Diamondbacks Fire Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammell  —  3:55pm: In a curious decision, the D'Backs have announced that Trammell will manage the final three games of the season.  —  3:22pm: The Diamondbacks announced that they have fired manager Kirk Gibson and bench coach Alan Trammell.

A's Closer to Wild Card After 6-2 Win at Texas  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Josh Reddick drove in three runs, Scott Kazmir won for the first time in seven starts and the Oakland Athletics moved ever so close to their third consecutive playoff appearance with a 6-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.

Santana allows five runs over five innings as New York finishes sweep  —  9/21/14: Freddie Freeman fields a grounder to first and throws to Andrelton Simmons to start a 3-6-3 double play  —  ATLANTA — Now that the Braves have bid adieu to any thought of playing in October …

Brewers to exercise Yovani Gallardo's $13M option for 2015  —  The Brewers plan to exercise top starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo's $13 million option for 2015, sources say.  —  The call to bring the right-hander Gallardo back rather than buy him out for $600,000 isn't a surprise …

Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu  —  Fenway Park, in Boston, is a lyric little bandbox of a ballpark.  Everything is painted green and seems in curiously sharp focus, like the inside of an old-fashioned peeping-type Easter egg.  It was built in 1912 and rebuilt in 1934, and offers, as do most Boston artifacts …

Sluggers Bryant and Gallo make the cut, as do pairs of Dodgers, Nationals and Red Sox  —  MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis takes a closer look at the players chosen for the 2014 All-Prospect Team  —  Last week, MLBPipeline.com handed out year-end awards for top hitting and pitching prospects.

Jason Rogers gets try at first base  —  Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jason Rogers  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  Cincinnati —Jason Rogers got a start Thursday at first base for the Brewers because, why not?  —  As the 2014 season draws to a close …

2-time All-Star Abreu to retire, hopes to coach  —  NEW YORK — Bobby Abreu was a 22-year-old rookie, struggling through his first month in the big leagues with the Houston Astros.  —  Terry Collins was his manager.  —  “Are you ever going to get a hit?”  Collins asked Abreu on that long-ago day at the Astrodome.

Nats Clinch NL Home-Field Edge, Split With Marlins  —  WASHINGTON — For the second time in three seasons, the Washington Nationals will head to the postseason with the top seeding in the National League.  —  They hope they can take advantage of that status this year.

Rays fighting uphill battle to keep franchise relevant  —  St. Petersburg, Fla. — When evaluating precisely why the Tampa Bay Rays, despite excellent management, look as if they've peaked as a franchise, you have to start with the stadium.  —  If I ever needed to show my daughter …

ROCKIES' JUSTIN MORNEAU BATTLING TO WIN HIS FIRST BATTING TITLE  —  The Denver Post  —  Down the stretch they come in a tight batting race that could very well be decided on the final day of the season.  —  Entering baseball's final weekend, Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau trails …