The Cardinals are set to retain almost everyone from an 88-win club that came within one game of playing in the World Series for the fourth time in nine years.

If we’ve learned anything about these Giants, it’s that they don’t do things the easy way; they do them the weird way. Just as the ball off Hunter Pence’s bat took an awkward path to the grass on his bases-clearing double, so too did the Giants take a bizarre path to the Fall Classic.

The Joe Kelly pitch was a fastball. The Hunter Pence hit was a curveball. The result was the weirdest broken-bat double you’ll ever see, a screwball hit that sliced away from Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma, emptied the bases and blew Game 7 of the NLCS wide open.

For the seventh time since 2000, the Cardinals made it to the NLCS. For the third time, that NLCS went to a decisive seventh game. This time, the Cardinals did not make it through, but that does not change the long view.

It was the mirror image of recent postseason experiences for the Cardinals, and that was no fun at all. A team that had gotten used to digging out from deep holes instead fell from great heights in the National League Championship Series.

Surely, when Kyle Lohse showed up at Cardinals camp in Jupiter, Fla., in March 2008, he couldn’t have foreseen what was to come. Not the highs, not the lows, and certainly not the disappointing ending on Monday night.

The Rangers are one of the teams interested in pitcher Shohei Otani, an 18-year-old right-hander from Japan who has announced he wants to play professionally in North America.

In their first season, the new dimensions resulted in 21 additional homers for the Mets and 24 for their opponents, according to a season-long MLB.com study.

Major League Baseball announced on Monday that the MLB Fan Cave, supported by MLB Advanced Media, is returning for its third season in 2013, and applications are under way through the end of the year.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland was asked Sunday if the National League pennant winner would influence how he ordered his rotation. He responded by putting his rotation in order. Justin Verlander will start Game 1, followed by Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer.

Following months of speculation, the Blue Jays and manager John Farrell officially parted ways late Saturday night.

A number of factors are considered as a player progresses in his Minor League to Major League development.

The Yankees are planning to send Curtis Granderson to see an eye specialist to find out if his eyesight contributed to his struggles at the plate, a source told the New York Daily News.

The Yankees are sending CC Sabathia to Dr. James Andrews, who will examine the southpaw’s pitching elbow. According to reports, an MRI revealed a bone spur in the ace’s left elbow.

Jose Valverde elicits emotions on both sides whenever he passes through the bullpen doorway, let alone finally pitches. For him to take the mound to near-total silence is a journey to the bizarre.

If there was any question what manager Jim Leyland was going to do with Delmon Young when the Tigers open the World Series without the designated hitter, Leyland answered it Saturday.

The Tigers have until Wednesday morning to make any changes in their postseason roster, and they might not know their opponent until late Monday night. At this point, though, manager Jim Leyland expects they’ll stick with the roster as is.