NL CENTRAL leader St. Louis expanded its lead to an 11-1/2 games over the Cubs, running off 11 wins in its last 14 games. The Cubs have even become a wild-card afterthought, falling into the fifth slot, eight games back of the wild-card-leading Rockies.

NL WEST leader Los Angeles stumbled to a 3-4 home stand against divisional dregs Arizona and San Diego, which allowed the Rockies to pull within 3-1/2 games in what has become the closest divisional race.

Overheard

"If we do what we are supposed to do we are going to be fine. They are chasing us. We have control of our situation," Rockies manager Jim Tracy on his team's two-game lead on San Francisco in the NL wild-card race.

Keep an eye on

The top three teams in the NL West all took Aug. 31 gambles to bolster their pitching staffs, and initial returns were positive.

The DODGERS acquired RHP Jon Garland from Arizona. Garland, who was 8-11 with a 4.29 ERA in 27 starts for the Diamondbacks, beat Arizona in his Dodgers debut last Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six in seven innings. He is scheduled to start Wednesday, at Arizona this time, against Diamondbacks ace Dan Haren.

The ROCKIES acquired RHP Jose Contreras from the Chicago White Sox. Contreras, who was 5-13 with a 5.42 ERA in 21 starts with the White Sox, allowed one run on eight hits and a walk, striking out five in a win, also against Arizona, on Saturday. He is scheduled to start Thursday, at Coors Field for the second game in a row, against Cincinnati.

The GIANTS signed free-agent pitcher Brad Penny, who was 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA in 24 starts at Boston. He debuted by working eight shutout innings, allowing five hits and a walk, in a 4-0 win at Philadelphia last weekend. He's scheduled to pitch against San Diego on Monday and then face his former Dodger teammates on Sunday.

FYI

Pittsburgh went into Monday one loss away from not only being officially eliminated in the NL Central, but also clinching a major-league record 17th consecutive losing season. Toronto also went into Monday one loss away from official elimination.

Washington, in the National League, and Baltimore, in the American League, were the first teams officially eliminated this year.

Kansas City goes into the weekend with a tragic number (combination of Royals losses and Detroit wins) of three. Arizona and San Diego both had a tragic number of five for elimination in the NL West.

Quickly

Tigers manager Jim Leyland has been rewarded for his careful treatment of rookie Rick Porcello. He makes his ninth start of the season on five days of rest on Tuesday, had thrown more than 100 pitches only once, and thanks to the All-Star Break didn't pitch July 5-21. Porcello, 20, is still going strong. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in six of his last seven starts.

Dodgers lefthander Clayton Kershaw is winless in his last nine starts despite a 2.75 ERA. He is 0-3 in that stretch, having allowed more than two runs only twice (three runs in one game and four in another).

Pitching is supposed to be the key to success. Then there are the Yankees. They have overpowered the rest of the AL East and lead the majors with 87 wins with a rotation in which Job Chamberlain is being treated with kid gloves, and the likes of Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin and Alfredo Aceves.