Top News:
Alden Gonzalez / ESPN:
Yasiel Puig hits sixth HR in past 18 at-bats: 'We're going to win the West' — LOS ANGELES — Yasiel Puig couldn't decide which celebration fit best, so he basically used all of them. He rubbed his fingers and flexed his biceps, clapped his hands and raised them to the sky …
RELATED:
Beth Harris / Star Tribune:
Puig's pinch-hit homer helps Dodgers sweep Rockies, 5-2 — LOS ANGELES — Pinch-hitter Yasiel Puig slugged a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the seventh inning that sent the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Colorado Rockies 5-2 on Wednesday night to increase their NL West lead to 2½ games.
Discussion:
Over the Monster and True Blue LA
Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Last Slide — To further explain his decision to bench his top four everyday players on Wednesday night - while continuing to say he wasn't giving up on the season - Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo drew a parenting analogy. He recalled the look he's seen on his kids' faces after they studied hard for a test but didn't do well.
Discussion:
AZ Snake Pit
Alden Gonzalez / ESPN:
Rookie Walker Buehler, now the Dodgers' co-ace, isn't stopping — LOS ANGELES — Walker Buehler surpassed 140 innings between the minors and majors on Wednesday, while giving up only a couple of unearned runs in a sweep-clinching victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Steve Herrick / Associated Press:
Indians turn back Sox on walk-off grand slam — Jason Kipnis hit a grand slam with one out in the ninth inning and the Cleveland Indians rallied for a 4-1 win over the White Sox on Wednesday night. — Kipnis hit a 3-2 pitch from Ian Hamilton into the right-field seats for his 1,000th career hit …
Discussion:
South Side Sox, Associated Press and Let's Go Tribe
RELATED:
Associated Press:
MLB: Indians' Trevor Bauer to return Friday — The Cleveland Indians want Trevor Bauer in their postseason rotation. The next step will come Friday against the Boston Red Sox in his first appearance since breaking his right leg last month. — Indians manager Terry Francona said Bauer will pitch a …
Associated Press:
White Sox slugger Jose Abreu out of hospital after infection
Discussion:
South Side Sox
Jesse Rogers / ESPN:
Can Joe Maddon manage with Cubs' depleted bullpen? — PHOENIX — The road to a World Series title has gotten a little tougher for the Chicago Cubs, as they'll have to navigate October without closer Brandon Morrow due to a nagging bone bruise in his right forearm — assuming they make the playoffs, of course.
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Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Cubs' key relief pitchers should be rested and ready to go for final 10 games — Chicago Tribune — Suffering a 9-0 loss Wednesday night to the Diamondbacks left the Cubs in a reflective mood as they completed a stretch of 30 consecutive days with a scheduled game with an 18-11 record.
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Cubs survive 30-day stretch just fine — and their last 10 games are in Chicago
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
Daily Record:
Last Slide — NEW YORK - Justus Sheffield's big-league debut occurred in Wednesday's ninth inning, with a nine-run lead — as soft of an opening as possible, even against the 103-win Red Sox. — Yet, it's no surprise to hear that Sheffield was battling first-time jitters more than Boston's lineup.
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Betts returns as Red Sox chase clinch at Yankee Stadium
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
Travis Andersen / BostonGlobe.com:
Red Sox division title banner falls off truck; its return may cost them
Mike Axisa / CBSSports.com:
The Red Sox's 2018 AL East championship banner was temporarily held hostage by a few Boston buddies
Discussion:
Halos Heaven and MLB Baseball News …
Nicole Yang / Boston Globe:
The Red Sox' division title banner has been returned
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News … and baseballmusings.com
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Shildt gives Carpenter a little extra rest — ATLANTA • After Matt Carpenter salvaged a three-strikeout game Tuesday by taking a walk and scoring a run, manager Mike Shildt asked him to step aside for a conversation. — Shildt suggested to Carpenter a day off Wednesday …
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
RELATED:
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals lose to Braves, but Flaherty says he feels strong — ATLANTA • When the Cardinals' coaching staff, steered by pitching coach Mike Maddux, pulled out the calendar and began to plot the starting rotation for the final month of the regular season, they started with the games …
Charles F. Gardner / Associated Press:
Gio Gonzalez, Jesus Aguilar lead Brewers to win over Reds — Gio Gonzalez pitched six smooth innings on his 33rd birthday and Jesus Aguilar hit a three-run homer in the Brewers' 7-0 victory over the Reds on Wednesday night. — Manny Pina also had a three-run shot and Aguilar finished with four RBIs.
RELATED:
Bob Brookover / Philly.com:
Phillies' playoff hopes may have improved had they added a Cole Hamels, J.A. Happ at the trade deadline — The moment of truth was supposed to arrive Thursday for the Phillies. For months, we looked at the schedule and saw the last 11 games - seven of them against the Atlanta Braves …
RELATED:
Matt Ehalt / NorthJersey.com:
Noah Syndergaard struggles against Phillies continue in Mets loss
Discussion:
Daily Record
Bob Nightengale / Des Moines Register:
Hall of Famer John Smoltz says MLB needs an overhaul and proposes drastic changes — Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz watches baseball every day, talks about it virtually every day, sits in a broadcast booth and TV studio every week, and can't stand what he's seeing.
Discussion:
USA Today
Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Last Slide — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo had four of his everyday players on the bench in Wednesday night's series finale against the Chicago Cubs, saying that rather than waving the white flag or trying to get a look at younger players, he's actually doing what he thinks will put the team in the best position to win.
Discussion:
AZ Snake Pit
RELATED:
Henry Schulman / San Francisco Chronicle:
Giants fail to sweep Padres; Belt ‘likely’ done for '18 — SAN DIEGO — Padres baserunners had a great chance to meet Giants rookie Aramis Garcia at first base. Garcia started all three games there. Brandon Belt kept hoping his right knee would allow him back into the lineup …
Discussion:
McCovey Chronicles, Gaslamp Ball, NBCSports.com and MLB Baseball News …
RELATED:
Zachary D. Rymer / Bleacher Report:
How the San Francisco Giants Became a $205M MLB Flop
Discussion:
The Sports Daily
Kristie Rieken / MLB Baseball News, Scores …:
Cano has 3 RBIs as Mariners rout Astros 9-0 — Robinson Cano drove in three runs, three players homered and seven pitchers combined for a five-hitter in Seattle's 9-0 rout of the — Houston Astros on Wednesday night. — The Mariners took two of three in this series from Houston …
Discussion:
Lookout Landing, Associated Press and The Crawfish Boxes
Keith Law / ESPN:
Harrison Bader, Matt Chapman among players I was wrong about — This is the seventh annual installment of my “Guys I Got Wrong” column (for past versions, see the links below). I'll look at players who have become much better big leaguers than I ever forecasted them to be and try to explain where I made mistakes in evaluating them.
Susan Slusser / San Francisco Chronicle:
A's send 2nd-round pick Logan Shore to Tigers to complete Fiers deal — Oakland's deal for Mike Fiers is complete, six weeks after the fact, with the A's sending a well-regarded pitching prospect, Logan Shore, to the Tigers. — The A's previously had sent minor-league reliever Nolan Blackwood to Detroit as part of the deal.
Discussion:
Minor League Ball, MLB Trade Rumors and Athletics Nation
