Cubs suspend Bradley for rest of season  —  Outfielder informed by GM after harsh comments in interview  —  ST. LOUIS — Outfielder Milton Bradley's tumultuous season in Chicago ended Sunday, when he was suspended for the final two weeks following comments he made in which he said the Cubs were “not a positive environment.”

Joba gets touched up in Seattle  —  Griffey's three-run shot headlines early flurry vs. righty  —  SEATTLE — This was supposed to be the start when the rules that revolve around Joba Chamberlain's universe were going to relax, with the Yankees anticipating that he would finally pitch long enough to earn another victory.

Mets' future bleaker than Nationals  —  THIS is the hard truth Mets fans must face today.  The Nationals have a brighter future than the Mets.  It doesn't get any worse than that.  Washington has the worst record in baseball at 51-97.  —  It's so bad that it may be easier for the Nationals to attract free agents than the Mets.

Astros fire manager Cecil Cooper  —  Astros manager Cecil Cooper has been fired by the Astros, the team announced today.  —  Third base coach Dave Clark will serve as interim manager the final 13 games of the season.  —  “Cecil Cooper has given his all to the Houston Astros,” general manager Ed Wade said in a statement.

Aroldis Chapman awaits ruling on MLB free-agency status  —  Aroldis Chapman, the Cuban defector considered to be one of the top pitching prospects in the world, petitioned Major League Baseball for free-agency status recently and is likely only weeks from becoming a free agent, according to his agent.

Pirates will pursue familiar faces in free agency  —  Grabow likely target this winter, as is St. Louis outfielder Rick Ankiel  —  The Pirates plan to be more aggressive in free agency than last year, general manager Neal Huntington said yesterday, and that could include a pursuit of recently traded players.

A Stadium as a Work of Art  —  When Jeffrey Loria says that the Florida Marlins' new stadium will be a work of art, he means it literally.  Loria, the owner of the Marlins, who made his money as an art dealer, is overseeing many of the details of the design of the park …

Best Fastballs in Baseball  —  A few weeks back, Jeremy Greenhouse presented a new method for evaluating who throws best pitches in baseball.  Building on work by Dave Allen and John Walsh, the principle is to evaluate pitches based on their outcomes.  Jeremy's innovation was to use regression …

Millwood to throw in opener in Oakland  —  Texas (81-67) at Oakland (71-78), 9:05 p.m. CT  —  ARLINGTON — Kevin Millwood returns to the mound for the first time since Sept. 12 when he pitches against the Athletics on Monday at the Oakland Coliseum.  —  Millwood is 1-3 with a 6.54 ERA …

Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies named the National League Player of the Week presented by Bank of America  —  Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has been named National League Player of the Week presented by Bank of America for the period ending September 20th.

Markakis: 'I'm in a funk'  —  Struggling outfielder says his timing is off at the plate; in Sept., he's hitting .203 with no homers  —  Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis is adamant that he has had much tougher stretches in the major leagues, regardless of what the numbers suggest.

Lackey … ARLINGTON, Texas(AP) Maybe John Lackey was already thinking about his plans for the evening.  —  Despite struggling through six innings, Lackey was good enough to pitch the AL West-leading Los Angeles Angels closer to the postseason with a 10-5 victory Sunday over second-place Texas …