Giants lose star Posey

Buster Posey was carted through a tunnel at AT&T Park on Thursday, a makeshift cast covering his left ankle and no emotion on his face.

Not exactly the exit the cornerstone of the World Series champion Giants wanted this season.

A night after Florida’s Scott Cousins crashed into him at home plate, San Francisco’s star catcher was put on the disabled list because of a fractured bone in his lower left leg and three torn ligaments in his ankle, likely ending his season and putting a major dent in the Giants’ chances of repeating.

“You just don’t replace a guy like Buster Posey,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, a former catcher who was so stricken by the news he called on Major League Baseball to review rule changes for collisions at the plate.

It’s hard to imagine a more important position player than Posey to replace.

Posey has been San Francisco’s cleanup hitter, a team leader and key cog behind the plate for one of baseball’s best rotations. The 2010 N.L. Rookie of the Year was batting .284 with four home runs and 21 RBIs, just finding his groove in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak to move the Giants into the N.L. West lead.

Mets owners sell minority share

The cash-strapped owners of the New York Mets agreed to sell a minority share of the team to hedge fund manager David Einhorn for $200 million, with the new partner predicting the club’s financial situation will improve.

The announcement would allow owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz to retain control of the team, which has been damaged by the Bernard Madoff scandal. The influx of money would help pay debts and cover expenses.

It was not clear how much of the team Einhorn will own. He emphasized his stake was a minority one and that he wouldn’t oversee the team’s payroll or budget.

“I don’t expect to have control over any of those topics,” he said in a conference call. As for the Mets, he added: “I do expect the financial fortunes to improve over time.”

Clearing the bases

DUI and reckless driving charges have been dismissed against Atlanta Braves pitcher Derek Lowe. One of Lowe’s attorneys, Cory Yager, said that the chief prosecutor in Atlanta Municipal Court agreed to dismiss the charges for lack of evidence. … Authorities say a 27-year-old man has died after he fell while sliding down a stair railing at the Colorado Rockies’ stadium in Denver. The Denver coroner’s office identified the man as Robert Seamans of Pueblo, Colo.