White Sox ‘fire’ interim manager Joey Cora by text  —  White Sox coach Joey Cora, who was told on Monday that he'd be the interim manager for the final two games, was informed by a Ken Williams' text on Tuesday that he's no longer needed.  —  The strange end to the White Sox' 2011 season …

Parts of Suit Against Mets' Owners Are Dismissed  —  A federal judge awarded both sides a partial victory Tuesday in the $1 billion lawsuit brought against the owners of the Mets by the trustee for the victims of Bernard L. Madoff — allowing the suit to go forward, but limiting how much money …

Saltalamacchia out but ‘available’ for O's game  —  BALTIMORE — Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said he wanted to play Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles but his collarbone is still stiff, weak and sore, so manager Terry Francona decided to go with rookie Ryan Lavarnway behind …

September Collapse of Red Sox Could Be Worst Ever  —  After beating the Texas Rangers on Sept. 3, the Boston Red Sox were 84-54.  Although half a game behind the Yankees in the American League East, the Red Sox had a nine-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays for the wild card and roughly a 99.6 percent chance of making the playoffs.

Prince Fielder has 1st 3-HR game, Brewers top Pirates 6-4  —  MILWAUKEE - Prince Fielder hit three home runs in a game for the first time in his career, including a two-run shot in the seventh inning that lifted the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

A's acquire Kila Ka'aihue from Royals for Ethan Hollingsworth  —  Last week the Royals designated Kila Ka'aihue for assignment, removing him from the 40-man roster, and today they traded the 27-year-old first baseman to the A's for minor-league pitcher Ethan Hollingsworth.

Setback may keep Cervelli out for October  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli has suffered another concussion-related setback and is all but certain to sit out the American League Division Series, if not the entire postseason.  —  Cervelli traveled with the Yankees …

Game 161: Red Sox at Orioles  —  Here are the lineups:  —  RED SOX (89-71)  —  Ellsbury CF  —  Pedroia 2B  —  Ortiz DH  —  Lowrie 3B  —  Gonzalez 1B  —  Lavarnway C  —  McDonald RF  —  Crawford LF  —  Scutaro SS  —  Pitching: LHP Erik Bedard (5-9, 3.50)  —  ORIOLES (68-92)

Mets blocked Yankees from bringing minor league team to Newark for a season  —  This is a baseball story — but not about the universal baseball feeling for a community that we used to know.  It is also about Newark, the city where I was raised to love baseball and where the Yankees' Triple-A farm team …

Bryan Petersen's homer leads Marlins over Nats  —  MIAMI - Bryan Petersen homered with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and Javier Vazquez pitched a five-hitter as the Florida Marlins beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Tuesday night.  —  Petersen hit the first pitch from reliever Doug Slaten (0-2).

Q&A with Mets GM Alderson  —  The Mets dismissed Omar Minaya as their general manager on Oct. 4 of last year, and on Oct. 29, they hired Sandy Alderson to replace Minaya as the person responsible for their baseball operations.  —  Technically, therefore, Alderson has been on the job for only 11 months …

Kershaw looking forward to new contract  —  PHOENIX — Dodgers Cy Young candidate Clayton Kershaw is in line for a huge raise in his first year of arbitration eligibility, and he knows it.  —  “I've started to think about it,” said the winner of the National League pitching Triple Crown.

Mets Exercise Terry Collins' 2013 Option  —  The Mets have exercised Terry Collins' contract option for 2013, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).  The manager signed a two-year deal for 2011 and 2012 last November, but GM Sandy Alderson has been pleased enough …

Infante, Marlins reach agreement  —  MIAMI — For months, Omar Infante expressed how much he wanted to remain with the Marlins beyond this season.  —  Infante is about to get his wish.  —  According to a team source, the veteran second baseman and the team have reached an agreement on a two-year contract.

Making my awards picks (for now) … The ballots for the Baseball Writers Association of America major awards are due before the playoffs begin, which still leaves time to finalize the choices.  —  (Partial disclosure: I do have a vote for one of the awards, but will honor the request …

Rays continue wild card pursuit with win over Yankees  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist homered Tuesday night, helping the surging Tampa Bay Rays continue their improbable chase for the AL wild card with a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.