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 …

Column: Cubs battle White Sox on the South Side as Ken ‘Hawk’ Harrelson calls it a career  —  Photos of the White Sox broadcaster and former general manager (1986) Ken “Hawk” Harrelson.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The Cubs find themselves in the catbird seat this weekend as they travel …

Giants' Madison Bumgarner wants to stay, but knows decision isn't all his  —  SAN DIEGO — As the Giants end another disappointing season and dive into what promises to be a turbulent winter, they finally need to address one of their most critical questions in perhaps decades, which has no easy answer:

Cubs' key relievers 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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora laments post-Maria stadium demolition in Puerto Rico: ‘I grew up there’  —  CAGUAS, Puerto Rico — When José Manuel Cora covered the Caguas Criollos ballclub as a newspaper correspondent, his youngest son had free rein of Yldefonso Solá Morales Stadium.

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.