The Yankees will carry an 11-man pitching staff in their ALDS against the Tigers. They have tabbed CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia as their only starting pitchers. Sabathia would pitch Game 4 on short rest, while Nova would take Game 5 on normal rest. The eight-man bullpen will also include starters A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes. Bartolo Colon is the odd man out. Jesus Montero will serve as the reserve designated hitter and catcher.

Chipper Jones has reiterated his desire to return to the Braves and Major League Baseball next season. Jones said Atlanta's September collapse would have no bearing on his decision. "I've committed to playing next year," he said. "I won't commit past that; let's put it that way. [But] I'm looking forward to it. As tough a pill as it is to swallow, for a lot of these young guys it's a learning experience. "We got our butts kicked for the last couple of weeks of the season, and they're going to learn a lot from it and be better ballplayers for it." Jones, 39, came back from season-ending knee surgery in August 2010 to hit .275 with 33 doubles, 18 homers and 70 RBIs in 126 games in 2011.

There is still a chance that Zack Greinke could start Game 2 of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks. Greinke would be appearing on short rest if he pitched against Arizona on Sunday. He pitched six innings on short rest Wednesday night against Pittsburgh to clinch home-field advantage for the NLDS.

The Rays have left right-handed starter Jeff Niemann off their roster for the ALDS against the Rangers. Niemann was 0-2 against Texas this season, allowing 12 runs and four homers in 9 2/3 innings.

The Tigers have included all five of their starting pitchers on their roster for the ALDS against the Yankees. Detroit manager Jim Leyland had already stated that Justin Verlander, Doug Fister and Max Scherzer would start the first three games of the series. They are brining along starters Rick Porcello and Brad Penny instead of adding an extra reliever to the bullpen.

Diamondbacks batting coach Don Baylor was taken to a hospital after fainting at Miller Park on Friday morning. Arizona general manager Kevin Towers said Baylor had a "fainting episode" after eating breakfast in the clubhouse, and one of the team's trainers caught him as he fell. "Anytime somebody faints, loses consciousness for a while, it's scary," Towers said. "He's a big part of this ballclub, means a lot to these players. And hopefully everything turns out well and he's in uniform tomorrow, hopefully helping us win a ballgame against a very good Brewers club."

Terry Francona met with Red Sox management on Friday to discuss his future as manager, but the team said a decision has not been reached. Red Sox GM Theo Epstein released a statement Friday afternoon. "John Henry, Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino, Ben Cherington and I met with Terry Francona this morning at Fenway Park to exchange thoughts and information on the 2011 season and discuss areas for improvement going forward," he said. "We all plan on taking some time to process the thoughts expressed in the meeting. There are no immediate plans for an announcement." Despite the statement, Francona told staff members on Thursday that he will not be returning as manager, a club source told ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes on Friday.

Major League Baseball posted the fifth-highest attendance number in history this season, with 73,425,568 fans. The attendance number is higher than both the 2009 and 2010 seasons. "Major League Baseball is grateful to all of the loyal fans who filled our ballparks in such remarkable numbers this year and witnessed a historic final night of the season," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "The resiliency of our sport never ceases to amaze. "Earning the fifth-highest attendance in history amid such challenging economic times reaffirms the incredible passion and enthusiasm of the fans of our national pastime. There is no doubt that this sport is more popular today than it has ever been in its long, storied history." Overall, the last eight years make up the eight best-attended seasons in MLB history, including four record-breaking years.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein would reportedly "embrace the challenge" of becoming the next general manager of the Cubs. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said earlier this week that he is in no rush to make a decision on the team's vacancy. Chicago is expected to make a run at Epstein, who isn't as secure in Boston as he once was following the team's September collapse. There is no guarantee that the Red Sox would grant Epstein permission to talk to the Cubs.

The Marlins had a backup plan if they couldn't acquire manager Ozzie Guillen from the White Sox, according to an industry source. Florida owner Jeffrey Loria has long coveted Bobby Valentine and was prepared to offer the job to the current ESPN analyst if he couldn't get Guillen, his first choice. Valentine was in talks about Florida's managerial position back in 2010, but negotiations eventually broke down.