1. The final week is coming down to New York outmaneuvering Boston on in-season moves. Without Shawn Chacon, who was terrific again Wednesday against Baltimore, the Yankees easily are a distant second in the AL East. The Yankees now are 9-3 in Chacon's 12 starts, and he's allowed only one run in his past 22 2/3 innings pitched over three starts. Things change dramatically every day in this playoff scramble but, until we see what happens Thursday night, Chacon, whom the Yankees acquired from Colorado, and outfielder Matt Lawton, whom they picked up from the Chicago Cubs, are looking like the difference.

2. Alex Rodriguez's clutch home run in the 2-1 win over Baltimore is one big reason no judgment on the AL MVP race should be delivered until the final out has been made in the regular season. I like Boston's David Ortiz more than I've liked any DH in a long time. But if A-Rod continues his clutch hitting and knocks in a couple of game-winning RBI this weekend against Boston, forget it. It's A-Rod's.

3. Boston pitching is leaking more than the Nixon White House, with Bronson Arroyo unable to handle Toronto, Curt Schilling still trying to find it and Mike Timlin shaky at the end of games. Matt Clement has been terrible in two of his past three starts, the Red Sox don't know what they're going to get from David Wells from start-to-start ... one major-league scout joked before Tuesday's doubleheader that the Red Sox should consider starting knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in both games of the doubleheader, and if things don't change, the Sox may seriously need to look at how much they can ride him over the final weekend.

4. The lesson learned from Cleveland: Tampa Bay's Seth McClung can pitch. With a mid-90s fastball, a sharp curve and Tommy John ligament transfer surgery behind him, a whole lot of scouts like him.

5. Watching Ben Broussard belt a leadoff double in the eighth with the Indians down 1-0 and then become stranded there, it's difficult not to believe that the Indians are running out of magic.

6. As San Diego celebrates its first NL West title since 1998, the champagne smell may be short-lived. Catcher Ramon Hernandez and outfielder Brian Giles, San Diego's two most valuable players, are free agents this winter and the Padres certainly won't be able to afford both. In fact, many in the industry figure the Padres will lose both. Hernandez's swing has returned with stunning swiftness since he came back from wrist surgery earlier this month -- he has 20 RBI in September -- and he will be the most sought-after catcher on the free agent market this winter. Meanwhile, the Cubs, among others, are said to be interested in Giles.

7. Morgan Ensberg is the key to the playoffs for Houston, assuming the Astros get the pitching they expect (and assuming they hold off Philadelphia for the wild-card slot). Meanwhile, here's a question: If the Astros had any idea that Willy Taveras could produce anywhere close to what he's doing center field, why would they have wasted their time negotiating with Carlos Beltran last winter? Why not just plan on paying Taveras the $316,000 he's making and use the Beltran money elsewhere?

8. Jose Contreras for Game 1 starter for the Chicago White Sox, anyone? The guy has won eight consecutive starts, and Wednesday's win in Detroit was the most important yet. One more win and the White Sox clinch a playoff berth.

9. Yes, all of these wild-card possibilities have been terrific and thrilling, but don't sip too much from the Kool-Aid cup about the playing field becoming more level economically. After all of these playoff possibilities, if the Yankees and Red Sox hold off Cleveland, then why would six of the eight playoff teams from last year be there again this fall?

1. Between Tim Wakefield's knuckler and the afternoon Fenway Park shadows, Toronto didn't have a chance in the opener of Tuesday's doubleheader. What a wicked combination. Even Wakefield himself never knows where his knuckleball is going to go, but he had his "A" pitch all the way.

2. If Curt Schilling is anywhere close to the Curt Schilling Boston has come to know and love, no way even a lineup as talented as Toronto's is able to adjust from the knuckleball to Schilling's heater on the same day within the span of a couple of hours. That Schilling allowed five runs and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings tells me that he's still not even close to where he would like to be in his comeback from ankle surgery.

3. You know those nightmares come every so often, the ones where you're running after something and you can never catch up to it? That's going to be David Bell's winter. Normally very sound fundamentally, Bell suffered a complete breakdown in deciding to attempt to take third on Shane Victorino's two-out single with the Phillies trailing the Mets 3-2. The worst part of it was, it took the bat out of the hands of Philadelphia's hottest hitter, Jimmy Rollins -- he of the 32-game hitting streak.

4. Quick quiz: The following names appeared in, A.) A crucial late September game for the Yankees or, B.) The registry at the Motel 6 in Dubuque, Iowa: Felix Rodriguez, Wayne Franklin, Scott Proctor, Alan Embree, Tanyan Sturtze and Jorge DePaula.

5. How excruciating was Cleveland's night? Tampa Bay decks them, and then the Indians sit and watch the final results creep in: First the White Sox ... lose by one run in Detroit. Then the Red Sox ... lose ... by two runs, the nightcap of their doubleheader. Then the Yankees ... watch their pitching staff go up in flames. The night's winner: The White Sox, who maintain their two game lead over Cleveland and have a two-game advantage over both Boston and the Yankees in the wild-card standings.

6. Roy Oswalt outduels St. Louis' Matt Morris, and with Philadelphia's loss, Houston now is in terrific shape. The Astros have a 2½-game lead in the wild-card standings and, after finishing a two-game series with the Cardinals on Wednesday, they have Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and Oswalt lined up for the final three games of a season-ending four-game series vs. the Cubs.

7. Congratulations to Atlanta on clinching its 14th consecutive division crown. Don't start ripping the Braves and telling me that they've only won one World Series during that time. What GM John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox have done there is remarkable, and we likely will not see another run like it in our lifetimes.

8. Biggest letdown series of the week: Los Angeles and Oakland. A week ago I was scheduled to travel to Oakland and cover the Angels-A's AL West shootout. Then the Angels opened a four-game lead, and we bagged the trip (unless Oakland won the first two games of this series we were going to cover the final two games). Then, the Angels clinched the division in Game 2 of the series. Oakland had a remarkable year, but losing Rich Harden was simply too much to handle.

9. The Angels have been resilient all season, and it starts at the top with manager Mike Scioscia and his talented coaching staff: pitching coach Bud Black, hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, bench coach Joe Maddon, first-base coach Alfredo Griffin, third-base coach Ron Roenicke and bullpen coach Orlando Mercado. In Maddon and Black, there could be at least two future managers on this staff.

10. San Francisco manager Felipe Alou has decided to start ace Jason Schmidt on Wednesday as the Giants' season comes down to nine more innings. But the real story in Giants Land is the inability of Brett Tomko to hold two leads in a must-have game Tuesday night. Hard to imagine the Giants getting a better chance than 3-0 and 5-3 leads that they couldn't hold.

1. It rains in the East, and you have to wonder whether the baseball gods are preparing an answer to all that crowing in Boston last year about breaking the curse. Things are not stacking up well for the Red Sox this week: Not only were the Yankees not rained out in Baltimore on Monday, they played and won, taking a half-game lead over Boston and putting more heat on the Red Sox. Meanwhile, Boston must play a doubleheader Tuesday with Toronto -- and no contenders want doubleheaders at this time of year because it is so difficult to win two games in one day. Plus, the Yankees have an easier task this week against a wrecked Baltimore club than Boston does against dangerous Toronto. More and more, it isn't difficult to see the Yankees taking a one-game lead into the weekend's final series in Fenway Park.

2. So much for that Randy Johnson-Curt Schilling matchup scheduled for Saturday at Fenway. Johnson's start against Baltimore went off as scheduled Monday; Schilling's was pushed back to Tuesday against the Blue Jays. That sets Schilling up to pitch the season finale Sunday in Boston.

3. Yes, it looks like the Chicago White Sox will get into October. But their loss in Detroit, with Cliff Politte serving up the walk-off home run to Curtis Granderson, does not bode well for the Sox in the playoffs, when bullpens are more important than ever. Politte, Neal Cotts, Bobby Jenks and Dustin Hermanson are not exactly the second coming of Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera ... or even San Diego's trio of Scott Linebrink, Akinori Otsuka and Trevor Hoffman.

4. The Padres were concerned enough over leadoff man Dave Roberts' strained quadriceps that they sent him for an MRI. It revealed a small tear, but doctors have told him he should be able to play beginning on Thursday. Roberts and the Padres are hoping the club has clinched by then so that Roberts can break back in slowly this weekend for a pre-playoffs tuneup.

5. Definition of a money player: Jimmy Rollins and his 31-game hitting streak in Philadelphia. Rollins is threatening to carry the Phils right into the postseason. What a run for one of the game's true good guys. Unless Ugueth Urbina and the bullpen carry them out first.

6. Houston has better pitching than the Phillies, but the schedule has broken in Philadelphia's favor this week. They close with a Mets team that has all but packed it in for the season and with a Washington team that is heading down that same path. The Astros, meanwhile, still have two difficult games with St. Louis on Tuesday and Wednesday before closing with a four game set against the mistake-prone Chicago Cubs this weekend. Roy Oswalt vs. Matt Morris on Tuesday night could be a classic.

7. And a big welcome back to the land of the living to Steve Finley. Following up a three-run homer on Saturday, Finley crashed a two-run shot in the fourth against Joey Blanton in the key series opener against Oakland on Monday. If Old Man Finley has regained his touch after a miserable debut season in Anaheim, the Angels immediately become a different -- and much stronger - team.

1. From the desert to your front door: If the Red Sox and Yankees land in one final smackdown this weekend, and every indication is that they will, how about this for Saturday's pitching matchup in Fenway Park: The Yanks' Randy Johnson against Boston's Curt Schilling in a 2001 Diamondbacks' special.

2. As if the sub-.500, NL West-leading San Diego Padres (77-78) could stand to be weakened further, leadoff man Dave Roberts suffered a strained thigh muscle Saturday night in Arizona and is not expected to be 100 percent for the first round of the playoffs. Here is the problem: The Padres are 56-45 with Roberts in the starting lineup, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, and 21-33 when he is not in the starting lineup. He adds an element of speed that the otherwise mostly slow-footed Padres miss, particularly when playing at home in spacious Petco Park.

3. Do you get the feeling that Sunday wasn't the final home game in Yankee Stadium of Bernie Williams' career? And I'm talking about this year, not whether the Yankees decide to bring him back in 2006.

4. Though he didn't pitch particularly well Sunday, surrendering three runs in five innings against Florida, there is this about Atlanta right-hander Jorge Sosa: Even after Sunday's no-decision, Sosa is 4-0 in September, the rest of the Braves' rotation is a combined 4-5.

5. A.J. Burnett's postgame comments Sunday were the mark of a loser. If I'm a team looking for starting pitching on the free-agent market this winter, I keep a strong restraint on my checkbook with him. One NL scout said at the July trade deadline that he has the best arm on the market but he isn't the best pitcher, and Burnett has proven that down the stretch. He can talk all he wants about how depressing it is around the Marlins clubhouse, and how nobody is around for a pat on the back, but it is an atmosphere he helped create -- particularly by issuing two bases-loaded walks to help lose a key game to Houston last week.

6. The Padres refuse to seize opportunities and put the NL West away, and now, with their magic number at four, they open a huge four-game series at home with San Francisco on Monday night. The early games in the series are vital for the Padres because they've got their top two starters, Jake Peavy and Adam Eaton, set to go in the first two games (against Brad Hennessey and Jason Schmidt .)

7. Seven games left, the best the Padres can finish is 84-78 if they run the table and go 7-0. We bring this up as a point of comparison for baseball's worst-ever record by a division champion, the 1973 New York Mets' 82-79. The final race is on.

8. With one fascinating week on deck in the Red Sox-Yankees sprint, all of you who predicted that, heading into October, Jonathan Papelbon, Craig Hensen and Manny Delcarmen would be key parts of Boston's bullpen and Chien-Ming Wang and Aaron Small would play vital roles in the Yankees' rotation, step forward. Didn't think so.

1. Not that the Chicago White Sox desperately needed a win Friday night, but crazy manager Ozzie Guillen was so relieved at game's end that he didn't even work on his letter of resignation.

2. The Phony may have unwittingly butted into the playoff chase after ratting out Miguel Tejada in the steroid testimony. Yes, the day after public disclosure that Rafael Palmeiro told the arbitration panel that he obtained Vitamin B-12 from Tejada, the Orioles' normally steady shortstop booted a Manny Ramirez ground ball in the fifth inning that helped turn a 3-1 Baltimore lead into a 6-3 Boston win. There never will be any proof, but the Palmeiro accusation -- and, possibly, his own guilty conscience? -- might have been the co-conspirator in the key error that helped give the Red Sox a huge win.

3. The sense of urgency now is such that it is survival on a nightly basis. Contenders are scratching and clawing as soon as they step on the field, and Exhibit A is Friday's scoreboard: Philadelphia scored three runs in the first, the Yankees scored four, the Chicago White Sox scored three and Boston and Florida scored one apiece.

4. If you're the Astros, watching Wandy Rodriguez give up five runs in four innings and losing to the Cubs is a whole lot easier to take when you have Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Roy Oswalt lined up for the next three games. In a perfect world, that is. Reality: Clemens was scratched from Saturday's start with a sore hamstring, Phil Garner will patch together the Astros pitching and hand the ball to Ezequiel Astacio in place of Clemens and Philadelphia's David Bell jacked a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth to beat Cincinnati on Friday. Uh-oh.

5. So with Houston clinging to a one-game lead in the NL wild-card race, the Astros will go with Astacio on Saturday and Philadelphia will start rookie Eude Brito against Cincinnati's Eric Milton. And the kids shall lead them....

6. Three runs in the first inning is just what the doctor ordered for the Chicago White Sox. Jermaine Dye gave them exactly what they needed: Early breathing room, early confidence and early momentum. The Sox are fourth in the AL in homers and have scored 41 percent of their runs this season on homers. Jose Contreras's complete game saved a dying bullpen that has to find a way not to depend so much on Bobby Jenks, too.

7. Definition of a perfect start to your penultimate weekend of the season: A complete-game shutout. The Yankees should give Shawn Chacon an immediate pay raise after everything he's done for them. And Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright -- all of whom have pitched under expectation -- should kick into the kitty.

8. Toughest question in the game at this point might be this: Who would you take right now, Atlanta rookie Jeff Francouer or Philadelphia rookie Ryan Howard? Another homer for Howard, his 20th -- which leads all major-league rookies. And 11 of those homers have either tied the game or given the Phillies the lead. The Phils are 14-6 in games in which Howard has homered this season.

9. It's about time to start including Cleveland's Travis Hafner in these AL MVP discussions that are centering on Boston's David Ortiz and the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, isn't it? Hafner blasted another homer -- in the win against Kansas City -- and has gone deep in six consecutive games. Talk about putting your team on your back and carrying it. ...

10. Florida: Three one-run losses on its current trip and not enough of Dontrelle Willis' bat in the lineup.

11. Here's what you DON'T want if you're headed for the playoffs: Even your own manager admitting that the team's base running is "horrible." But that's how Padres skipper Bruce Bochy is describing things in San Diego right now.

1. Johnny Damon has an ailing shoulder, Curt Schilling still isn't right, it's always something with David Wells (this time, a sore knee that is leaving his dependability in question), Matt Clement has disappeared in his past two starts, the Boston bullpen can't break the glass to get to the fire extinguisher and now the rampaging New York Yankees have supplanted the Red Sox in first place. It was going to take a momentous event to swing attention away from the finale of the Cleveland-Chicago White Sox series Wednesday night and, in the name of Bucky Dent, we got one.

2. OK, so perhaps mentioning Dent is unfair and not up to the standard of respect we should be paying the defending world champions. But if the Yankees storm back and win this division and if Boston doesn't even make the playoffs -- not saying that's going to happen, just posing a what-if -- then how long do you think it will take the goodwill from winning last year's World Series to fade completely away in Boston? Just asking -- and Boston, I'd be interested in hearing your comments.

3. See what good things can happen for the Yankees when Randy Johnson isn't ejected in the second inning?

4. I said when they acquired him that outfielder Matt Lawton might not exactly be a household name, but he would be a very good fit for the Yankees. He sure looked the part Wednesday night, shaking off a hitless streak of 19 at-bats to wallop a two-run homer and contribute impressive defensive play.

5. Where have you gone, Jon Garland? A White Sox nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Woo-woo-woo.

6. Garland has only two wins in his past 10 starts, one of the many poster boys for why the White Sox are clinging by their fingertips to a 2 1/2-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central. More discouraging news: The Sox must face Johan Santana in the opener of a four-game series with Minnesota on Thursday night. And in a good move by manager Ozzie Guillen -- albeit, one Orlando Hernandez pretty much forced him to make -- the Sox will use rookie Brandon McCarthy in Thursday's opener vs. the Twins instead of El Duque because El Duque has been El Terrible.

7. Knowing that Oakland had already been beaten by Minnesota earlier in the day, the Los Angeles Angels set out on another night of averting their eyes from the scoreboard as they played Texas. At least, that's what their manager was advising. "Scoreboard watching can do two things, and neither of them are good," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It can make you press, or it can make you complacent." After disposing of Texas 6-5 Wednesday night to increase their lead over Oakland to 2 ½ games in the AL West, the Angels moved another step toward complacency.

8. One working definition of September pressure: Trailing Houston by two games for the NL wild-card slot, knowing the Astros have shot out to an 8-0 lead over Pittsburgh in the second inning ... and you're stuck playing Atlanta. Yes, that was Philadelphia's fate early Wednesday evening, but the Phillies rose to the task with a 10-6, 10-inning win. And it didn't surprise you a bit that it was rookie Ryan Howard who smashed the game-winning grand slam, did it? Howard leads all NL rookies with 19 home runs and has 54 RBI despite playing in only 78 games. Legitimate NL Rookie of the Year candidate? Heck yes.

9. If the Padres wind up clinching the NL West -- and it sure looks as if they will -- folks back east who haven't seen them much are going to fall hard for shortstop Khalil Greene. And after a fairly good season, Greene has amped up his game both with the stick and with the glove over the past 10 days.

1. Anybody who saw Chicago shortstop Juan Uribe go into the hole to his right and then throw across his body to first to complete a sensational play and preserve a one-run lead in the Sox's thrilling 7-6 10-inning win Tuesday night knows that the word "choke" does not apply here. The play ended the eighth inning in a game Ozzie Guillen's club badly needed. Maybe the Sox lose the division to Cleveland, maybe they don't. But teams in the process of choking don't make plays like that.

2. It's clear that the Sox cannot use rookie Bobby Jenks as their closer. After Uribe's play of the season, Jenks opened the ninth by throwing four consecutive balls to Jhonny Peralta, the first batter of the inning. Inexcusable, and when Peralta scored to tie the game when Chicago center fielder Aaron Rowand misplayed Victor Martinez's liner, it nearly wounded the Sox. Between Aaron Boone's clutch RBI single against him Monday and the blown save Tuesday, Jenks is going to be permanently gun-shy before long.

3. Of the six runs Cleveland scored, two reached base via a walk. Of the seven runs Cleveland scored on Monday, two reached base via a walk. That must stop if Chicago is to step away from the edge of the cliff.

4. Most important move of the week might be Oakland's activating shortstop Bobby Crosby on Monday night against Minnesota. Most important news of the week might have come Tuesday, when it was confirmed that Crosby's ankle was OK after he aggravated it late in Monday night's game. He is expected to be back in the lineup for Wednesday's game against Minnesota, and how important that is cannot be emphasized enough. Oakland is a different club with Crosby in the lineup -- and has a chance to hang with the Angels if he stays in there.

5. The Yankees caught Cleveland in the loss column and are primed to have the last laugh on all of those who spent the summer predicting a Yankee-less October. Turns out, the Yanks should easily win 90 games despite often stunningly horrid pitching. In the end, that's what happens when you have a $200 million payroll -- you collect enough Gary Sheffields and Alex Rodriguezes to camouflage it -- or, at least, take the sting out. In doing so, by the way, they're also keeping a certain baseball writer's pre-season World Series pick warm, too.

6. Memo to Boston: If you were expecting Baltimore to continue mopping up on New York, you were fooling yourself. These Orioles aren't even close to the same team that took five of six games from the Yankees in April. Steroid Boy Rafael Palmeiro was swinging it in April but he's long gone now. Sammy Sosa at least was a threat in April, and he's long gone. And now that Brian Roberts suffered a dislocated elbow Tuesday, the final six games between these two clubs -- two more in New York this week, four in Baltimore next -- could be U-G-L-Y for the Orioles. And, by extension, for Boston.

7. Goodbye to the Washington Nationals as a legitimate NL wild-card threat. Frank Robinson's team lost a third game in a row in which it led with two out in the ninth. The Nationals coughed up Tuesday's game to San Francisco. Robinson's management of his pitching staff over the past few days has been abysmal.

8. Biggest night of the year so far for Houston, in terms of gaining some separation in the NL wild-card chase. The three teams below the Astros each lost, giving Houston a two-game lead over Philadelphia -- and in Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte and closer Brad Lidge, the Astros should have the pitching to hold it. And yes, that was catcher Brad Ausmus serving notice that he can still contribute offensively, too.

9. Don't look now, but not only did the Phillies drop to two games back in the wild-card chase, they get Atlanta's John Smoltz and Tim Hudson over the next two days.

10. White Sox television broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson is unlistenable. The two most obnoxious calls in all of baseball are Harrelson's grating (and grammatically incorrect) "He gone" description when a Sox pitcher fans an opponent, and Yankees broadcaster John Sterling's sounding like he's in the midst of a seizure with "The Yankees win! Thaaaaaaa Yankees win!"

1. Outstanding opener in the Cleveland-Chicago series Monday night, and how utterly predictable that neither club's starting pitcher -- Kevin Millwood or Freddy Garcia -- was involved in the decision. You would expect these games to be decided by the AL's two best bullpens, and so it was that Rafael Betancourt, Scott Sauerbeck, Bobby Howry and Bob Wickman were just a bit better than Neal Cotts, Luis Vizcaino, Damaso Marte, Bobby Jenks and Dustin Hermanson.

2. I agree with Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro: I don't see these young Indians wilting under the spotlight down the stretch. Shapiro's point when I talked to him for a column nine days ago was that the Indians were in the race last August and in early September before falling out, and he thinks that's the period when this group learned what it will take to handle playoff pressure. He doesn't think they're just learning now. Plus, I think Cleveland's pitching -- among other things, Cliff Lee, who won't face the White Sox this week, is a legitimate Cy Young candidate -- is too good to allow them to fade away.

3. Over their past 18 games, since Aug. 31, Cleveland starters Lee, Millwood, C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook and Scott Elarton have combined to go 12-2 with a 2.03 ERA. That bodes well for October. Real well.

4. If Cleveland does complete this wild comeback, here's what will particularly be a kick in the teeth to Ozzie Guillen's White Sox: Through Monday's series opener, the Sox had been in first place in all 169 days of this season.

5. True confessions: I didn't mind the Sox dealing away Carlos Lee and saying farewell to Magglio Ordonez over the winter. I liked GM Kenny Williams' effort to re-make his team into a pitching and defensive oriented club, and, for the most part, it's been all good with Scott Podsednik leading the way. But now the Sox have dropped Paul Konerko to fourth in the order, and he's a little out of his element -- he's more comfortable in the third spot. Still, the Sox have had the pitching to win, and even without the sluggers, they should have been able to score enough runs to avoid a swoon like this.

6. How shaky is Boston's pitching right now? The Red Sox used somebody named Craig Hansen against Tampa Bay Monday night. In the pennant race. With the Yankees and Baltimore running neck and neck on the out-of-town scoreboard.

7. Yes, wise guys, I know who Hansen is. I know he was Boston's first-round pick in this June's draft, out of St. John's. I know it was his major-league debut. I was just making a point. I don't care how electric a kid's stuff is, you're going to debut him in the season's final two weeks with the Yankees breathing down your neck? That tells you all you need to know about the state of Boston's pitching.

8. But you know what? Here's the good news for Boston: Frankie Rodriguez didn't have any prior major-league experience when the Angels used him in September, 2002, either. And he was pretty OK in helping the Angels win the World Series that year, eh?

9. Regarding the Yankees, you know what they really miss right now? What Houston has: Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.

10. The play Tino Martinez made with one out in the ninth inning, running into right field with his back to the plate and still catching the shallow fly ball ... just the latest example of the guy making winning plays at crucial times. Jason Giambi doesn't make that play -- nor do many others in the game.

11. Was that the NL West-leading San Diego Padres actually edging over .500 in Colorado on Monday night?

1. Let's not get completely giddy over Cleveland -- sooner or later, the Indians are going to need second baseman Ronnie Belliard, who has missed three consecutive games with a strained abdominal muscle. That said, the Indians open a huge three-game series in Chicago on Monday as the best story in the game right now. Owners of the majors' best record since July 31 at 33-11, the Indians are riding a sensational wave of pitching: tied for second in the AL Sunday with a 3.67 ERA (the White Sox are fourth at 3.68); first in AL relief pitching with a 2.85 ERA (the Sox are second at 3.15) and fifth overall in the AL with a 4.04 ERA (the Sox are fourth at 3.88).

2. Good as Cleveland's pitching is, Chicago has its best three starters lined up in perfect position for this week's series. Monday: Cleveland's Kevin Millwood (whose 8-11 record would never suggest that he leads the AL in ERA) vs. Chicago's Freddy Garcia. Tuesday: Jake Westbrook vs. Mark Buehrle. Wednesday: Scott Elarton vs. Jon Garland. Key stat: Cleveland trailed Chicago by 15 games in the standings on Aug. 1 but has whittled that down to 3½.

3. Farewell to Washington as a legitimate wild-card threat in the NL. The Nationals had every chance of sweeping San Diego this weekend and remaining in the race -- manager Frank Robinson was hoping to win two of three -- but then closer Chad Cordero was smoked for a game-tying, ninth-inning grand slam by Khalil Greene on Saturday and then a similar heartbreak occurred Sunday. Reliever Joey Eischen is an excitable boy, to borrow a Warren Zevon song title. Managers through the years have tried calming him down, and it cost the Nationals when he fielded Dave Roberts' sacrifice bunt in the ninth and tried to make a spectactular play. Deivi Cruz, covering first, couldn't handle it and, well, farewell Washington.

4. San Diego will have trouble in the playoffs because the Padres simply can't score -- they rank 13th in the NL in runs scored and 15th in slugging percentage -- but the return of catcher Ramon Hernandez makes them more dangerous. In nine starts since returning from the disabled list, Hernandez is batting .361 (13-for-36) with two doubles and three home runs -- including the three-run shot in the 12th that beat Washington on Saturday night.

5. Randy Johnson's apology may have been heartfelt, but it came too late. At 41, you have to think before you act -- even in the heat of the moment. Yankees manager Joe Torre is correct in not wanting to take any of Johnson's emotion away, but sheesh, Big Unit, at least act like you've been in a pennant race before. Grow up.

6. Very quietly, the Angels' Paul Byrd is having a very good, very underrated year. True, Detroit stinks and holding the Tigers to one run over seven innings isn't exactly Herculean, but Byrd's ERA is 3.62 and his control is his art. Byrd walked one Tiger, but hasn't walked a batter in 21 of his past 48 starts.

7. No position player is more valuable to his team in the NL wild-card race right now than Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins, who has authored a career-high 24-game hitting streak. In his past 10 games leading up to Sunday night's series finale with Florida, Rollins was batting .523 (23-for-44) with eight doubles, nine RBI and 17 runs scored. No surprise that Florida tough-guy starter Josh Beckett delivered a pitch over Rollins' head in his first at-bat Sunday night. If somebody doesn't slow down Rollins, the Phillies -- 7-3 over their past 10 games into Sunday night -- will blow by everybody.

1. I don't know if Boston's David Ortiz is going to win the AL MVP award. But I do know that, DH or no DH, he's as valuable as any player in the league. The guy is clutch, and here's the key stat: When he smashed his sixth-inning homer against Joe Kennedy to tie Oakland at 2-2 Friday night, it was his 43rd of the season -- and of those, 18 have either tied the game or catapulted the Red Sox into the lead.

2. Whether or not plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth blew a call and then provoked an argument, Randy Johnson simply cannot get ejected in the second inning at Toronto. Can't happen. The way the Yankees have struggled this season, particularly on the mound? With Johnson tossed, Joe Torre has to rip through five different relievers ... and good luck with that tired bullpen now with less than 24 hours of recovery time before Saturday's late-afternoon start.

3. It's all about the loss column now, even more than the games back. That's why Washington manager Frank Robinson is eyeing Houston. Heading into the weekend, the Astros only had 68 losses, while Florida and Philadelphia had 69 and Washington 71. As Robinson says, you don't get those games back that are already in the loss column.

4. Least surprising moment of the night: Minute Maid Park fans rising and giving Jeff Bagwell a standing ovation in his third appearance since returning from the disabled list. Couldn't have scripted this if you tried moment of the night: Bagwell drilling a game-winning single to beat Milwaukee and give Robinson more cause for ulcers and keep the Astros at 68 in the loss column -- and, more importantly, keep them ensconced in the wild-card lead.

5. Guy with the best chance of being abandoned this weekend: Oakland right-hander Dan Haren. Oh, he's been sensational lately, and he starts in Fenway Park on Saturday, but he's also pitching the day after Oakland hitters had to contend with Boston's Tim Wakefield. Knuckleballers have been known to send entire lineups into funks, and that will be Oakland's test on Saturday.

6. Lots of speculation that Bartolo Colon's back is not right given the way he was knocked around Thursday night in the series opener against Detroit. But from the Angels' perspective, the key was that Vladimir Guerrero was back in the lineup. Given their lack of offense, it might be time to find a way to start Casey Kotchman full time now.

7. OK, so Florida lost the game it was supposed to given the Brian Moehler vs. Jon Lieber pitching matchup. Fine. But the Marlins better not get beat on Saturday with Dontrelle Willis on the hill. Must-win game for Jack McKeon's crew. They badly miss shortstop Alex Gonzalez (elbow).

8. Prediction from one advance scout who is very familiar with AL clubs: Yankees win the AL East and Cleveland wins the wild card.

9. All that maneuvering, Oakland employs five infielders in the 10th inning with runners at the corners before manager Ken Macha elects to intentionally walk Ortiz to load the bases with one out ... and reliever Keiichi Yabu hits Manny Ramirez with a pitch to force home the winning run? What a miserable way to end the best game of the night.

1. Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals, for becoming the first team to clinch a division this season and for surviving the long rain delay to get there. Fascinating thing this year going into the playoffs is, it's wide open. Unlike the Yankees of the late 1990s and even the Yankees and Boston a year ago, nobody looks dominant. Everybody has holes. Or didn't you watch Curt Schilling struggle against Oakland Thursday night, the Yankees struggle against Tampa Bay for much of this season, the Angels battle to score runs, the Braves' numerous bullpen meltdowns and the slapstick in the NL West?

2. Small St. Louis shortstop David Eckstein hasn't worn down in the Missouri summer heat, as many predicted, and good for him. Quality guy, hard worker, model pro. Difficult as it would have been to believe or predict a year ago, the Cardinals haven't missed a step with Eckstein in place of Edgar Renteria.

3. That's four NL Central titles in six seasons under manager Tony La Russa's guidance. The Cards have a long way to go before matching anything done by Atlanta GM John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox, but they have a terrific thing going in GM Walt Jocketty and La Russa. It's only too bad that Scott Rolen will not be around to play in October.

4. Schilling was visibly upset when he was removed by manager Terry Francona in the seventh inning (though he told reporters later he was angry with events, not with Francona). The hard-charging Yankees have climbed to within 1 1/2 games of Boston now in the AL East, and one thing is clear: If Boston doesn't get Schilling and closer Keith Foulke straightened out, there won't be any Fever Pitch 2.

5. Houston back atop the NL wild-card heap, with Roy Oswalt on deck to start Friday's series-opener against Milwaukee, and now the schedule takes a turn to favor Houston (unless you don't like the Astros' chances in four games remaining with Pittsburgh and in the seven games left with the Cubs). Against Andy Pettitte and Brad Lidge on Thursday, the Florida Marlins never stood a chance.

6. Series of the weekend is Philadelphia-Florida, with each team entering tied for second in the NL wild-card, half-a-game behind Houston. This begins the rocky part of the Phils' schedule, playing 12 of their final 15 games away from friendly Citizens Bank Park -- including the next nine in a row. With Dontrelle Willis going Saturday and Josh Beckett Sunday, the pitching matchups favor the Marlins.

7. More looking ahead to this weekend: While Boston gets streaking Oakland, the Yankees are in Toronto. And Saturday's game potentially is going to be very, very confusing: The pitching matchup is Chacon vs. Chacin.

8. Here's how you continue to hang around the playoff race: Washington relievers delivered 11 scoreless innings as the Nationals swept the New York Mets.

9. Five-alarm news from Anaheim late Thursday night: Vladimir Guerrero was removed from the Angels' game with Detroit with what appears to be a recurrence of the left shoulder injury that sent Guerrero to the disabled list in May. He injured it while landing awkwardly in right field attempting to make a catch and, for a team that has struggled all year to score runs, it couldn't have happened at a worse time. The Angels-Oakland and Boston-Yankees races are getting more fascinating by the day.

1. Barry Bonds is taking some ugly hacks. Don't be fooled by that long drive he smashed in his first at-bat of the season. Dangerous as he remains, he's obviously over-eager to make up for lost time and showing much less patience than usual.

2. Call off the dogs in the NL West. Even the San Diego Padres appear incapable of blowing it now. San Francisco was one strike away from sweeping the series Wednesday when closer Armando Benitez, in the midst of a very rough week, served up a two-run, game-tying double to Sean Burroughs. The Padres won it in the 10th, and Benitez's failing to get that final out cost the Giants a six-game deficit in the West instead of a four-game deficit. With just 18 games left to play, that swing is gaping.

3. So there Roger Clemens was, pitching a must-have game for Houston on the very day his mother died, and he cruises through a nine-pitch fourth inning, a 10-pitch fifth and a seven-pitch sixth. He's dominant, and the Florida Marlins' at-bats left a whole lot to be desired. You've got to make a guy work harder than that. Still, Clemens' 340th victory, probably the saddest of his career, is just one more notch on his legend. The guy is amazing.

4. While Clemens exemplified what it means to be a power pitcher in Wednesday's 10-2 win over Florida, the Marlins' A.J. Burnett exemplified the vulnerabilities inherent in being a power thrower. Burnett is collapsing like a card table down the stretch, now having lost five consecutive decisions. The inexcusable part was issuing two bases-loaded walks in the second inning. Settle down and get some poise, A.J., instead of trying to hump up and blister people.

5. Keeping second baseman Ronnie Belliard is one of the smartest moves Cleveland general manager Mark Shapiro made last offseason. Not only did he drive in four runs as Cleveland won for the second time in three games against Oakland, he made as intelligent a defensive play as I've seen this season by dropping Scott Hatteberg's sinking liner with Eric Chavez on first in the fifth inning. Reacting instantly, Belliard allowed it to fall out of his glove -- it was 0-0 at the time -- and then picked it up and threw to Jose Hernandez at first, allowing Hernandez to tag out Chavez and then step on the bag for a double play. That kind of play doesn't happen by accident -- Belliard was prepared, thinking and anticipating. Oakland manager Ken Macha vehemently argued -- infield fly rule? -- but no dice.

6. Downgrade Oakland's four-game series at Boston beginning Thursday from Armageddon to a simple World War, thanks to the Los Angeles Angels' persistent losing. Even though the A's lost two of three in Cleveland, they remain just one game back of the Angels now that Seattle has swept L.A. What that does is at least douse a bit of the urgency for Oakland this week in Boston.

7. Tough not to watch these Yankees-Tampa Bay games and not envision Devil Rays' manager Lou Piniella guiding the Yankees next season, isn't it?

8. Hate to keep harping on the same subject, but Atlanta's bullpen! Four more relievers in a third consecutive loss to Philadelphia, and Atlanta pitchers combined to walk the Phillies' Pat Burrell four times. He scored twice. You can't put people on base and survive in Citizens Bank Park, folks. Still, the rubber meets the road for Philadelphia, now tied with Florida atop the NL wild-card standings, over the season's final two weeks. The Phillies play 12 of their final 15 games on the road, and they are a much different team on the road than they are at home, where every other pop fly travels over the outfield fence for a homer.

9. David Ortiz clobbered his career-high 42nd homer to keep Boston rolling, and to think, I still clearly remember when the Minnesota Twins shipped him back to Triple-A in the spring of 1999 in Fort Myers, Fla. He was crying when I interviewed him in a back room off of the clubhouse, both furious at the Twins and embarrassed that he had become so emotional. It was a touching combination of raw emotion and sheer determination. I never doubted that he would be back with a vengeance.

1. There is a reason why pitcher Hector Carrasco is still around at 35: He's a pro. The Washington Nationals were just as surprised as everyone else when they learned that the veteran right-hander was starting Tuesday night, and why not? Carrasco, who spot-started for the ill John Patterson, had started just once before in 557 major-league games. The most unlikely starter of the season filled in admirably, and the Nationals live another day in the NL wild-card race.

2. This just in: Milwaukee beats Arizona to go 72-72. You know what that means: Yes, the Brewers are in the wrong place at the wrong time -- if they were in the NL West, they would be leading the division. Oh yeah, it means one other important thing, too: Behind Chris Capuano, Rickie Weeks and the rest, the Brew Crew have a great chance to snap their streak of 12 consecutive losing seasons.

3. San Diego's outfield is a huge liability as the Padres continue to try to give away the NL West to Los Angeles or San Francisco. The lack of speed is killing them, as difficult as that is to believe when they have a center fielder named Ben Johnson.

4. Mayday, mayday: Atlanta's bullpen -- Danny Kolb, Chris Reitsma, John Foster and Jim Brower, among others -- is determined to give manager Bobby Cox and pitching coach Leo Mazzone ulcers. The Braves are 0-for-2 this week against the Phillies and if they don't seal some leaks in their bullpen, they're headed for another early October exit -- assuming they hold on to their NL East lead.

5. It's true, the Phillies are a different team in their bandbox of a ballpark (44-32) than on the road (33-36). That's why they've been able to take the first two of a four-game series against Atlanta, even while rookies Eude Brito and Gavin Floyd started. Now come Cory Lidle and Brett Myers over the final two games against the Braves -- good for the Phils -- before Philadelphia plays 12 of their final 15 on the road -- bad for the Phils.

6. Ben Broussard's big night notwithstanding, news that reliever Arthur Rhodes will miss the rest of the season because of a family illness could cripple the Indians in the late innings. Rhodes, a lefty who was 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 47 games, was holding right-handed hitters to a .147 batting average (oddly, lefties were batting .286 against him).

7. Most creative move Tuesday night: Tied 1-1 and with Seattle and runners at the corners with none out in the bottom of the ninth, Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia took Steve Finley out of center field and employed five infielders -- and just two outfielders -- against Richie Sexson. It darned near paid off, too, as Sexson grounded into a double play started by Maicer Izturis. But after an intentional walk, Greg Dobbs' single won it for the Mariners despite the high-stakes strategy -- and now the Angels' lead over Oakland is back to just one game.

8. Alex Rodriguez moved up to No. 2 in the Yankees' batting order, Jason Giambi third and Gary Sheffield moved up to cleanup for the first time all season? Hmmm, New York must be playing Tampa Bay.

9. Isn't there something just a wee bit disconcerting that Nationals manager Frank Robinson was forced to shuffle and go with Carrasco 34 years to the day after Robinson belted the 500th home run of his career, against Detroit's Fred Scherman? Yes and, well, a happy anniversary to you, too. Whatever it might be.

1. Had you put it to a vote at about 7:40 Monday night local time, Kevin Correia easily would have been the least popular man in San Francisco. The youngster took the electricity coming from the Barry Bonds circuit and immediately un-juiced it (yes, the pun is intentional) by allowing San Diego three first-inning runs and getting hooked after a measly third of an inning. So what happens? Bonds nearly parks one in his first appearance of the season.

2. The Man is simply amazing. You know where I stand on Barry Balco if you read my June column asking him to be gone with the San Francisco wind (and if you didn't read it, here's the link). Still, without backing away from any of that, he's unquestionably the most compelling player of our generation -- and you can argue he's the most compelling player ever. To step right into action, without any spring training or minor-league injury rehab assignments, and nearly drive one out of the park in his first at-bat when the other guys are being as careful as possible ... well, with or without steroids, with or without Human Growth Hormone, with or without flaxseed oil (does that cover it, or is there more?) it's unthinkable. Even with Bonds.

3. Please don't tell me that the fan who reached over the fence and caught Bonds' long fly ball in the second inning had it stolen by another fan, scuffled, bit, scratched, clawed, will file a suit and end up the subject of a documentary Up for Grabs 2. Please don't tell me that.

4. Best position to get yourself in right now in baseball: A 3-0 lead in the fourth inning with Dontrelle Willis on the mound. It's as close to a lock as there is. That's what the Marlins did in Houston on Monday, and it's why they passed the Astros and moved into the NL wild-card lead. Willis wants to prove this year he won't fade down the stretch. With a 21-8 record, a 2.49 ERA and a legitimate Cy Young candidacy, we get it, we get it.

5. By the way, Willis is a walking advertisement for the abolition of the DH. In case you missed it, he went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two runs scored against the Astros, bringing to mind the days when Bob Gibson was pitching and hitting for St. Louis. Repeat after me: There is absolutely no reason why pitchers must be automatic outs. In the rare instance when one becomes a good hitter, the extra advantage it brings him is well earned.

6. Three weeks left, and a couple of teams can't be too thrilled with the way the roulette wheel landed on their rotations this week: Houston will send Wandy Rodriguez to the mound against Florida on Tuesday night after opening the series with Brandon Backe ... meaning that, yes, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte will face the Marlins during this four-game series but Roy Oswalt won't. And Philadelphia sends Gavin Floyd (1-2, 11.25) to the hill against Atlanta on Tuesday after rookie Eude Brito opened the series against the Braves on Monday ... meaning that, yes, Cory Lidle and Brett Myers will pitch against Atlanta, but Jon Lieber won't. Brito started in place of Vicente Padilla, who is nursing a strained rib cage at the worst time.

7. Definition of Buzzard's Luck: Cleveland's Kevin Millwood, who starts Tuesday night in another huge game against Oakland, is only 7-11 this season ... yet he is your American League ERA leader at 3.11, ranking ahead of the White Sox's Mark Buehrle (3.13), Minnesota's Johan Santana (3.17) and the Angels' Bartolo Colon (3.23).

8. Speaking of buzzards ... what's the deal with all of those bugs in Cleveland? Swarms of them were so thick Monday that on more than one occasion, the hitter had to step out of the batter's box and wave them away from his face.

9. Hitting and running: Find me another pitcher who has taken a bigger step forward this season than young Danny Haren. He pitched one of the gutsiest games of the summer in a 2-0 win over Cleveland in a must-have game for the A's on Monday night. ... The White Sox's Ozzie Guillen as AL manager of the year? Not so fast -- the Indians have pulled to within six games of the Sox and have all the momentum. ... Atlanta's Chipper Jones strained his quadriceps against the Phillies on Monday night. Although the it would take an epic fall for the Braves not to make the playoffs, a subpar Chipper Jones is part of the recipe for another Atlanta postseason swoon. It's day-to-day with Chipper for now, and for the Braves' sake, it had better be a whole lot better than that three weeks from now.

Let the Jim Leyland-to-Pittsburgh speculation officially commence.

Mired in another free-fall at the end of another season -- tough to place the slumps with the year anymore -- the Pirates decided Tuesday that they had no choice other than to fire manager Lloyd McClendon.

It's too bad, because McClendon is a hard worker, a nice guy and in another situation, perhaps could have had a chance to succeed.

But the Pirates have been stuck somewhere between neutral and reverse thanks to, first, the bad contracts inherited several years ago by general manager Dave Littlefield and, second, ill-timed injuries to pitching prospects such as John Van Ben Schoten and Sean Burnett. The Pirates don't have the money to cover up mistakes and bad breaks, and even with one of the most beautiful stadiums in the game, Pittsburgh fans have been voicing their displeasure by staying away in growing numbers.

Leyland is the one guy who can change that. He would deliver instant credibility to a suspect franchise. His name alone would help sell tickets. And as of last fall, Leyland sent strong indications that he is interested in managing again.

Perhaps in the end, his finishing as a runner-up to Charlie Manuel in Philadelphia last fall will work in Pittsburgh's favor. Leyland alone won't guarantee a winner, but he earned his managerial stripes there long ago. The Pirates likely won't hire a first-time manager again, not with their credibility at a low ebb.

It doesn't take a math major to add two and two here.