- Yankees 6, Angels 5: After a one-year absence, the Yankees will play in October again. They clinched a berth when Oakland defeated Texas. Then the Yankees bounced back to beat the Angels after blowing a 5-0 lead. Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in the third -- as did Jorge Posada -- and then hit the tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the ninth. Chad Gaudin, a stealth candidate to be in the playoff rotation, started strong but couldn't finish the fifth inning. Alfredo Aceves and Phil Hughes combined to blow the lead, but Mariano Rivera held the one-run margin in the ninth. The Yankees didn't pop any Champagne or do anything crazy. They're saving that for a division title. The magic number for that is six. The Yankees are six up with 10 games left -- the Red Sox have 12. The teams play three times in the Bronx this weekend.
- Braves 3, Mets 1: Only 10 games left. That's right, only 10. Nelson Figueroa pitched seven innings of two-run ball but got zero help from the "bats" in the Mets' lineup. The No. 3-6 hitters went 1-for-15. Brian Schneider got two hits, doubling his total for the season. Luis Castillo put the Mets on the board first with an RBI single in the third, but Figueroa gave up both his runs in the top of the fourth. Mike Pelfrey faces Tim Hudson as the Mets close out their penultimate homestand on Wednesday night.
Last Night's Action: Back to the Playoffs
Last Night's Action: Are Things Lining Up?
Last Night's Action: Now That's Much Better
Last Night's Action: Who Is This Guy?
Last Night's Action: On a Roll
Last Night's Action: Losing to Bottom-Feeders
Last Night's Action: The Resurrection Continues
New York's Top Sports Stories of 2007
A Historic Collapse: The Mets held a seven-game lead with 17 to play and were caught looking ahead to the playoffs. What followed was among the worst collapses in history and one that revealed the weaknesses of the players, the manager and the general manager. Jose Reyes and his questionable -- and downright poor -- play summed up the the performance on the field. Manager Willie Randolph's mismanagement of the bullpen came to light more down the stretch. So did Omar Minaya's complete neglect of the roster's periphery. The Mets trotted out inexperienced and ineffective pitchers down the stretch, and the bullpen that Randolph had to deal with wasn't that good to begin with thanks to some questionable trades. What this means for the 2008 season remains to be seen, but it cost the Mets fans Lastings Milledge, another symbol of the collapse. He was dumped dealt to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.
Mets trade Milledge for Nationals' Church, Schneider
After two seasons of constant trade speculation, the Mets finally have moved Lastings Milledge in a deal this afternoon to the division rival Washington Nationals. In return, the Mets receive Outfielder Ryan Church and Catcher Brian Schneider. Milledge was not always a model citizen as a Met, either on the field or of the field, but nonetheless had been long touted by the organization and the media by a top tier outfield prospect. While he...

