Top News:
Michael Kelly / Associated Press:
Arenado, Story homer to help Rockies beat Diamondbacks 10-3 — DENVER (AP) - Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story homered, Kyle Freeland pitched effectively into the seventh, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-3 on Thursday to extend their NL West lead.
Discussion:
The Crawfish Boxes and baseballmusings.com
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Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Last Slide — DENVER — Eleven years ago, the Colorado Rockies sat 4 1/2 games out of a playoff spot with 15 games to play. They wound up in the World Series. Four years later, the Tampa Bay Rays were 2 1/2 out with five to play. They got in. The next year it was the Oakland Athletics who were five back with nine remaining.
Discussion:
Baseball Prospectus
Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Former Diamondbacks executive to auction off 2001 World Series ring to help sick colleague — DENVER - Washington Nationals Assistant General Manager Bob Miller, a former executive with the Diamondbacks, has placed his 2001 World Series ring up for auction to raise money for his colleague …
Arizona Republic:
Game Day: Diamondbacks visit Houston to take on defending World Series champion Astros — The Arizona Diamondbacks hit the road for a critical series against the defending World Series champions, the Houston Astros. Stay with this page for pitching matchups, scoring updates and more.
Toronto Sun:
Astros return from another successful trip to face D-backs — HOUSTON — Even at this advanced stage of the season, with the Astros having long ago cemented their reputation as a dominant road team, their success away from Minute Maid Park remains stunning.
Steve Rosenbloom / Chicago Tribune:
Column: Time to join Cubs manager Joe Maddon for another episode of ‘Joverthinking It’ — Cubs manager Joe Maddon discusses Pedro Strop's hamstring injury, which he suffered running the bases against Washington. (Paul Sullivan/Chicago Tribune) — Chicago Tribune
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David Schoenfield / ESPN:
Trevor Story is pushing Javier Baez in crowded NL MVP race — The Rockies pretty much buried the Diamondbacks with a 10-3 victory at Coors Field on Thursday to take three out of four in the series. Back on Aug. 22, the Diamondbacks led the NL West by 1 1/2 games and FanGraphs gave …
Discussion:
Baseball Prospectus
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
3 things we learned from the Cubs' 4-3 win over the Nationals — Cubs closer Pedro Strop discusses the hamstring injury he suffered in the team's 4-3 win at Washington on Sept. 13, 2018. (Paul Sullivan/Chicago Tribune) — Chicago Tribune — Here are three things we learned …
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …
Bill Madden / New York Daily News:
If Yankees aren't home for wild-card game, Aaron Boone will be to blame — If there is one thing Aaron Boone has demonstrated to us in his maiden season as Yankee manager it's that he's a half-full guy. — Yes, the Yankees lost two out of three in Minnesota to the Triple-A Twins …
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ESPN:
Yankees need to come up big against Jays — NEW YORK — When they left Yankee Stadium for a cross-country flight to Oakland following a tedious 11-7 loss to the Detroit Tigers, the New York Yankees held a decent amount of comfort in the wild-card race. — Now they come back still occupying …
Rob Longley / Toronto Sun:
Fenway farce: Blue Jays swept away in Beantown thanks to Solarte error — BOSTON - Fenway Park, cloaked in all its historic and old-school splendour, has been a disaster for the Blue Jays this season in almost every way related to the box score. — In the midst of their worst season in almost a decade …
Rick Hummel / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals notes: Molina recovers enough to play — Yadier Molina, hardly the fleetest of players, ran his way into the Cardinals' lineup Thursday night with his pre-game work. Molina, recovering from a strained left hamstring, showed manager Mike Shildt and head athletic trainer Adam Olsen enough …
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Rick Hummel / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Weaver becoming nonfactor on Cards' pitching staff — Righthander Luke Weaver has gone from rotation member to sixth starter to mop-up man with the Cardinals lately and his four-run allowance in just 2/3 innings in the ninth inning on Tuesday was a jolt to him, he admitted.
ESPN:
Rays try to close gap versus A's — The chances are slim. OK, very slim. — But the Tampa Bay Rays host Oakland in a weekend series beginning Friday with their last chance at making a run at the Athletics for an American League wild-card spot. — This is a three-game series between …
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ESPN:
Brewers in thick of playoff race as they host Pirates — MILWAUKEE — Gio Gonzalez made a strong first impression on his new teammates. — Acquired by Milwaukee on Aug. 31 from Washington, where he'd gone 7-11 with a 4.57 ERA, Gonzalez returned to the mound after a 10-day rest and allowed …
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Associated Press:
Baseball notebook: Cubs' Rizzo wears uniform on team flight — Cubs' Rizzo wears uniform on team flight — Unusual scheduling spawned even more atypical travel attire for Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo. — The three-time All-Star wore a uniform, complete with a blue jersey and gray pants …
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Ramona Shelburne / ESPN:
Matt Kemp is finally home again in LA — There is no easy way to tell a player he's been traded. But generally whatever awkwardness or emotion an executive feels from those calls is offset by the excitement of the calls welcoming the players joining the club.
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Alden Gonzalez / ESPN:
'He's addicted to winning': Clayton Kershaw's battle to remain elite
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos and DodgerBlue.com
ESPN:
Mariners hope to stay on Cruz control vs. Angels — Nelson Cruz has done plenty of damage against the Los Angeles Angels in his 14-year career, and the Seattle Mariners designated hitter will look to cause more Friday night in the third contest of the four-game series.
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Joe Reedy / MLB Baseball News, Scores …:
Cruz, Leake lead Mariners to 8-2 victory over Angels
Discussion:
Lookout Landing
Scott Boeck / USA Today:
MLB playoff picture: Updated look at division, wild card races — With just more than two weeks remaining, the Boston Red Sox are the only team to officially punch their ticket to the postseason. — The Red Sox still have work to do to clinch the American League East, although that …
Jeff Wilson / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
And the Star-Telegram's No. 1 Rangers prospect is ... The debate over who should be the No. 1 Texas Rangers prospect in the Star-Telegram's rankings came down to the value of a position player or the importance of developing a front-line starting pitcher. — And there was debate on who should be No. 1 among the two groups.
David Murphy / Philly.com:
As a season wanes, a complex set of decisions awaits the Phillies | David Murphy — Truth be told, you never really know. Not in baseball. Shortstop Jean Segura was an All-Star at the age of 23 with Milwaukee, then one of the worst hitters in the majors for two seasons.
