by Ken Rosenthal

Melvin has been loyal to Yost, probably too loyal. Just before spring training, Melvin extended Yost's contract through next season. But since then, the stakes for the Brewers only have risen.

In early July, Melvin traded for CC Sabathia, trying to nudge the Brewers toward their first postseason appearance since 1982 before the likely departure of Ben Sheets as a free agent.

The Brewers then went 20-7 in August, extending their wild-card lead to a season-high 5½ games.

And now, here they go again.

The Brewers are 3-8 in September, reducing their lead over the Phillies and Astros to only three games with 15 to play. The calendar is in their favor, but the remaining schedule isn't. They face the Phillies three more times this weekend (MLB on Fox, Saturday, 3:55 p.m. ET).

After that, the Brewers play six more games against the Cubs, while the Phillies and Astros meet only one more opponent with a winning record — the Marlins, who are a mere 74-72.

Yost appears tense to rival scouts and executives who have seen the Brewers play recently. So does his team, an offensive powerhouse that is averaging only 2.8 runs per game in September.

"There's a sense of panic, anxiety," one scout said. "The team picks up on it. He's a Nervous Nellie. A manager is supposed to calm you down, not rile you up."

A year ago, the Brewers were even in the loss column with the first-place Cubs on Sept. 16, then went into a 3-7 tailspin during which Yost was ejected three times in a four-game span.

The Brewers lost the division by two games, but their 83-79 finish was their best since 1992. One more victory this season will give the Brewers an even better record, but if they fail to make the playoffs, their fans will not be satisfied.

Yost is probably more disliked by his fan base than any manager of a winning team, a business concern that will loom large if his status comes into question. Even in August, a great month for the Brewers, he failed to avoid controversy.

On Aug. 4, the Brewers had a dugout brawl for the second straight season. On Aug. 18, Yost created a stir by allowing Sabathia to throw 130 pitches with a huge lead. And on Aug. 31, he came off poorly when he ripped the official scorer in Pittsburgh for a questionable ruling that produced the only hit in a complete game for Sabathia.

Such peripheral issues will carry little weight if the Brewers reach the postseason, and the odds remain in their favor. But Yost needs to produce. If the Brewers cave again, Melvin will be unable to justify bringing him back.

A Trop-ical October?

The Rays did not merely seize command of the AL East by winning two of three games in Boston. They also pulled even with the Angels in the loss column in the race for the league's best overall record.

Home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is a meaningful goal for the Rays, whose 53-21 record at Tropicana Field is the best home mark in the majors. Still, the Rays face the usual balancing act for a team in their position, trying to rest injured players for the postseason while winning as many games as possible.

The AL East champion will face the White Sox or Twins rather than the Angels. And the team that finishes with the best record in the AL will gain the right to decide whether to play its best-of-5 Division Series in seven days or eight.

The Rays could start James Shields and Scott Kazmir in four of the five games if they played the longer series. Matt Garza would be the third starter, and Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine would join the rotation if the team needed a fourth starter for the shorter series.

Of course, nothing is decided yet. The Rays visit the Yankees this weekend, then host the Red Sox and Twins before finishing the season in Baltimore and Detroit. The Red Sox host the Jays — but miss Roy Halladay — before visiting the Rays and Jays and ending their season at home against the Indians and Yankees.

The Rays expect third baseman Evan Longoria (wrist) to rejoin their lineup this weekend against the Yankees, but they will exercise caution with center fielder B.J. Upton (quad) and closer Troy Percival (back).

Run, Manny, Run!

Evidently Manny Ramirez found a miracle cure for the sore knee that supposedly hindered him during his final days with the Red Sox.

Not only is Manny mashing for the Dodgers, he's also hustling. (Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)

It's called, "pending free agency."

A scout who attended Wednesday night's Dodgers-Padres game at Petco Park clocked Ramirez from home to first in 4.48 seconds — a major improvement on his running times with the Red Sox.

"It was the fastest I've ever gotten him," the scout said. "I couldn't believe it."

Equally incredible were the two opposite-field home runs that Ramirez crushed at Petco, an extreme pitcher's park.

"He stayed back on (Shawn) Estes' curveball as good as I've seen a hitter stay on a ball in a long, long time — and he drove it 420 feet," the scout said. "All I could think was, 'Phil Nevin, where are you now?'"

Nevin frequently complained about the dimensions at Petco, and several current Padres hitters still consider the park a problem. Ramirez made the place look like a Little League field.

"He's like Bonds," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said, referring to his team's former nemesis. "He's got some people around him, but he has that Bonds effect.

"He's one of those guys, you're always looking for him. It seems like he's on deck, on base, at the plate almost every inning. And with one swing, he can change the game."

Padres' Towers: 'We are all to blame'

Towers maintains that he will not decide on manager Bud Black's future until after he meets with him near the end of the season.

The Padres could retain Black, who is signed through 2009, and dismiss some of his coaches instead.

"We all are to blame," Towers said. "The entire organization. It's the coaching staff. It's the front office. It's the players. We all should be held accountable.

"We have to look as a front office at what the mistakes were, where the mistakes were. Going forward, do we have the right people, the right players, the right coaches?

"That's the question that (club president) Sandy (Alderson) and I need to ask. We want to talk to Buddy and see where he thinks our pluses are, where things went wrong.

"We talk on a daily basis as a front office. Sometimes it's important to hear from your manager at the end of the year and see how he evaluates things."

Sweet, relentless Lou

Lou Piniella wants to win so badly, he occasionally drives his players crazy, his bosses crazy, everyone crazy. But you know what? Piniella was right to rip into the Cubs on Tuesday night after they lost for the eighth time in nine games.

Complacency is often an issue in September for likely postseason qualifiers, and the Cubs aren't exactly known for tearing it up in October. So, when Piniella says, "You've got to get your damn shirts rolled up and kick somebody's ass," who can argue?

Piniella can seem unreasonable, but he keeps everyone on edge — sort of like his old boss, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, did in his heyday. No manager is ever satisfied, but next to Piniella, even Tony La Russa appears to be in a state of bliss.

One morning in spring training, I stood on the field with Piniella at the Cubs' facility in Mesa, Az., listing — at Piniella's request — the available talent on every team. He frequently would stop me and mention that he liked a certain player, the glint in his eye apparent as he envisioned a roster of 45 All-Stars.

A few weeks back, during a pre-game meeting with the Fox broadcasters, Piniella explained how the Cubs' lineup was one left-handed slugger short. "But Lou," Eric Karros said, "you're 35 games over .500!" True enough, but maybe Piniella was onto something: The Cubs' 1-8 slump began that day.

O-Dog in demand

Diamondbacks second baseman Orlando Hudson, who underwent season-ending surgery on his left wrist in August, is almost certain to be a hot free agent.

Hudson would fit for the Mets if they traded Luis Castillo or the Yankees if they traded Robinson Cano. The Rangers could sign Hudson and move Ian Kinsler off second. The White Sox could sign him and move Alexei Ramirez to shortstop.

The Indians would be another possibility; they could move Asdrubal Cabrera to short and Jhonny Peralta to third. The Rockies and Cardinals are two other clubs likely to seek upgrades at second.

The A's Mark Ellis, coming off a disappointing offensive season, figures to be the only other quality second baseman on the free-agent market. The Orioles' Brian Roberts and Marlins' Dan Uggla are the leading trade candidates at the position.

Wren's Japanese adventure

The Braves' activity in the Japanese market has mostly been limited to the sales of players to Japanese clubs. However, they soon might become more aggressive buyers: General manager Frank Wren recently returned from a week-long visit to Japan, an unusual step for a major-league GM in the middle of the season.

"It was a tremendous help — that was the impression I got from club executives and the people that were over there," Wren said. "They were excited to see a general manager come over during the season."

The Braves, who maintain a friendship agreement with the Hanshin Tigers, are "open" to signing Japanese talent, Wren said. Atlanta, as a former Olympic city with a growing Asian population and non-stop flights to Tokyo, could appeal to Japanese players.

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