Royals Put Big Dent in Twins' Wild-Card Bid With 3-1 Win  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Ben Zobrist put a major dent in Minnesota's postseason bid with an RBI double in the eighth inning against struggling All-Star Glen Perkins, and the Kansas City Royals topped the Twins 3-1 on Friday night.

Mets target 5 innings of relief for Matz to prepare for postseason  —  The New York Mets have developed a strategy to prepare rookie starter Steven Matz for the postseason after he was forced to skip a start due to back discomfort.  —  The New York Mets have developed a strategy …

Angels Win 2-1 to Prevent Rangers From Clinching AL West  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Mike Trout hit a leadoff triple in the ninth inning and scored on Albert Pujols' tiebreaking single, sending the wild card-contending Los Angeles Angels to a 2-1 win over Texas that kept the Rangers from clinching the AL West title Friday night.

Tulowitzki Returns, AL East Champ Blue Jays Rally Past Rays  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Troy Tulowitzki doubled and singled in his return to the Toronto lineup after missing three weeks with injuries, and the AL East champion Blue Jays rallied past the Tampa Bay Rays 8-4 Friday night.

Chris Sale sets franchise strikeout record in White Sox win over Tigers  —  Ed Walsh's record for strikeouts stood for 107 years.  It finally came down Friday night.  —  White Sox strikeout whiz Chris Sale did the honor by striking out Detroit Tigers catcher James McCann in the second inning of a 2-1 victory.

White Sox slugger Jose Abreu joins Albert Pujols in exclusive club for 2  —  Chicago Tribune … Jose Abreu pointed to the sky after reaching first base in the seventh inning Thursday night at U.S. Cellular Field, hugged White Sox first-base coach Daryl Boston and flashed a big grin.

Marte's Homer in 12th Inning Lifts Pirates Over Reds 6-4  —  PITTSBURGH — The Pirates are on the verge of hosting the NL wild card game for the third straight year.  —  Starling Marte's two-run homer in the 12th inning gave Pittsburgh a 6-4 victory over Cincinnati on Friday night that extended …

Cubs Beat Brewers, Try to Keep Up in Race to Host Wild Card  —  MILWAUKEE — Jake Arrieta struck out seven in six strong innings, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-1 on Friday night as they tried to keep up with Pittsburgh in the race to host the NL wild card game.

2015 Midwest League Top 20 Prospects  —  See Also: Midwest League/South Atlantic League Top 20 Prospects Chat With J.J. Cooper  —  MIDWEST LEAGUE TOP 20 PROSPECTS  —  West Michigan may have won the low Class A Midwest League title, but in all likelihood, Quad Cities will be the team to remember from 2015.

Teheran, Castro Lead Braves Past Cardinals  —  ATLANTA — Julio Teheran pitched six strong innings, Daniel Castro drove in two runs and the Atlanta Braves beat the NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 on Friday night.  —  St. Louis, which opens the postseason at home next Friday …

Inside Baseball: Nationals to let Williams go, and more MLB moves  —  Embattled Nationals manager Matt Williams' firing was a surety even before he missed, then mishandled a dugout choking incident that became national news.  He's a nice man and he tried hard, but he probably was miscast …