Mailbag: Where will Atlanta find a bat?
Mailbag: Where will Atlanta find a bat? What outfielders are the Braves likely to try to acquire? What’s Jo-Jo Reyes’ future? Mark Bowman answers these questions and more in the mailbag.

Angels are the Atlanta Braves for a new generation (Yahoo! Sports)
The Los Angeles Angels had walked off the field for the final time this season. All but one of them.

Rays on their way: Beat White Sox to advance to ALCS
B.J. Upton and these Tampa Bay Rays are headed home to get ready for the American League championship series. Worst in the majors …

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Tiger Stadium avoids demolition in Detroit council vote
The Detroit City Council has granted Tiger Stadium a stay of execution. The council voted 5-3 on Tuesday to reject a resolution …

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Cubs‘ Carlos Marmol injured in minor car accident
Chicago Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol suffered minor injuries in a car accident in the Dominican Republic early Tuesday.

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Braves Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Third baseman Chipper Jones and catcher Brian McCann will be expected to anchor the club again in 2009, and they can only hope that the corps of young infielders and outfielders will mature in a hurry to help them out.

The Braves are lucky that infielders Martin Prado and Omar Infante are versatile enough play both shortstop and second base, and that they continue to hit even as they shuttle between positions. But to get the full benefit of either player, each needs steady at-bats at least, if not a single position.

Second baseman Kelly Johnson, relaxed at last, has found his hitting stride and is working on improving his moves to balls hit to his right. And shortstop Yunel Escobar can use this offseason to heal his sore left shoulder and sore right hamstring.

…

Rays on their way: Beat White Sox to advance to ALCS
B.J. Upton and these Tampa Bay Rays are headed home to get ready for the American League championship series. Worst in the majors last year, the Rays will play for a spot in the World Series after finishing off the Chicago White Sox 6-2 Monday in Game 4 of the AL playoffs.

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Home sweet home: Brewers win, avoid elimination
Game 3, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, and there seemed to be two excellent reasons to be here. To see if a guy barely four years from AARP eligibility could become the oldest pitcher to ever win a postseason game since we aging baby boomers eat that stuff up with the same spoon we use for our Pepto-Bismol.

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Napoli, bullpen help Angels win in extras, avert sweep
Catcher Mike Napoli, who homered twice, singled to lead off the 12th inning and scored on Erick Aybar’s one-out single to center, enabling the Los Angeles Angels to end an 11-game postseason losing streak against the Boston Red Sox with a 5-4 victory Sunday at Fenway Park.

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Finalists announced for Frick Award
Former Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Joe Nuxhall has again been selected by fans as a finalist for the Ford Frick Award. The Baseball Hall of Fame says Nuxhall, who died last year of cancer, paced all broadcasters in fan balloting.

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Third baseman Chipper Jones and catcher Brian McCann will be expected to anchor the club again in 2009, and they can only hope that the corps of young infielders and outfielders will mature in a hurry to help them out.

The Braves are lucky that infielders Martin Prado and Omar Infante are versatile enough play both shortstop and second base, and that they continue to hit even as they shuttle between positions. But to get the full benefit of either player, each needs steady at-bats at least, if not a single position.

Second baseman Kelly Johnson, relaxed at last, has found his hitting stride and is working on improving his moves to balls hit to his right. And shortstop Yunel Escobar can use this offseason to heal his sore left shoulder and sore right hamstring.

…

Century and counting: Dodgers sweep Cubs out of NLDS
It’s a century and counting for the Chicago Cubs. Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers shoved Chicago into another long winter Saturday night, completing a three-game sweep of their first-round playoff series with a 3-1 victory.

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Home sweet home: Brewers win, avoid elimination
Game 3, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee, and there seemed to be two excellent reasons to be here. To see if a guy barely four years from AARP eligibility could become the oldest pitcher to ever win a postseason game since we aging baby boomers eat that stuff up with the same spoon we use for our Pepto-Bismol.

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Third baseman Chipper Jones and catcher Brian McCann will be expected to anchor the club again in 2009, and they can only hope that the corps of young infielders and outfielders will mature in a hurry to help them out.

The Braves are lucky that infielders Martin Prado and Omar Infante are versatile enough play both shortstop and second base, and that they continue to hit even as they shuttle between positions. But to get the full benefit of either player, each needs steady at-bats at least, if not a single position.

Second baseman Kelly Johnson, relaxed at last, has found his hitting stride and is working on improving his moves to balls hit to his right. And shortstop Yunel Escobar can use this offseason to heal his sore left shoulder and sore right hamstring.

…

Yankees‘ Rivera to have shoulder surgery Tuesday
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera will have surgery Tuesday on his sore right shoulder.

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Drew’s homer boosts Red Sox over Angels
Boston’s latest postseason win over the Los Angeles Angels moved the team with baseball’s best record to the verge of elimination.

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Rays rally to beat White Sox, take 2-0 ALDS lead
Young, resilient and a victory away from the American League championship series. The Rays are breezing through the playoffs, …

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Brewers stay alive, beat Phillies in Game 3 of NLDS
Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder a combined 0-for-7, albeit with two sacrifice flies? Twelve men left on base? Another starter not …

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Third baseman Chipper Jones and catcher Brian McCann will be expected to anchor the club again in 2009, and they can only hope that the corps of young infielders and outfielders will mature in a hurry to help them out.

The Braves are lucky that infielders Martin Prado and Omar Infante are versatile enough play both shortstop and second base, and that they continue to hit even as they shuttle between positions. But to get the full benefit of either player, each needs steady at-bats at least, if not a single position.

Second baseman Kelly Johnson, relaxed at last, has found his hitting stride and is working on improving his moves to balls hit to his right. And shortstop Yunel Escobar can use this offseason to heal his sore left shoulder and sore right hamstring.

…

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Century and counting: Dodgers sweep Cubs out of NLDS
It’s a century and counting for the Chicago Cubs. Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers shoved Chicago into another long winter Saturday night, completing a three-game sweep of their first-round playoff series with a 3-1 victory.

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Drew’s homer boosts Red Sox over Angels
Boston’s latest postseason win over the Los Angeles Angels moved the team with baseball’s best record to the verge of elimination.

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Braves Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Third baseman Chipper Jones and catcher Brian McCann will be expected to anchor the club again in 2009, and they can only hope that the corps of young infielders and outfielders will mature in a hurry to help them out.

The Braves are lucky that infielders Martin Prado and Omar Infante are versatile enough play both shortstop and second base, and that they continue to hit even as they shuttle between positions. But to get the full benefit of either player, each needs steady at-bats at least, if not a single position.

Second baseman Kelly Johnson, relaxed at last, has found his hitting stride and is working on improving his moves to balls hit to his right. And shortstop Yunel Escobar can use this offseason to heal his sore left shoulder and sore right hamstring.

…

Rays rally to beat White Sox, take 2-0 ALDS lead
Young, resilient and a victory away from the American League championship series. The Rays are breezing through the playoffs, much as they did during the regular season.

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NLDS notes: Dodgers’ “co-ace” trumps Cubs
On a pitching staff with Derek Lowe and Brad Penny, it’s easy to see why Chad Billingsley was overlooked coming into this year by observers not following the Los Angeles Dodgers closely.

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Cub flub: Manny, Dodgers take 2-0 lead in NLDS
Manny Ramirez hit a mammoth homer to increase his postseason record, Russell Martin had a three-run double and the Los Angeles Dodgers took advantage of four errors by the clumsy Cubs in a 10-3 victory Thursday night that gave them a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five NL division series.

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There are two sides to the story for Cubs and White Sox fans
The first week of October is bringing sights and sounds to the Windy City experienced here about as often as a hot dog without onions and tomatoes: Mayor Richard Daley in a Cubs cap; the White Sox beating three different teams on consecutive days to clinch a playoff berth; an open split in the Barack Obama household.

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