Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco got a chance to rest in Thursday's series finale against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Phillies have less than a month to play before the postseason, which means it's time to catch up on the rotation's hitting competition.

Negotiations between the Mets and David Einhorn regarding Einhorn's purchase of a minority stake in the team ended Thursday, as both sides announced that they could not reach an agreement.

The Reds' clubhouse was a lot more crowded Thursday, and a previously empty section of lockers were occupied. That can only mean that September callups had arrived.

The Reds announced on Thursday that outfielder Fred Lewis cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Louisville.

Third base prospect Juan Francisco was among the September callups from Triple-A Louisville who joined the Reds on Thursday.

Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo was placed on the 15-day DL Thursday, retroactive to Sunday, with a left oblique strain. It was Choo's second trip to the DL this season.

The Reds called up catcher Devin Mesoraco on Thursday from Triple-A. Mesoraco was named the club's top prospect prior to the season, and he spent the season honing his defense and the finer points of hitting with Louisville.

The Blue Jays, along with many others, got caught in bad traffic around Camden Yards on Thursday morning, as Baltimore continued to prepare for this weekend's Grand Prix race.

Jon Rauch is officially back. Toronto activated Rauch off the 15-day disabled list on Thursday. He had his appendix removed in Seattle on Aug. 16 and had been out since.

The Indians played three contests in August that lasted at least 14 innings. In all three, the Tribe's bullpen refused to cave.

Lonnie Chisenhall doesn't mind sitting back and watching, so long as Jack Hannahan continues his torrid stretch.

After logging another scoreless inning in his second Minor League rehab appearance, reliever Michael Wuertz is expected to be activated off the disabled list for Friday's series opener against the Mariners.

Less than 24 hours after being acquired, reliever Jason Rice was placed on the A's lineup card for Thursday's series finale in Cleveland after the club was forced to utilize every arm of its bullpen in Wednesday's 16-inning loss.

Heading into the final month of the regular season, three pitchers have separated themselves from the rest of the pack in the NL Cy Young Award discussion — Roy Halladay, Clayton Kershaw and Johnny Cueto.

With the postseason races fully lined up and heading down the stretch, the regular season comes down to one last flip of the calendar. September has stepped up to the mound, and it's ready to deliver the heat like it always does.

Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter's bout with brain cancer took another turn this week, when he was admitted to an emergency room Tuesday after experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath.