Baseball's Postseason Is Evolving, for Better or Worse  —  With 40 percent of teams qualifying for the playoffs, and four teams getting first-round byes, October will have a very different feel.  And plenty of new merchandise.  —  ST. LOUIS — Baseball people never use the word tournament.

Inside the MLB Culture Wars That Led to Joe Maddon's Firing  —  How could a World Series-winning manager with 19 years of experience lose his job over a 12-game sample?  The answer is about much more than just a losing streak.  —  Excerpted from THE BOOK OF JOE: Trying Not to Suck at Baseball & Life by Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci.

Bullpen, right-handed bat, rotation help all high on Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen's to-do list  —  The Diamondbacks won 22 more games this year than the previous year, but it was clear from General Manager Mike Hazen's end-of-year session with reporters that fact did not mean much to him.

Mets prospect hesitation their trade deadline undoing  —  MORE FROM:  —  The Cubs had two players that obviously would have helped the Mets at the deadline — Willson Contreras and David Robertson — but Cubs management is said to have grown so frustrated by the Mets' unwillingness to give …

Dodgers put finishing touches on historic regular season with 111th win  —  The Dodgers' win total ties the 1954 Cleveland Indians for the fourth-most in MLB history, and they led the majors both in runs scored and fewest runs allowed  —  LOS ANGELES — The 2022 season began with hyperbole …

4 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls' loss in their preseason opener, including Dalen Terry's spark and Patrick Williams' question mark  —  ExpandAutoplay  —  1 of 21  —  Bulls guard Dalen Terry celebrates after a big basket in the second half of the preseason opener against the Pelicans on Oct. 4, 2022, at the United Center.

Astros tension could be problem for GM James Click  —  There's said to be tension between Astros GM James Click and owner Jim Crane.  Despite another terrific season in Houston, could Click be on the hot seat?  —  Click declined comment, saying they are focused on the postseason.

Dolphins' running game is a mess; Mike McDaniel says improvement starts with his play-calling  —  MIAMI GARDENS — All eyes will be on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater when the Dolphins visit the New York Jets this Sunday.  —  But the focus should be elsewhere.  —  The focus should be on getting the running game going.