Though the Milwaukee Brewers had hoped to arrive at Miller Park with a playoff spot already locked up, they might achieve that goal by the end of Friday's game against the Marlins.

On Wednesday, the Cubs made the Brewers wait until the weekend before they could celebrate a National League Central title. Starting Friday, Chicago could put a wrench in St. Louis' ability to chase down Atlanta.

Mark Buehrle told MLB.com on Thursday that moving to the National League for the final stage of his big league run could be appealing with the lack of opponents' familiarity.

Manager Jim Leyland pitched starters Doug Fister and Max Scherzer on Wednesday to line up his rotation for the playoffs. Now, the remainder of the rotation appears close to being set.

There's more than a good chance Antonio Bastardo will be the only left-handed reliever in the Phillies' bullpen when they start postseason play Oct. 1.

Now that the American League Wild Card race is a three-team pursuit, it's worth looking at the possibilities that would be available if the Red Sox, Rays and Angels all finished in a three-way tie or if the Rays finished in a two-team tie.

In a nightly routine typically executed by the bench coaches, Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel swapped lineup cards at home plate prior to Thursday's first pitch between the Indians and White Sox.

Angels right-hander Dan Haren was feeling much better, and highly relieved, after getting drilled in the left wrist with a line-drive smash off the bat of Toronto's Eric Thames in the eighth inning of Wednesday night's 7-2 Angels win.

Rockies first baseman Todd Helton is likely done for the season because of his sore back, and it's not certain if outfielder Carlos Gonzalez will return either, manager Jim Tracy said Thursday.

Russell Martin's views on the American League Wild Card chase won't win him any buddies in Boston, but his sentiments should gather plenty of support in the Bronx.

Orioles designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero is just four hits away from becoming Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader from the Dominican Republic.

Barring an injury or a rain delay, Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg will start Friday against the Braves and face the Marlins in the last game of the season Wednesday. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez will start in the season finale.

Starter Anthony Swarzak turned in a solid outing, allowing two runs on nine hits over six innings, but it was Rene Tosoni's walk-off RBI double that ended the Twins' 11-game losing streak.

Fresh off helping the Yankees clinch the AL East title Wednesday, Robinson Cano was at the MLB Fan Cave on Thursday, playing stickball with kids and serving as a role model.

Play 200K Challenge, win great prize pack

"Moneyball," starring Brad Pitt as Oakland general manager Billy Beane, is far from a typical film about sports. It displays wit and creativity to tell a story that some doubted would make for a good movie.

The Rangers are not concerned about the blister on C.J. Wilson's middle finger, and they expect him to make his next start on Monday against the Angels.