Setting sun: If winning 17 of 20 didn't do it, the Los Angeles Dodgers can bring out the hammer and stake in the NL West race (at least for the Padres) if they can boast similar success after finishing a three-game series at Petco Park (tomorrow-Wednesday). Tomorrow's opener is on ESPN2 (10:05 p.m.).

East meets West: No one is likely to get much sleep from the five boroughs up through Maine this week. After finishing a series against each other tomorrow, the Yankees and Red Sox fly west for the week to face the Angels and Mariners. The Yankees are 33-25 on the road; the Red Sox 30-31. But note that the Angels (53-51) are the only team to post a winning record vs. Joe Torre since he took over as Yankees manager.