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.

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 …

‘The Hawk Harrelson Show,’ a long-running drama, draws to a close  —  Photos of the White Sox broadcaster and former general manager (1986) Ken “Hawk” Harrelson.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  “The Hawk Harrelson Show” concludes its Chicago run after 33 seasons with three White Sox-Cubs telecasts this weekend.

Knee injury sidelines Red Sox's Eduardo Nunez at least 5 days  —  Red Sox infielder Eduardo Nunez, who left Wednesday's game against the Yankees with a knee injury, won't play until Tuesday at the earliest.  —  EDITOR'S PICKS  —  But Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that the knee injury is not considered serious.

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:

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.

Mets IF Wilmer Flores to miss rest of season with knee soreness  —  WASHINGTON — New York Mets infielder Wilmer Flores will miss the rest of the season because of soreness in both knees.  —  Manager Mickey Callaway said Flores has early-onset arthritis in both knees and will receive injections to alleviate the pain.

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.

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 …

Mets can end Max Scherzer's Cy Young bid Thursday night  —  Scherzer is likely on the outside looking in, with Jacob deGrom the favorite  —  With his league-leading 1.78 ERA and in the midst of an otherworldly season, Mets ace Jacob deGrom is the favorite to win the Cy Young award.

Sources: Rangers consider parting ways with Banister.  Here's why this might happen  —  The rebuilding plan the Texas Rangers are undertaking has reached the manager's office.  —  Multiple sources confirmed that the Rangers are contemplating replacing Jeff Banister after the season even though he is under contract for 2019.

This could be Bryce Harper's last homestand with the Nationals; here's what he had to say about it  —  The Nationals' star outfielder is a pending free agent  —  Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is going to be a free agent this coming offseason.  Thanks to his youth relative to almost any other free agent …

Phillies' playoff hopes may have improved had they added a Cole Hamels, J.A. Happ at trade deadline |  Bob Brookover  —  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 …

Cubs' Alec Mills had same injury as Brandon Morrow: ‘It stinks’  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Alec Mills has experienced what Cubs closer Brandon Morrow will endure the next two months, and Morrow's patience will be tested as much as his healing powers.  —  “I had to do two months of absolutely nothing …