Your Morning Phil: Sveum, Girardi and a farewell  —  On Baseball  —  Talking baseball while pitying the fools who passed on Peyton Manning in their fantasy leagues:  —  1. Dale Sveum seems likely to be fired today, and to his credit hasn't come close to pulling an Eric Wedge.

Alvarez in the Ninth  —  Henderson Alvarez comes out for the top of the ninth inning, pitching a no-hitter in a scoreless game.  He'll face the pitcher's spot, Don Kelly, and Andy Dirks as the Tigers and Marlins continue to look for offense.  —  Update: Alex Avila pinch hits and grounds back to the pitcher.

Yanks Top Astros 5-1 in 14, Enter Uncertain Future  —  HOUSTON — Mark Reynolds hit a tiebreaking homer in a four-run 14th inning, and the New York Yankees went into an offseason of uncertainty Sunday with a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros, whose 15-game losing streak was the longest at the end of the season in more than a century.

Dodgers shut down Matt Kemp  —  LOS ANGELES — Just days before their first playoff appearance in four seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers learned Sunday they'll be without center fielder Matt Kemp throughout the postseason.  —  A Sunday morning MRI to Kemp's injured left ankle showed significant swelling …

Sims, Elander earn top Minor League honors  —  ATLANTA — Rookie left-hander Alex Wood appears headed for a key role on the Braves' postseason pitching staff, and in the final week of the regular season, two more of Atlanta's top picks in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft were recognized earlier …

Five Teams That Could Sign Jose Abreu  —  Major League Baseball and the U.S. government have given Cuban first baseman Jose Abreu the green light to sign.  —  International scouts already have formed strong opinions about Abreu, who has been one of the most heavily-scouted Cuban players in recent years …

Cardinals set RISP record  —  • By Derrick Goold dgoold@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8285  —  In a fitting finish to a record-setting season with runners in scoring position, the Cardinals went four for nine in such situations Sunday and scored all their runs in a 4-0 win over the Cubs with two outs.

Blue Jays host Rays with wild card spot on the line  —  The Sports Network  —  (Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Rays appeared headed toward a postseason spot this weekend, but losing the first two meetings of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays has their playoff fate in a cloud.

Headley played through knee pain, will have surgery  —  Operation to repair third baseman's torn meniscus slated for Tuesday  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Playing through a knee injury all season, without complaining or making excuses, is another reason Chase Headley is one of the leaders of the San Diego Padres, manager Bud Black said Sunday.

Oakland Shuts Out Seattle 9-0 in Finale  —  SEATTLE — Sonny Gray threw five shutout innings in his final start before the playoffs, Oakland had a pair of four-run innings and the Athletics closed out the regular season with a 9-0 win over Seattle in Eric Wedge's final game as Mariners manager.

Mike Piazza returns to enter Mets Hall of Fame as chilly relationships begin to thaw  —  Will his return to Queens on Sunday for the induction signal the beginning of a phase in which the former Met catcher inches toward becoming a more regular presence?  —  This happens when a memory is so intense …

Fresh off new $90M deal, Pence leads Giants over Padres  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Hunter Pence followed his first long-term contract with his first game-ending hit with San Francisco.  —  Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.