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With the calendar flipping to September, now is the time where we will see the best that baseball has to offer in the pennant and awards races. 

Frequently we see the narrative of the pennant race determine which players win awards. Mike Trout was the American League MVP last season until Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown. Buster Posey led the Giants into the postseason with a brilliant September that carried him to the NL MVP. 

The latest installment of this feature includes two White Sox pitching prospects heading in opposite directions, the best Giants pitching prospect to emerge since Zack Wheeler was traded away and a trio of intriguing yet unpolished prospects that have had issues finding the strike zone this season—they've combined for 168 walks in 252 innings pitched this season. 

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Major League Baseball has released its full 2013 postseason schedule.

According to Mark Newman of MLB.com, the Wild Card games will be Oct. 2. The National League Divisional Series will begin the next day (Oct. 3), while the ALDS will begin Oct. 4.

Nearly five years ago, the character Mac from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia wrote a "love" letter to his favorite Phillies player, Chase Utley, asking if the two could "have a catch." He made sure to compliment Utley's hair and ask about the second baseman's relationship with his father while he was at it.

Now, given that Utley is really busy playing a lot of baseball for the Phillies, Mac has only just now gotten his response.

According to Mark Hale of the New York Post, the Yankees have sent representatives to Japan to scout Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka.

The Washington Nationals are infamous for protecting Stephen Strasburg during the 2012 season, setting an innings limit on him.

While they were careful with Strasburg, it seems the opposite is true for their young offensive star, Bryce Harper.

Don't go reaching for the TV Guide or unloading your remaining Los Angeles Angels tickets to the closest person willing to take them just yet. The final month of the Angels' season has plenty of opportunity to provide must-see TV, with interesting scenarios, mini drama and difficult decision-making.

You just have to know what is what. Think of it as the final act: the beginning of the end, the end of the end, and the beginning of the new beginning.

It's all there, wrapped up in one, final month.

The 2013 Detroit Tigers are a month away from postseason baseball, an excellent bet to repeat as American League champions and a marquee attraction for Major League Baseball's broadcasting plan down the stretch of the season.

Part of that allure: Star power.

From Justin Verlander to Prince Fielder to Torii Hunter, the current version of the Detroit Tigers are one of the most recognizable groups in recent memory.

The deeper we get into the regular season, the harder it becomes for players to elevate their games.

Not only do months of wear and tear begin to take their toll on a player's body, but for those players who find themselves on teams that are out of contention for a playoff spot, the mental aspect of the game begins to wear on them as well.

Detroit's Austin Jackson stole his seventh base of the season against the Red Sox on Monday and decided to make lemonade out of lemons after tripping on the bag by getting a workout in.

Jackson's stolen base helped the Tigers notch a 3-0 victory. 

GIF courtesy of Cut4.