Houston Astros defeat Chicago Cubs, 4-3

When Cubs catcher Koyie Hill couldn't get a bunt down in the ninth inning, then struck out on a bad swing, he took a step toward the dugout and broke his bat over his knee.

That left his bat looking a lot like the Cubs' season and just about as likely to produce any relevant results the final two months of the season.

Wednesday's 12-inning loss to the Houston Astros wasn't the one that salted away the season -- there were at least 20 one-run losses before this one th...

DES MOINES -- Ryne Sandberg knows it's not 1984 anymore.

The pressure-cooker at Wrigley Field has chewed up and spit out two of the best managers in baseball since the culture on the North Side changed after the 2003 season: Dusty Baker left defiantly defending his honor after a 66-win, last-place season in 2005. And now Lou Piniella, out of answers since May, is on pace to head home with his worst non-Tampa Bay record of his career.

Still, Sandberg can't wait for th...