Last night's action: Good thing there's that cushion

- Pirates 3, Mets 0: No need to overreact to the Mets' being swept in Pittsburgh by the lowly Pirates, but the series can provide a few laughs. On a serious note, fans should hope Pedro Martinez doesn't have too many more outings to cry over and that Willie Randolph doesn't make Steve Trachsel is Game 4 starter just because the pitcher's piled up wins. John Maine, who lost Sunday, doesn't get the run support Trachsel receives, but he does hold teams to fewer runs, a stat the pitcher has most control over.

- Red Sox 6, Yankees 3; Red Sox 5, Yankees 4: Boston's taking three of four from the Yankees suffers from a terrible lack of timing. Derek Jeter's hit streak was snapped at 25 games when he went 0-for-4 in the nightcap. Jeter knows that hitting streaks are overrated, but, for the first time in a long time, Jeter's offensive contributions are not being overrated this season. With his high on-base percentage and the difference between his offense and that of most shortstops, Jeter makes a legitimate case for the MVP award.