Rob Brantly joked about pitching for the White Sox.  Then Rick Renteria put him in.  —  White Sox catcher Rob Brantly discusses the lead-up to pitching during the ninth inning of an 11-2 loss to the Indians on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017.  (Colleen Kane/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune

Yankees, young and talented, built like Gene Michael's Bombers teams  —  BALTIMORE — Joe Girardi called the win a “Stick Special.”  —  “Make pitchers work and hit home runs,” Girardi said following his team's first series victory at Camden Yards in nearly four years.  “That was for Stick.”

David Wright: 'I still feel that there's something I have to give' to Mets  —  For 19 minutes on Thursday afternoon, during his first public appearance since his latest setback in an ongoing fight to seize control of his career from his own failing body, David Wright was asked to dissect his own baseball mortality.

Preview: Brewers at Cubs  —  CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs have played regular-season night games at Wrigley Field for nearly three decades, but there never was one on a Friday.  —  That will change when the Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers square off in the opener of a critical three-game weekend series on Friday at 7:05 p.m. CDT.

For Dodgers, seems like a long way to October  —  LOS ANGELES-On a steamy Thursday afternoon, with the clouds slowly darkening a brilliant season, the clubhouse of the mighty and magical Dodgers was filled with the sounds of ... John Mayer?  —  “When you're dreaming with a broken heart …

‘Emotional’ week for Nicasio; Cards work to preserve Flaherty  —  SAN DIEGO  • After arriving late Wednesday night and preparing Thursday to pitch for his third team in eight days, Juan Nicasio agreed the next few weeks could influence where he goes next, as a free agent.

Braves apologize after playing ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ during game vs. Miami Marlins  —  The Atlanta Braves' mid-inning playlist apparently hasn't been updated in a while.  —  The Braves and the Miami Marlins kicked off a four-game series on Thursday in SunTrust Park in Atlanta …

Rays-Yankees series shifted to Mets Citi Field due to Irma concerns  —  UPDATE, 3:30: The Rays are working on details on options for fans who had tickets to the Yankees games that were to be played at the Trop.  And there should be info soon on getting tickets to the games at Citi Field.

Indians' 15-game win streak will cost window company around $2 million in rebates  —  Sports fans usually get a fair share of small incentives if their team wins, like a free taco or burger or bagel.  —  Thursday's 11-2 win against the Chicago White Sox meant much more to a select group of Cleveland Indians fans.

Girl with 3D printed hand wants to throw first pitch at every MLB park  —  Major League Baseball teams are lining up to let 7-year-old Hailey Dawson throw out a first pitch at their games.  —  Dawson has a rare disease called Poland Syndrome and was born without three fingers.

Orioles activate J.J. Hardy from 60-day disabled list  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy, out nearly three months with a broken right wrist, has been activated from the 60-day disabled list.  —  Hardy was hit by a pitch on June 18 and placed on the DL the following day.

Yankees' Austin Romine has suspension reduced to 1 game, will serve it Friday vs. Rangers  —  ARLINGTON, Texas - Austin Romine had his suspension for his role in the Aug. 24 base-brawl with the Tigers reduced from two games to one and will serve it Friday night.

Top MLB DFS building blocks for Friday  —  Our experts are here to provide the best hitters and pitchers for you to build your daily fantasy baseball lineups around on Friday.  —  Hitters to build around  —  EDITOR'S PICKS  —  Here are your best plays in daily fantasy …

2017 Minor League All-Star Team - Precocious Young Hitters Lead The Way  —  The Blue Jays led the way with three first-team Baseball America Minor League All-Stars.  The strong seasons by Danny Jansen, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gave Toronto a third of the position player spots on the first team.

Why isn't every starting pitcher turning into Alex Wood?  —  If there's a poster child for the short-starts strategy, it's Alex Wood, the Los Angeles Dodgers' surprise star.  —  At 14-2, he has the National League's fourth-best ERA among starters (minimum 100 innings), its third-best WHIP, its fifth-best FIP.

Rumor Central: Jays unlikely to deal Josh Donaldson?  —  It is highly unlikely that the Toronto Blue Jays will trade star third baseman Josh Donaldson this winter, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.  —  The last-place Blue Jays (64-76) have underperformed this season …