Yanks, Nova stymie Rays  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Ivan Nova pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning, Curtis Granderson drove in four runs and the New York Yankees moved within one win of a playoff berth by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 on Tuesday night.  —  Granderson hit a three-run double …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Holliday hits off a tee, but status remains uncertain  —  ST. LOUIS — Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday was cleared to take light swings off a batting tee this afternoon as general manager John Mozeliak said there is increased “optimism” about the slugger's availability at some point in the remaining week of the regular season.

Rivera congratulated by President of Panama  —  NEW YORK—When the phone rang this time for Mariano Rivera, it wasn't a call to the bullpen.  —  President Ricardo Martinelli of Panama called the New York Yankees closer to congratulate him on his record-setting save, a gesture that Rivera certainly appreciated.

Mike Carp has 5 hits, Mariners beat Twins 5-4  —  MINNEAPOLIS - From left field, Mike Carp looked around and saw fellow rookies at third base, shortstop, second base, and center field for the Seattle Mariners.  —  Alex Liddi, Kyle Seager, Dustin Ackley and Trayvon Robinson make up the promising future …

On the line  —  Making the playoffs is sometimes easy compared to setting a postseason rotation  —  A version of this story appears in the October 3 issue of ESPN The Magazine.  —  FOR MONTHS NOW, New York Yankees fans have been buzzing about October.  With the postseason clearly in reach …

Rockies' Jim Tracy will enter 2012 on last year of his contract, GM says  —  Rockies manager Jim Tracy will enter next season in the final year of his contract, and neither he, nor his boss, believe it's an issue.  —  “Jim is signed through next year, and we'd love to have him be manager here for much longer than that.

Nationals Sweep Phillies in Day-Night Doubleheader  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ross Detwiler outpitched Cliff Lee by tossing 7 1-3 impressive innings and the Washington Nationals beat the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 on Tuesday night to complete a sweep of their day-night doubleheader.

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.

Final Score: Cardinals 11 Mets 6  —  The New York Mets (73-81) were defeated by the St. Louis Cardinals (85-69) tonight by a score of 11-6.  —  For a complete box score and game recap, check out SNY.TV.  —  The Least You Should Know:  — Mike Pelfrey threw six innings and allowed five runs on ten hits, while striking out two.