Baseball Bats Reviews – Louisville Slugger : Demarini : Easton : Mizuno

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 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 [...]

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 [...]