Postseason schedule set; Fall Classic opens Oct. 21 Playoffs begin with AL Wild Card Game on Sept. 30, followed by NL game a day later  —  Major League Baseball announced the postseason schedule on Thursday, starting on Sept. 30 with the American League Wild Card Game presented by Budweiser …

Stanton hit in face by pitch, exits on stretcher  —  Miami Marlins star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton was driven off the field in an ambulance after being hit in the face by a pitch during Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers.  —  Stanton was bleeding from the face after being struck …

Game Recap: Nationals 6 - Mets 2  —  Result: The Mets lost to the Nationals, 6-2, Thursday night at Citi Field.  —  Need to Know: Bartolo Colon hit the showers early, getting ejected in the fourth inning after the umpire thought Jayson Werth was hit on purpose.

BASEBALL'S NEXT BIG COMPETITIVE EDGE … Everything a front office or MLB GM does comes down to one mandate: gain a competitive edge over the other 29 teams.  This has been explored from multiple angles since baseball's inception.  Most recently, the introduction of advanced metrics …

Cuban slugger Tomas moves closer to MLB eligibility  —  Outfielder unblocked by US government; showcase in Dominican Republic next week  —  3/6/13: Yasmany Tomas launches a deep home run to left-center field to give Cuba a 1-0 lead against Japan in the World Baseball Classic

Rafael Montero wins first as Mets blank Rockies again … It might be hard to tell from the meager body count in the seats at Citi Field, but suddenly, Mets games in September have taken on some meaning.  Call the wild-card chances of a sub-.500 team a major long shot if you like …

Cobb On the Corn  —  Alex Cobb owns a no-hitter through five innings against the Yankees.  He would have been perfect except for a dropped fly ball by Kevin Kiermaier.  It was a no doubt error, as he was under the ball and it hit his glove.  Cobb struck out three so far.

Red Sox chairman hints at free-agency spree … Calling this season a “nightmare,” Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner hinted Thursday that the team would not hesitate to go big in free agency this winter in an effort to get back into contention.  —  “I wouldn't say that we have limitless money …

Royals Today: 9/11/14.  —  Playoff Odds (ESPN/Fangraphs): 78.9% (62.3% Division, 16.6% Wild Card)  —  Playoff Odds (Baseball Prospectus): 77.9% (47.4% Division, 30.5% Wild Card)  —  Well, I hope all of you who criticized the Royals for making the James Shields trade are preparing your apologies.

Sternberg: Rays' payroll likely to go down  —  NEW YORK — Stu Sternberg spoke to reporters prior to Wednesday night's game at Yankee Stadium, and the Rays' principal owner made it clear that he expects a payroll reduction for 2015.  —  “It's clearly going to be lower,” Sternberg said.

Sale outduels Kazmir, White Sox beat Athletics  —  CHICAGO — Chris Sale bested Scott Kazmir in a brilliant pitchers' duel, light-hitting Marcus Semien homered for the only run and the Chicago White Sox edged the rapidly fading Oakland Athletics 1-0 Thursday.  —  The A's lost for the 11th time in 14 games.

Cueto Outlasts Lynn as Reds Beat Cardinals 1-0  —  CINCINNATI — Johnny Cueto pitched eight scoreless innings to beat Lance Lynn and send the St. Louis Cardinals to their third consecutive loss 1-0 Thursday.  —  Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his 33rd save and third in the last three games.

Crawford, Garcia named 2014 Paul Owens Award winners  —  Shortstop J.P. Crawford and right-hander Luis Garcia have been named the recipients of the 2014 Paul Owens Awards as the best player and pitcher, respectively, in the Phillies minor league system, Joe Jordan, Director, Player Development announced today.