As stint with Cubs comes to an end, Joe Maddon has no regrets: 'It's been fabulous'  —  ST. LOUIS — It wasn't a deeply emotional press conference Sunday, rather more of a celebration.  Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein thanked manager Joe Maddon for the past five years, but made it clear change was drastically needed.

Post-Dispatch's Goold helps save man's life at Busch Stadium  —  Before he chronicled the Cardinals' first division title clinching since 2015, Post-Dispatch baseball writer Derrick Goold helped save a man's life Sunday at Busch Stadium.  —  St. Louis-based videographer Mike Flanary, 64 …

EARLY HOMERS GIVE CARDS BIG CUSHION  —  Dexter Fowler, one for his past 26, set a career high Sunday with his 19th homer, a 430-foot blast to center field, in the second inning at Busch Stadium.  —  That gave the Cardinals a four-run edge over the Chicago Cubs and the Cardinals continued to pile on.

Rising sons give rebuilding Blue Jays reason for optimism  —  Toronto Blue Jays feel good about four rising sons who made big strides in 2019 and figure to become lineup fixtures moving forward.  —  The pitching, however, remains a work in progress.  —  The Blue Jays went 67-95, six games worse than last year.

Orioles Notes: Anderson, Mancini, Hays  —  Brady Anderson, who formerly served as the Orioles' vice president of baseball operations, is “stepping aside” and leaving the organization, MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko reports (via Twitter).  Anderson, Gary Rajsich and Brian Graham were entrusted …

Bochy loses to Dodgers 9-0 in final game as Giants manager  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Bruce Bochy spoke to a ballpark filled with thousands of lives he touched in some way and thanked them all straight from the heart, no notes necessary.  —  Bochy bid an emotional farewell following 2 1/2 decades …

Strengths and weaknesses for all 10 playoff teams  —  As the calendar turns to October, postseason baseball will begin.  The playoffs will begin on Tuesday with the Nationals hosting the Brewers for the NL Wild Card game.  That will be followed by the AL Wild Card game between the Rays and Athletics in Oakland on Wednesday.

In the diary of a season, here are five moments that mattered for Rays  —  A pair of reinforcements helped Tampa Bay overcome injuries and a wobbly bullpen to go 36-18 down the stretch and return to the postseason.  —  Published Earlier today  —  TORONTO - The Rays completed …

Carolina League Top 20 Prospects For 2019  —  Neither Frederick lefthander DL Hall nor Lynchburg third baseman Nolan Jones is a finished product by any means.  Hall still has trouble commanding his mid-90s fastball and two plus breaking pitches, while Jones might eventually have to move to the outfield.

Houston Astros' Justin Verlander reaches 3,000 career strikeouts, 300 in '19  —  Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander reached a pair of milestones Saturday night, becoming the 18th major league pitcher with 3,000 career strikeouts and the 19th in the modern era (since 1900) to record 300 strikeouts in a season.