>>Cardinals Rest Up For NLDS
(St. Louis, MO) -- The Cardinals have a few more days to rest up before the start of their National League Division Series. The NL Central champs play Game One of their best-of-five series Friday against the NL West champion Dodgers in LA. Adam Wainwright is slated to oppose Clayton Kershaw.
>>Carpenter Cardinals' Nominee For Aaron Award
(St. Louis, MO) -- Third baseman Matt Carpenter is the Cardinals' nominee for this year's Hank Aaron Award. It's given annually to the top offensive performers in each league. Fans can vote through Sunday exclusively at MLB.com. The winners will be announced during the World Series later this month.
>>Cardinals' Oquendo Up For D'backs Managerial Job?
(Phoenix, AZ) -- Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo may be a candidate to fill the Diamondbacks' vacant managerial position. He is expected to be interviewed by former Cards manager Tony La Russa, who is the Chief Baseball Officer in Arizona. The D'backs fired Kirk Gibson last week.
>>Cubs, White Sox Look To Offseason
(Chicago, IL) -- With the 2014 season in the rear-view mirror, the Cubs and White Sox are looking to the offseason. Each team completed 73-and-89 campaigns on Sunday. In other news, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and White Sox slugger Jose Abreu were named Hank Aaron Award finalists.
>>A's Face Royals In AL Wild Card Game Tonight
(Kansas City, MO) -- The American League Wild Card game takes place tonight as the Oakland A's face the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Jon Lester takes the mound for Oakland, while KC counters with James Shields. The A's are in the playoffs for the third straight year, while the Royals are making their first postseason appearance in 29 years. KC hasn't been in the playoffs since winning the World Series in 1985. The winner of this game moves on to face the AL West champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the best-of-five American League Division Series beginning Thursday in Anaheim.
>>Astros Introduce Hinch As New Manager
(Houston, TX) -- A.J. Hinch is the new manager of the Houston Astros. He was formally introduced Monday and says he's humbled to be in his new role. The 40-year-old Hinch replaces Bo Porter, who was fired September 1st in his second season and replaced by interim skipper Tom Lawless. Hinch was most recently in the San Diego Padres' front office as vice president of scouting. He was previously a manager with the Arizona Diamondbacks, going 89-and-123 in parts of two seasons. The Astros finished fourth in the American League West this year with a 70-and-92 record.
>>Nationals' Zimmermann NL Player Of Week
(New York, NY) -- Washington Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann is the National League Player of the Week. He fired a no-hitter against the Miami Marlins in a 1-0 win in Sunday's regular-season finale. Zimmermann struck out 10 and walked just one en route to his first career no-hitter.
>>A's Gray, Reddick Share AL Player Of Week Honors
(New York, NY) -- Oakland A's pitcher Sonny Gray and right fielder Josh Reddick are the Co-American League Players of the Week. Gray threw a six-hit shutout against Texas on Sunday as the A's clinched a Wild Card berth. Reddick hit .480 in six games, including an RBI triple against Texas on Sunday.
>>Twins Fire Manager Ron Gardenhire
(Minneapolis, MN) -- After 13 seasons, Ron Gardenhire is out as manager of the Minnesota Twins. The team says Gardenhire will not return for the 2015 season. He had one year remaining on the two-year extension he signed last season. "Gardy" took over for Tom Kelly, who retired following the 2001 season. He was named the 2010 American League Manager of the Year and led the Twins to six AL Central titles. The Twins have lost at least 90 games the past four seasons under Gardenhire. It marks the first time Minnesota has fired a manager since Ray Miller in 1986.
