Mozeliak: ‘Porous’ defense will be addressed in offseason  —  Cardinals players Brayan Pena and Aledmys Diaz tape a jersey of their friend , Jose Fernandez, in the dugout before the start of the game on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016, at Busch Stadium between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds.

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 …

Cano's Homers Mariners Top Astros 12-4, Boost Playoff Hopes  —  HOUSTON — Robinson Cano hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 12-4 Wednesday to keep pressure on the other AL wild-card contenders.  —  Kyle Seager added another three-run drive …

Cubs Extend Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, Jason McLeod  —  3:12pm: USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that Epstein's contract is believed to be worth more than $50MM in total, which would make him the highest-paid baseball executive on record.  Additionally, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Marlins outfielder turned down invitation for ride on Jose Fernandez's boat  —  Marcell Ozuna remained stoic during the Marlins' first public appearance following the death of Jose Fernandez on Sunday.  —  Following Monday's game, Ozuna said he turned down an invitation from Fernandez …