Yankees aim to sew up playoff berth in double-dip with Rays  —  The Sports Network  —  (Sports Network) - The New York Yankees try to secure their 16th postseason berth in the last 17 years today, when they play a day/night doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium.

Spinning Yarn  —  Removing the Mask  —  I Was Framed  —  Catchers play a central role in the game of baseball through their involvement with every pitch that their pitchers throw.  One of their key tasks is receiving borderline pitches without discouraging the umpire from calling strikes.

Transcript of Sandy Alderson's Interview on SNY  —  During the top of the third inning of the Mets' series-opener in St. Louis last night, Sandy Alderson joined Gary Cohen and Ron Darling in the SNY booth to talk about the organization's prospects, offseason plans, and potential changes to Citi Field.

Moneyball still relevant for MLB today  —  The night the San Francisco Giants won the World Series, one of the team's senior advisers, Tony Siegle, told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post, “we've shown Moneyball is a bunch of garbage.”  —  Not exactly.  —  The Giants, to an extent, were playing Moneyball, too.

Royals Designate Kila Ka'aihue For Assignment  —  It wasn't long ago that Kila Ka'aihue seemed like a promising piece of the Royals' future.  But the Hawaiian first baseman doesn't appear to fit into their long-term plans any more, despite the career minor league on-base percentage of .390 …

Andino's 3-Run Double Gives O's 7-5 Win Over Sox  —  BOSTON (AP) — Robert Andino's three-run double in the eighth inning gave the Baltimore Orioles a 7-5 win Tuesday night and ruined a chance for the Boston Red Sox to extend their two-game lead in the AL wild-card race.

Quade believes he will return to manage Cubs in 2012  —  Before the final home game of the season Wednesday, Chicago Cubs manager Mike Quade said he believes he will return in 2012.  —  “I haven't thought about, don't think about it, don't believe it,” Quade said when asked about this possibly …

Sources: A's manager Melvin getting 3-yr deal  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics have reached agreement on a three-year contract to keep Bob Melvin as their permanent manager, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

So those great 1990s Braves teams were doctoring baseballs?  Awesome!  —  Maybe this is fun, b.s. banter.  Maybe there's truth to it.  Maybe everyone did it.  Maybe only the Braves did.  But former Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone was on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio with Evan Cohen …

Cecil Doesn't Last Long as Angels Beat Blue Jays  —  TORONTO (AP) — Having waited 11 days between starts, Toronto left-hander Brett Cecil wasn't too happy when his night ended after only three innings.  —  Mark Trumbo hit a three-run homer, Vernon Wells added a solo shot …

Red Sox pitcher served papers by Yankees fan before start  —  BOSTON — Hours before taking the mound for the reeling Red Sox against the Orioles Tuesday night at Fenway Park, pitcher Erik Bedard was served with papers in a child support case, The Post has learned.

2011 Appalachian League Top 20 Prospects  —  Several Rookie-level Appalachian League prospects had high pedigrees in 2011.  A dozen players selected in the first two rounds of the last two drafts played enough to qualify for this prospect list and 10 cracked the Top 20, led by righthander Tyrell Jenkins of league champion Johnson City.

MRI coming for Phillies' Pence  —  When Hunter Pence(notes) showed up in the Philadelphia Phillies' clubhouse in late July after a trade with the Houston Astros, there had been lots of complaints around town about how awful the offense had been for the team.

Miami Marlins Logo Leaked  —  What you're looking at is one of the logos that will be for the new Miami Marlins when the club moves into its new stadium and begins play there in 2012.  The rename of “Miami” was part of the deal for public funding for the new stadium.

Dodgers' Kershaw beats Giants 2-1 for 20th win  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw impressed just about everybody except himself in becoming the Los Angeles Dodgers ' first 20-game winner in 21 years.  Fittingly, his accomplishment came against a team he has dominated this season.