Miami Leads Fernandez From Marlins Park; Mets Win 5-2  —  MIAMI — The Marlins walked half a block alongside a hearse carrying their ace away from Marlins Park at the start of a funeral motorcade Wednesday, and then peeled away with watery eyes to go back inside and play a game.

White Sox will retain Robin Ventura, if he wants to return  —  The Chicago White Sox have decided to retain manager Robin Ventura and will sign him to new contract providing Ventura wants to return, a high-ranking White Sox official told USA TODAY Sports.  —  The official spoke on the condition …

Kim Hits Pinch-Hit HR, Orioles Beat Jays 3-2  —  TORONTO — Hyun Soo Kim hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth inning off Roberto Osuna, and the Baltimore Orioles beat Toronto 3-2 on Wednesday night to move within one game of the AL wild card-leading Blue Jays.

Cubs Extend Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, Jason McLeod  —  8:13pm: FanRag's Jon Heyman reports that Epstein's deal actually guarantees him a bit less than $50MM, but it can exceed the $50MM threshold based on incentives.  ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers tweets that both Hoyer and McLeod are getting five-year extensions as well.

Tebow homers on first instructional league pitch  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — It was the first chance for Tim Tebow to show that everything he'd done was worth it — the change of sports, the open workout for nearly every Major League team, the ensuing media and fan circus that followed everything he did.

Cano's Homers Mariners Top Astros 12-4 to Press Playoff Bid  —  HOUSTON — Robinson Cano continued his dominance against the Houston Astros on Wednesday to keep Seattle's playoff hopes alive.  —  Cano hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and the Mariners kept pressure …

Hyun-Jin Ryu Undergoes Elbow Surgery  —  The Dodgers announced that left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu underwent an arthroscopic left elbow debridement earlier today.  The southpaw is expected to be ready for the 2017 season, according to the team.  —  Ryu, 29, had a brief return to the Majors in 2016 …

Here Are The 2016 MLB Prime Time Television Ratings For Each Team  —  With the 2016 Major League Baseball season nearing an end, it's time to begin looking at the popularity of the game, and with it, how it fared on television.  The league continues to be a dominate force in prime time during the summer …

Banned Rose Appeals to Hall of Fame for Eligibility  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio — Pete Rose is appealing directly to baseball's Hall of Fame to restore his eligibility, arguing the lifetime ban he agreed to in 1989 was never intended to keep him out of Cooperstown.  —  A seven-page letter …

CC Sabathia says he wants to pitch after Yankees contract ends next season: ‘Hopefully it will be here’  —  CC Sabathia has spent the past few years making the transition away from a life as a power pitcher, understanding how to use his diminished velocity to his advantage.

Joe Maddon matching higher expectations in second year with Cubs  —  CHICAGO — Joe Maddon has a new thing.  Or an old thing that he's making new, anyway.  Flamingos.  Pink flamingos.  Five plastic ones of various detail sit on his desk and around his office in the stunning new home clubhouse under otherwise ancient Wrigley Field.

Corey Kluber has mild quadriceps strain  —  Cleveland ace Corey Kluber, who won the 2014 AL Cy Young Award and is a top contender for the honor this year, had an MRI on Tuesday in Cleveland that confirmed he has a mild quadriceps strain.  —  The Indians say his timetable for returning …

Scherzer Finds His Form, Rendon Homers as Nats Beat D-Backs  —  WASHINGTON — Max Scherzer struck out 10 and allowed two runs in six innings and Anthony Rendon hit a go-ahead three-run homer as the Washington Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 on Tuesday night to inch closer to home-field advantage in the NL Division Series.