Sox with relative ease …

Mets passed on 9/11 hats in part due to loan: source  —  Mets on Twitter  —  A red-faced Bud Selig called the Mets on Sunday night, the commissioner of baseball irate that the organization had thrown his office “under the bus” in divulging MLB was responsible for the decision that banned players …

Plenty of debate about baseball saves milestone, what it says about Mariano Rivera, modern relievers  —  No one doubts the greatness of Mariano Rivera.  His resume of shattered bats and unmatched postseason record lays waste to any debate.  —  But what exactly will it mean to become …

Reds' Francisco clears Cincy bleachers with 502-foot home run  —  Cincinnati Reds youngster Juan Francisco(notes) hit a home run over the moon Monday night.  The “moon deck,” that is, at Great American Ball Park.  —  Just because the NFL ended its lockout doesn't mean sports fans need only to look there for raw power.

Cano, Teixeira power Yankees past Mariners 9-3  —  SEATTLE—Robinson Cano hit a three-run double, Mark Teixeira and Chris Dickerson homered and the New York Yankees rolled past Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners 9-3 Monday night.  —  Phil Hughes pitched six strong innings to help …

Saunders pitches Diamondbacks past Dodgers 7-2  —  LOS ANGELES—Gerardo Parra tied a career high with four RBIs to back seven strong innings by Joe Saunders and the Arizona Diamondbacks rode a five-run sixth inning to a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night …

Seamheads.com Launches Negro Leagues Database Powered by The Baseball Gauge  —  Welcome to the Seamheads.com Negro Leagues Database, powered by The Baseball Gauge.  We are creating the first comprehensive statistical encyclopedia of the great black baseball teams and leagues that operated behind …

Pirates Rally in 8th to Stun Cardinals, 6-5  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pedro Ciriaco hit a tiebreaking double to cap a three-run rally in the eighth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates stunned St. Louis 6-5 on Monday night, damaging the Cardinals' playoff chances.

Lee's HR Leads Astros Over Phillies, 5-1  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Carlos Lee hit a two-run homer off former teammate Roy Oswalt and the Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 on Monday night.  —  Despite the loss, Philadelphia's magic number for gaining at least a wild-card playoff spot dropped …

Jonathan Broxton done for season  —  LOS ANGELES — Although it had become increasingly clear in recent weeks, it became official on Monday that erstwhile Los Angeles Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton won't return this season, a fact that could mean he has pitched his last game for the team …

Cubs' Ramirez wants more than one-year deal  —  CINCINNATI — Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez, the team's top run producer this season, said he's looking for more next year than the one-year, $16 million player/team option that remains on his contract.

Stanton's pinch-hit single in 12th lifts Marlins past Braves  —  ATLANTA — Mike Stanton's pinch-hit single in the 12th inning drove in the go-ahead run and the Florida Marlins beat Atlanta 5-4 on Monday night to extend the Braves' slump.  —  The Braves, coming off a 2-6 road trip, have lost four straight and nine of 12.

Manny Ramirez — Arrested For Domestic Violence in Florida  —  Former World Series MVP Manny Ramirez has been arrested for allegedly committing domestic violence ... TMZ has learned.  —  Witnesses tell TMZ Ramirez was taken out of his Weston, Florida home at around 7 PM ET in handcuffs.

“Wonderfully improbable,” and other thoughts from principal owner Stu Sternberg  —  Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg was at the game, and answered questions about a variety of subjects during a more than 20-minute chat with reporters.  Here are some excerpts:

Giants Hit 3 Home Runs, Top Padres 8-3  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Giants outfielder Cody Ross wants his teammates to openly talk about making the playoffs, even if the defending World Series champions still have a lot of ground to make up.  —  At least now San Francisco has an offense to back up Ross' confidence.