C.J. Wilson is battling some mechanical problems. C.J. Wilson is dealing with an undisclosed injury. And C.J. Wilson doesn't really want to talk about it.

The Rangers have two-game winning streak and a new pitching coach (Andy Hawkins took over on the weekend), but according to manager Ron Washington, they do not have a new closer. The team is looking to get Wilson's mechanics cleaned up, and then there's that mystery ailment, but apparently Washington isn't ready to pull the trigger on a role change yet. Put on your 10-gallon hat and let's survey the situation in Arlington.

"We're trying to see what we can do to get (Wilson) back on track," Washington told the team's official site before Monday's game. "He's my closer. If I put someone else out there, that doesn't mean he's not my closer."

"I don't like talking about my health issues in the media," said Wilson, who has a 9.35 ERA over his last 10 appearances (15 hits, seven walks). "Some of you have seen me at 100 percent, some of you

The original aim of the Closing Time blog was to focus on the chase for saves, and that's where we'll begin our lap around the majors tonight.

• The Mets probably have a ninth-inning vacancy to fill, because Billy Wagner is headed for an MRI and some downtime seems inevitable. He's been pitching through a stiff forearm, and he told the team's official site that he's not going to take any more risks by pitching through pain. The save chase is wide-open if Wagner needs rest; Duaner Sanchez and Aaron Heilman haven't been very reliable this summer. Weekend callup Eddie Kunz has been closing for Double-A Binghamton and Jerry Manuel has mentioned him as an option, but is it too much responsibility to thrust upon a 22-year-old rookie? The next few days in New York should be very interesting. By default Sanchez would be my first add out of this group, though I'm curious to see what Kunz can do on the big stage.

• So what's the story in the Oakland bullpen these days? Huston Street warmed up in

We'll check in on all the old faces in new places from Friday night, but first let's look at a couple of Washington hitters worthy of a point-and-click.

• Maybe it's time to start taking the Washington offense seriously, at least in a couple of spots. Elijah Dukes came off the DL Friday and produced immediately (a 4-1-2-2 line, batting third), and new second baseman and leadoff man Emilio Bonifacio was heard from (4-1-1-1, stolen base). Dukes had been playing superbly before his knee injury in July (.959 OPS, six homers, seven steals in the prior month), so by all means make a move if your league forgot about him. Bonifacio has shown a willingness to run constantly in the minors, despite an ordinary success rate at the higher levels, and you get the idea the Nationals, desperate for some new blood and excitement, will turn him loose and see what he can do these last two months. Bottom line, if you need some speed in a deeper group, I'll sign off on the rookie second sacker.

• The

I'm a little fried from the deadline week (so is my phone), and with that, there won't be a cutesy theme forced on you tonight. Bulleted content follows, with a comebacking Marlin getting his just due as the lead item. And if you stick with me for the full nine innings, there's an Easter Egg at the bottom of the column.

• It was Anibal Sanchez's first start in almost 15 months Thursday, coming off labrum surgery, and you had to be impressed as he defeated Colorado. The line was passable enough (5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K) and he did even better on the eye test, mixing low-90s heat with a decent slider, getting ahead of hitters. Given Sanchez's pedigree, home stadium and supporting cast, I'm putting more stock in him than I generally would someone who's just returning from a major injury. He's worth a shot in mixed leagues, and you'll need to be aggressive in NL-only groups (Sanchez went for $46 in the Tout Wars bidding last night – that's on a $100 budget).

• The youth movement starts

Just when it seemed like Christmas was canceled and the afternoon was dead on the trade front, the Manny Ramirez deal went down and there's three sides to analyze (Jason Bay to Boston, four prospects to Pittsburgh, and the Manny Circus to LA).

Let's break this down city-by-city:

Boston: On the surface it looks like a lot to give up: Ramirez, two MLB-ready prospects, $7 million in cash. But Ramirez painted the Red Sox into a corner with his loafing and malcontent ways, and keep in mind the 2008 version of Ramirez is merely a good hitter, not an other-worldly one. Bay's a viable stand-in for LF and the middle of the order (.282/.375/.519), and he's under contract, affordably, through 2009. Given the Red Sox had no real leverage in this Ramirez dance, they did fine. Keeping Bay out of Tampa Bay's hands doesn't hurt, either.

Don't make the knee-jerk assumption that Bay's fantasy value will take a quantum leap -- entering today the Pirates had scored just five less runs than the Red Sox.

So here I am babysitting the trade deadline, and nothing's happening (throw me a bone, please - even a Jarrod Washburn or Gerald Laird deal would be nice). In an effort to stimulate the trading economy, I'm going to bang out a quick blog post which will be irrelevant and ignored when the next big domino falls. Anything for the masses . . .

• Khalil Greene's season officially bottomed out Wednesday - three more outs, a minor shin injury, and then the capper, a hand injury resulting from Greene taking a swing at a storage chest in the dugout (despite Greene's track record in 2008, he apparently made contact with said locker). Asked about the hand after the game, Greene conceded "It's not good." Luis Rodriguez took over for Greene last night; it's not clear what the long-term plan is should Greene land on the DL.

• Over in the AL, Paul Konerko is the apparent fantasy loser from the Ken Griffey trade. Chicago is expected to slot Griffey in center field, which pushes Nick Swisher to first,

Fantasy strategy is a never-ending conversation; Tip Drill is merely a conversation starter. Five days a week we offer a bite-size nugget of goodness to you, then we shift to Steve Buscemi mode on the weekend. Enjoy.

I prefer fantasy auctions to fantasy drafts, and I've had pretty good success with them (no need to document here - I know you don't care, and you shouldn't). Here are some auction tips I've collected over the years; read them, consider them, and offer your own on the way out.

Vary Your Nominations

Most of my early throws will be expensive players I don't need or want, or an overyhyped sleeper I think the room will waste money on. But it's important to mix up your nomination strategy, especially in the first half; sneak in a few guys you actually do want, see if you can slide your pet defense or sleeper receiver through for the minimum, keep them guessing. One fun gambit is throwing out a trendy handcuff before the starter is off the board, makes for some interesting

Interesting things seem to happen in Arlington on a nightly basis and Tuesday was no exception, as the Mariners and Rangers gave us another crazy ballgame. Runs, hits and errors were flowing all night, along with injury news, blown saves, and some frosty Lone Star Beer to wash it all down (every game in this park plays out like a keg-tapper, doesn't it?). Settle in for a while, podner, and we'll sort through Texas's 11-10 victory.

• Michael Young (broken finger) stayed in the lineup after all, but was it a good idea? He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, which makes you wonder how compromised his swings become if he plays through the malady. The doctors have said he can't make the finger any worse, so Young intends to gut it out.

• Ramon Vazquez was initially going to replace Young at shortstop but instead he'll be saddling up at third base; Hank Blalock (shoulder) went back on the disabled list Tuesday and is down for 10-14 days at minimum. Vazquez was a horror show in the field