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Six-run first inning helps LA trim magic number to three

LOS ANGELES — Joe Torre gathered his club Tuesday night for a pregame meeting and therapy session. The Dodgers responded with a six-run first inning and a 10-1 blowout of the Padres, combining with Arizona’s loss to cut the magic number to clinch the National League West to three with five games to play.

Over the weekend, the Dodgers lost two of three to the Giants (getting blanked Sunday), while the D-backs trimmed the lead to two games by winning their last three, including Monday, when the Dodgers were off.

“I felt tension Sunday, for whatever reason,” Torre said. “I didn’t feel it was worrying about Arizona creeping up, but the fact we were trying to get something done and thinking too much instead of playing the game and that can get in the way.

“The only thing I said is to try to be aggressive. The other day in the 1-0 game, it looked like we were tentative. I remind them to be aggressive and be who you are instead of trying to do everything right and try not to make mistakes.”

You could say it worked, as the first seven Dodgers hitters against rookie San Diego left-hander Wade LaBlanc reached base, including a two-run hustle double by Manny Ramirez and a three-run homer by Nomar Garciaparra, getting his first start since spraining his knee last week as the replacement for James Loney.

“To jump on them early was huge,” Garciaparra said.

The two RBIs gave Ramirez 51 since he was acquired, joining Carlos Beltran as the only players to have at least 50 RBIs in both leagues in the same season.

The Dodgers were able to coast from that first-inning windfall for their biggest margin of victory since April 30. Chad Billingsley struggled with his rhythm, enough that pitching coach Rick Honeycutt made two trips to the mound in the first three innings.

But Billingsley’s fastball got him by to beat the last-place Padres, pitching six innings to improve his record to 16-10. Billingsley also drove in a pair of runs with a squeeze bunt and RBI single. His 3.17 ERA is seventh in the league and his 199 strikeouts are second. In his past seven starts at Dodger Stadium, he’s 6-0 with a 1.65 ERA.

“Coming out and scoring six runs really allowed me to relax a little more and kind of work on things and try to get my rhythm back,” said Billingsley, who is in line to start Game 2 of the playoffs next week. “I was really trying to stay relaxed out there and keep a good rhythm.”

In the fifth inning, Blake DeWitt sealed it with a three-run homer, shaking out of a 3-for-17 slide. Russell Martin, batting .200 in the 14 preceding games, reached base four times with a pair of hits and a pair of walks.

“It would be nice [to wrap up at home],” DeWitt said. “If it doesn’t happen, you’ve just got to keep playing.”

The Dodgers still have a chance to clinch by Thursday, the regular-season home finale against Padres ace and Dodgers killer Jake Peavy, if the D-backs cooperate. Or they can do it themselves.

“We have to win the next three and put this thing to sleep,” said Torre, not expecting help.

Sounds simple enough.

“The calm he brings, it has an effect,” said Andre Ethier, moved into the cleanup spot by Torre to provide added protection for Ramirez. “Some guys might not really pay attention to where the team’s at in the bigger scheme and there might be more anxiety than necessary. Maybe we don’t realize how good a situation we’re in right now.

“He [Torre] addressed it. He told us not to let that out of our frame of mind. We had the off-day and we see Arizona win and we start to feel pressure and uneasiness because they won and we can’t do anything about it. He addressed it today and told us it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. We’re the ones in the good situation to be in.”

The huge lead allowed Torre to rest his regular relievers and follow Billingsley to the mound with a trio of rookies — James McDonald (graduate of the Los Angeles RBI program), Ramon Troncoso and Scott Elbert — each throwing one scoreless inning.

Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Defending champs back in postseason for fifth time in six years

BOSTON — With the thirst for postseason champagne lingering around the Red Sox for a second straight night, not even overwhelming American League Cy Young Award favorite Cliff Lee was going to prevent the corks from popping. The Red Sox truly earned their 5-4 victory in this Tuesday night clincher against the Indians, getting to the normally dominant Lee for two runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth.

Now that they’ve solidified their fifth postseason berth in the past six years, the Red Sox can go about the business of trying to become Major League Baseball’s first repeat World Series champions since the 2000 Yankees.

“It feels great,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “It’s probably a little different each time, different emotions, but it certainly doesn’t become less enjoyable or less satisfying, and it’s nice to know that we have more baseball to play. We’ll see how the week unfolds and keep everybody healthy, feeling good, and try to win, and see what happens.”

Though the 92-65 Red Sox are still in mathematical contention for the American League East title, their most likely entry into the playoffs will be as the Wild Card winner, which would earn them an AL Division Series matchup with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a best-of-five set that would start in Anaheim on Oct. 1 or 2.

The only way the Red Sox can win the AL East is to run the table over their final five games and have the 95-62 Rays go 1-4. Tampa Bay would win the division if the teams finished with the same record, because it won the head-to-head season series. For Boston, it was just thrilled to know that they are one of the eight teams moving on.

When it was over, the Red Sox playfully jumped on top of each other before retreating to the clubhouse for the celebration. Several players also came back on the field to celebrate with the fans.

“It feels great,” said Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay. “I can’t really describe it right now. I’m just jumping around like a kid. We’ve been on the doorstep for a while, but to finally get in and be able to celebrate, it does feel pretty special for me. Especially the journey that I carved to get here.”

By earning their spot into the postseason, the Red Sox officially eliminated the Yankees, who are out of the postseason for the first time since 1993.

Veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, the only player to be on Boston’s past eight postseason entries dating back to 1995, earned the win, allowing six hits and four runs (all of which were scored in the fifth inning) over six innings. Wakefield walked one and struck out six.

“It was unbelievable,” said Wakefield. “I thought we’d squeak it out last night, but the guy who we were facing tonight was, obviously, a hurdle but our offense did a great job.”

Fittingly, Kevin Youkilis (two-run homer in the fourth) and Dustin Pedroia (two-run double in the fifth) provided two of the biggest hits of the night. They’ve been Boston’s most consistent offensive players all season.

And it was equally appropriate that Bay, who has been so productive since coming over in the trade for Manny Ramirez on July 31, drove in the go-ahead run, a two-out RBI single up the middle in the fifth.

Indians manager Eric Wedge opted to intentionally walk Youkilis, giving Bay a chance to come up big again.

“Not that you need any incentive, but sometimes somebody gets walked in front of you, you want it a little extra,” said Bay. “It was nice to get it, and to have it hold up. The bullpen came through huge, and it held up. My hit at that point put us ahead, but you look at David [Ortiz], you look at Youk, you look at [Pedroia]. Everybody pitched in today, and that’s kind of the way it’s been since I’ve been here.”

Doing it against Lee meant something as well, considering that the postseason is always filled with top-notch opposing starters.

“If we’re going to win, we’re going to have to beat guys like that,” said Bay. “To come out and do it just kind of shows what this team is made of.”

Clinging to a 5-4 lead after reliever Manny Delcarmen loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, Francona went to lefty Hideki Okajima to face Victor Martinez. And Okajima, amid a tense, eight-pitch at-bat, got Martinez to pop a 3-2 pitch to Youkilis to end the threat.

Jonathan Papelbon came on to escape a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the eighth. He then navigated the ninth for save No. 41, giving the Fenway faithful good reason to erupt.

“It’s amazing,” said Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp. “This is where you want to be at this moment. There’s nothing better. We’ve still got a chance to try to go all the way.”

The first step is complete.

Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Boston’s victory knocks New York out of Wild Card contention

ORONTO — Joe Girardi had spoken optimistically of keeping his Yankees alive in the postseason discussion, even against long odds. His reasoning? There had not been an ‘X’ affixed to the club’s name in the American League standings. Those last hopes for a miracle were dashed on Tuesday, as the Red Sox defeated the Indians, 5-4, at Fenway Park. With the victory, the Red Sox secured a berth and officially ended New York’s string of 13 consecutive playoff appearances.

While Girardi and many players had hoped for a miracle, the mathematics of the situation were impossible to ignore. To keep Yankee Stadium open past Sunday, the Yankees were going to need an awful lot of help.

“This is when character shows up,” Girardi said on Sunday. “To me, this is when I like to watch people really work and see the character. You can evaluate a lot about people this time of year. For me, this is a very important week as we move forward and prepare for next year. Character means a lot and we’re going to find out over the next week.”

There had been a moral victory of sorts on Sunday, as the Yankees took the field for their final game at Yankee Stadium knowing that a loss would eliminate them from playoff contention.

A general stadium atmosphere mirroring the seventh game of the World Series was not coincidental. Not only did the Yankees intentionally plan to create an October-like setting for the Cathedral’s sendoff, but the club secured a 7-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, while quite literally fighting for its playoff existence.

“It almost felt like a playoff series that we had just won, as far as how emotionally tired I am right now, and physically,” Andy Pettitte said. “It’s really weird.”

The Yankees’ playoff dynasty has been well-chronicled, beginning with a Wild Card in 1995 and highlighted by four World Series titles over a five-year span from 1996-2000. The Yankees also appeared in the 2001 and 2003 Fall Classics, but had found it more difficult to advance in recent years.

New York lost a 3-0 lead to the Red Sox in the 2004 AL Championship Series and has not been able to move past the first round since. Last year, the Yankees were eliminated in a four-game AL Division Series by the Indians, a series remembered for a strange Game 2 incident when a swarm of Lake Erie midges unnerved rookie reliever Joba Chamberlain.

The Yankees entered the 2008 campaign with high hopes under new manager Girardi, who donned uniform No. 27 and made little secret of his intentions to bring home the elusive 27th World Series title.

But Girardi rarely had access to his Opening Day lineup due to a slew of injuries — at various times, Girardi was without catcher Jorge Posada, outfielder Hideki Matsui, third baseman Alex Rodriguez, Chamberlain and No. 1 starter Chien-Ming Wang for extended periods. Wang did not pitch after June, and Posada was lost for the season after July.

Additionally, the club banked on major contributions from young players, who were not able to fulfill expectations. Rookies Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy both opened the season in the starting rotation and remain winless, having battled through injuries and time in the Minor Leagues.

Second baseman Robinson Cano drew criticism for a perceived lack of hustle during a disappointing campaign, and Melky Cabrera regressed from being New York’s starting center fielder to a spare part. Chamberlain’s transition from the bullpen to the rotation ended with shoulder tendinitis in an Aug. 4 start and leaves his 2009 plans uncertain.

The season did have its bright moments. Mike Mussina — removed from the starting rotation last August — bounced back in a huge way and, at age 39, is one victory shy of his first 20-win season.

Derek Jeter surpassed Lou Gehrig for the hits record at Yankee Stadium with 1,274 — a mark that can never be broken — and Mariano Rivera had one of his most automatic seasons while pitching in save situations, converting 37 of 38 opportunities. New York’s victory over Baltimore on Sunday moved them to a season-high 14 games over .500.

“It’s been a good run,” Jeter said. “We have a new Yankee Stadium opening next year and attendance has been on the rise each year. It’s not something that is easy to do.”

In the end, though, it was not enough for the Yankees to avoid the prospect of a dark October in Yankee Stadium’s final season. Club co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner said Sunday that discussions will begin in the next few weeks on a number of important decisions the team must make to shape their roster for a postseason run in 2009, when the Yankees will open their brand new $1.3 billion facility across 161st Street.

With the Yanks’ elimination, he teams that have the longest current run of consecutive postseason appearances are the Red Sox, Angels and Cubs, who will appear in their second straight this season.

GM acknowledges talks, but Mets decline to discuss contract

NEW YORK — As the Mets strained to move closer to a berth in the postseason, the man most responsible for shaping their roster and their future has moved closer to being rewarded for his work. Omar Minaya, appointed as general manager and executive vice president of baseball operations nearly four years ago, is in position to have his contract extended.

Minaya acknowledged as much Tuesday night, hours after several reports said he had agreed to a contract extension or that he was on the verge of doing so. And a person in position to know the Mets’ maneuvering acknowledged to MLB.com that Minaya and the club were close to a new agreement, and said he would be surprised if the deal were not completed this week.

Announcement of an extension is another matter. Minaya said if an agreement were in place, it wouldn’t be announced until after the Mets’ season was complete. Mostly, he talked around the information in the reports and spoke of his relationship with chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon.

“I do have a contract through next year,” the GM said, “so it’s not a big thing. Me and Jeff have a great relationship, and there’s been lots of dialogue about a lot of things.”

The club declined to discuss publicly a report by ESPN early Tuesday evening that stated the club was working on a four-year extension of the five-year contract Minaya signed Sept 30, 2004. The report didn’t say whether the contract would take effect immediately after it is signed or whether it will cover the four-year period beginning next September. But if the agreement is consistent with the existing contract, it probably would expire after the 2014 season.

The Mets have produced a winning record in each of their four seasons under Minaya’s general managership, winning 83, 97 and 88 games under the GM’s chosen manager, Willie Randolph. New York has an 87-70 record, achieved with Randolph managing 69 games before being replaced by Jerry Manuel. Minaya reiterated that Manuel’s contract situation will be addressed after the season. The manager said the topic never was broached during his meeting with owner Fred Wilpon before the game.

Under Minaya, the Mets have spent lavishly to bring in players such as Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana. They reached the threshold of the World Series in 2006, but a collapse last season denied them a return to the postseason. Injuries have undermined them this year, but they lead the National League Wild Card race and are 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Philliies in the NL East.

Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

NEW YORK — The demands of the playoff races had winning essential Tuesday night, and Johan Santana’s presence underscored the importance.”We had our pitcher going,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said.

Because of their 6-2 victory, the first in four games against the Cubs this season, the final five have retained full consequence for the Mets. New York was victorious for the first time in four games, maintained its one-game lead in the National League Wild Card race and reduced its deficit in the NL East to a more manageable 1 1/2 games.

The Mets never put in words what losing would have meant. But it was clear when Jose Reyes said, “This is the biggest win of the year for us,” and Manuel said, “We had to win tonight.”

The Mets couldn’t afford to lose another Santana start. They had lost his start against the Braves 10 days earlier. The margin for error had begun to narrow for another misstep.

Santana seemed intent on avoiding that outcome, particularly after a four-run rally — which included Reyes’ three-run triple, his 200th hit this season — against losing pitcher Chad Gaudin in the sixth produced the lead. Santana had allowed two runs — one in the second inning and one in the third — on four well-struck hits, three of them doubles. He allowed a walk in the sixth. But he struck out two in the clean seventh and two more in the eighth — he finished with 10 strikeouts — before he allowed his seventh hit and second walk.

“He got nasty when we got ahead,” his catcher, Ramon Castro, said. “Like he was meaner. I didn’t worry when he had runners on base. He wanted to win so much, I knew he wouldn’t let them score.”

Santana threw 125 pitches, the most in his career.

“He wound up about 100 short,” Manuel said.

There was no thought to starting him on short rest Saturday against the Marlins. And now there’s less of a chance. But when he does pitch Sunday — if the Mets need a victory to secure a place in the postseason, there will be no pitch count.

“I didn’t even know I had that many pitches, to be honest with you,” Santana said. “All the intensity in the game and everything that we went through, I was just out there trying to help. But you do what you have to do to do your job. This was the game I was supposed to pitch and win. That’s why I’m here. I hope the next one is the same way.”

The victory, his 15th, was the Mets’ ninth in his 10 most recent starts. He hasn’t lost in 16 starts and the team has won 12 of them.

Mets heroes were many in the victory that moved their season from the brink. And they were hailed heartily by those who gathered at Shea Stadium in hopes of witnessing that needed reversal.

Reyes was saluted in the sixth after his key triple. David Wright had been toasted an inning earlier when his bases-loaded single performed CPR on the Mets’ postseason chances. And, of course, Santana was embraced as he walked to the dugout, having pitched effectively for eight innings and fiercely in his final three.

But the player whose turn at-bat — and two-out base on balls — in the fifth inning were so critical to the Mets’ get-well win was lustily booed almost throughout the otherwise rousing evening at the ballpark.

Luis Castillo was a hero, too, though his contribution went virtually unrecognized by the masses who had come to Shea to scorn, not praise, him.

After the game, Manuel spoke of the need to do “the little things” when the opponent is particularly challenging.

This opponent already had clinched the best record in the National League and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Cubs qualified as a genuine challenge, and Castillo had done the little-big thing that afforded Wright the opportunity to be a hero. Regardless, Castillo was jeered as he approached the plate for his at-bats in the sixth and eighth innings and after he was retired.

“Nobody noticed” what he had done in the fifth, he said later, his expression a sad smile.

Castillo now is in a class with Doug Sisk, Armando Benitez and — earlier this season — Carlos Delgado, a near anti-hero despite his uniform. He is booed on general principle.

“I’m getting better,” Castillo said Tuesday. “But they boo me.”

Without his walk, Wright would have led off the sixth inning. And who knows what that would have prompted? Instead, Wright pulled a soft-line drive to left field for his first hit in 12 at-bats with the bases loaded and the runs that overcame the inertia that had suffocated the batting order for four innings tied the score. The Mets had three baserunners in the first four frames against left-handed Sean Marshall, and they were jumping at his offspeed pitches.

“You can’t score the third and fourth runs before you score the first two,” Santana said, seemingly troubled by the treatment afforded Castillo. “That was a big walk.”

“I was begging for a chance to hit,” Wright said. “I wanted the bat in my hand with the game on the line to help this team get to the next level.”

His swing produced the 121st and 122nd RBIs of his season. Among Mets players, only Mike Piazza — 124 in 1999 — had driven in more runs in a season. And Wright’s campaign has five more games remaining.

Before Wright’s clutch knock in the fifth, before Castillo’s walk, came Santana’s bizarre infield hit that put runners on first and second. Reyes struck out for the second out, and that’s when Castillo worked a walk to extend the inning. With Nick Evans on first base, Santana hit a broken-bat ground ball to the first-base side of the mound. Marshall might have initiated a double play. But the bat head came between him and the ball and, 25 feet farther, the bat hit the ball and made it unplayable.

It was rightfully scored a single and appropriately seen as a signal.

“He must be living right,” Ryan Church said.

But Pedro Martinez was certain it had greater significance.

“You get a ball like that,” he said, “and you better win that game. You get that ball and it’s a good sign. But you have to win the game.”

Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

New York 2 1/2 games behind Philly after Niese struggles.

NEW YORK — At this juncture of the Mets’ uneven 2008 season, optimism may be hard to come by. They aren’t playing well, their bullpen is struggling, and they are compromised at second base, in the outfield, on the bench and in their rotation.

And yet a thread of optimism was quite evident after their latest defeat, on Monday night. After a 9-5 loss to the Cubs, the Mets spoke as though their final six games would be played in accordance with the tenets of their best-case scenario. But the best-case scenario has been an infrequent visitor to Shea Stadium this month, as it was last September.

“If we win the rest of our games, nothing else makes any difference,” one player said late on Monday after the impact of the third straight defeat already had been calculated. The arithmetic offered hope in one area only — the National League Wild Card race, even though the loss had undermined the Mets in that pursuit as well.

And yet, the optimist said, “The Brewers can win the rest of theirs and we’re in anyway.”

Monday’s loss, the fifth in nine home games this month, combined with the Phillies’ victory, put the second-place Mets 2 1/2 games behind the NL East leaders. And worse, it reduced the Mets’ margin over the Brewers to one game in the Wild Card race. And by losing to the NL Central champions, the Mets allowed the Cubs to clinch the best record in the league, and made it likely that if they do win the Wild Card, their postseason opponent will be those same Cubs.

The Mets, though, painted a better picture for the rest of the week.

“We have to take advantage of where we are,” David Wright said, looking beyond the disappointment that filled the foreground. “We’re in the driver’s seat. We’re in control. All we have to do is play our game.”

His meaning was understood, but the Mets’ margin for error has been reduced to this — one more loss and one more Brewers’ victory, and they have no advantage. Two more losses, and the comparisons with 2007 will be more valid than they are now.

“I don’t like to group the two years together,” Wright said. “There’s a separation.”

But, he added, “One missed opportunity, you can learn from that. Two missed opportunities and, obviously, you have a problem.”

Wright wasn’t borrowing trouble, and there was no need to; the Mets had enough on Monday night. In their third loss in three games against the Cubs this season, they trailed, 8-2, after five innings, and never really endangered the Cubs’ lead thereafter.

The game turned in the fourth inning, when winning pitcher Jason Marquis hit a grand slam off losing pitcher Jonathon Niese. The Cubs scored six times in the inning and once in the fifth to take their six-run lead. The Mets, who led, 2-1, before the Cubs rallied, didn’t score again until Wright hit his 33rd home run, with a runner on base, against Marquis in the seventh. The Mets put two runners on after Marquis’ departure, but Neal Cotts retired Ryan Church on a popup to end the inning.

Niese (1-1) probably cost himself a chance to start the 161st game of the season, on Saturday against the Marlins, with his performance — seven hits, two walks in three-plus innings — in his third big league start. Half of the 18 batters he faced reached base, and a third of those scored. This, despite his pitching a clean first inning and retiring three of four in the third.

The Cubs started an exclusively right-handed batting order, aside from Marquis, and he drove in five of the nine runs. They adjusted quickly to Niese’s left-handed curve. Marquis hit a hanger for his second home run of the season and the second grand slam by a pitcher against the Mets this season. Felix Hernandez of the Mariners hit one against Johan Santana on June 23. The Mets have allowed three home runs by pitchers this season.

That the opposing pitcher had inflicted the damage made the damage seem worse, the Mets acknowledged, but their outlook remained positive.

“I’m feeling pretty confident we’ll get in [the postseason],” manager Jerry Manuel said. “I like what I see, [players] scratching and clawing. I think we’ll do real well from this point all the way till the end.”

He is taking nothing for granted, of course, but he was speaking of the postseason and how a team with zero margin for error and forced to play to the end of the regular season often prospers in the postseason. He thought that would apply to the Mets.

Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

NEW YORK — The Mets brought in Johan Santana to pitch in important games, and there is no question that a playoff-clinching win in the season’s last week would be of an appropriate scale. But with Santana scheduled to start on Tuesday, manager Jerry Manuel dismissed the possibility of giving his ace any more starts than necessary down the stretch. If anything, Santana, or even Mike Pelfrey, could come out of the bullpen, but that would be a “last resort” option, Manuel said on Monday.

Manuel also would not consider such a scenario for Wednesday starter Oliver Perez, saying that the rotation will stay in its current order, and nobody would pitch on three days’ rest.

“I think our guys have pushed enough, and we have to accomplish this with the people that we have and the rotation we have in place,” Manuel said. “I would not feel comfortable in asking those guys to do that at this point.”

That does not mean, though, that anything is guaranteed for Jonathon Niese after Monday’s start against the Cubs. Manuel said that the Mets could make the necessary “adjustments” for a scenario in which they do not feel comfortable starting Niese if he put up a poor performance.

“If he really, really struggled or something like that, we could make the adjustments,” Manuel said. “There are other guys, but we don’t really have that much flexibility.”

Jon Blau is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.