MLB News Blog

Cole Hamels is going into Game 1 of the National League championship series with a clear head. The Philadelphia left-hander was gone in a hurry after being pinch-hit for in Game 2 of last week's division series against Colorado when his wife went into labor. She gave birth to their first child, a boy.

The San Francisco Giants will not renew hitting coach Carney Lansford's contract after scoring the fifth fewest runs in the majors this season. The team announced Wednesday that Lansford won't be retained after his contract expires at the end of the month. Lansford spent two seasons as hitting coach.

Clayton Kershaw will start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League championship series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Manager Joe Torre says he went with the 21-year-old left-hander because he came up big in the Dodgers' division-clinching win against Colorado on Oct. 3. Kershaw pitched six scoreless innings in that game, [...]

Cross Boston pitching coach John Farrell off Cleveland's managerial wish list. Farrell tells The Plain Dealer for a story on its Web site that it was an honor to be considered for the job but he feels he has to fulfill his commitment to the Red Sox. The newspaper reported Farrell called Indians general manager [...]

Mets shortstop Jose Reyes will undergo surgery on his injured right leg on Thursday in Dallas. Reyes is scheduled for a cleanup of some scar tissue remaining from a torn hamstring tendon behind his right knee. The Mets have said Reyes will not need an operation to repair his torn right hamstring. Reyes batted .279 [...]

Mark Teixeira and Bobby Abreu have plenty in common. Smooth swings, sharp eyes, opposite-field power. And something else now, too. As the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels prepare to meet for the American League pennant, both sluggers can easily recall what life was like in the other dugout. "That team over there, just [...]

If John Smoltz had picked the other finalist for his services in August, he could be pitching in the National League championship series for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 42-year-old right-hander said he has zero regrets after signing with the team the Dodgers swept in the division series. The St. Louis Cardinals plugged Smoltz into [...]

Tim McClelland has been picked as the crew chief for the AL championship series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels, and Randy Marsh has been selected as crew chief for the NL championship series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. McClelland will be working his 18th postseason series and [...]

Indians outfielder Matt LaPorta has undergone two surgeries, one on his left hip and the other to fix an injured toe. The Indians said LaPorta had the operations on Tuesday in Colorado. The hip surgery was done to repair an impingement in his joint. LaPorta was bothered by soreness in his hip in the final [...]

Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced his rotation for the AL championship series on Wednesday, selecting John Lackey to start Friday night's Game 1 against CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees. Lackey pitched 7 1-3 innings to lead Los Angeles to a 5-0 win over the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the division [...]