Adam LaRoche hit a pair of home runs and Gio Gonzalez was strong as the Nats downed the Phillies, 3-2, on Sunday at Nationals Park.

Rangers starter Derek Holland made a terrific return to his home ballpark, pitching seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory over the Mariners on Sunday afternoon.

Assistant general manager John Ricco confirmed after Sunday’s 4-3 win at Cincinnati that right-handed reliever Gonzalez Germen and veteran outfielder Bobby Abreu will join the team sometime during the upcoming series against Colorado. A name left off the September callup list was that of right-hander Noah Syndergaard

The Bucs flattened the Cubs, 10-4, on Sunday at Wrigley Field to steam into a half-game lead over Milwaukee for the National League’s second Wild Card playoff spot. Pittsburgh tallied 19 hits, including four homers.

Since 2011, the Cardinals have been the best September team in baseball. St. Louis has a 58-29 record in September over that period, following Sunday’s 9-1 win over Milwaukee. If a team carried that pace over an entire season, it would go 108-54.

Michael Jordan was one of the surprise guests for Derek Jeter’s on-field ceremony on Sunday, walking out of the first-base dugout after Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr. and Dave Winfield were introduced. Having tracked Jeter’s career over the past two decades and enjoyed common ground as a leading Nike pitchman with the captain, Jordan has grown to become a big fan of Jeter’s.

The Marlins got back on track at home in Sunday’s finale with the Braves, as they shut out their NL East rivals, 4-0, at Marlins Park. The series win was Miami’s first since taking three of four over the Diamondbacks in mid-August.

R.A. Dickey tossed seven-plus strong innings while Jose Bautista hit a three-run homer as the Blue Jays salvaged the finale of the series at Fenway Park, taking a 3-1 victory over the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon. Heading home, Toronto finds itself five games back of Seattle for the second American League Wild Card.

Rusney Catillo belted two hits, including a double, in Double-A Portland’s 8-5 loss to Binghamton in the decisive Game 5 of the Eastern League playoffs Sunday. Next stop for Castillo? Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday night, for Game 1 of the Governor’s Cup Finals against Durham.

Carlos Carrasco allowed just four hits in a dominant 8 2/3-inning performance, striking out eight, as the Indians posted a three-game sweep of the White Sox with a 2-0 victory on Sunday at Progressive Field.

Zack Wheeler continued a string of consistent success that dates back to late June, and Anthony Recker’s home run was the key hit Sunday as New York rallied for a 4-3 victory over Cincinnati to win its third consecutive series, and second in a row on the road for the first time this year.

On Sunday, the Yankees and their fans said thanks to Derek Jeter, an icon who delivered again and again, and who was beloved as much for his decency off the field as his greatness on it.

Matt Kemp’s second-half resurgence this season following two years of injury has brought about the question as to whether he can return to the MVP runner-up form his showed in 2011, but Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said that’s an unreasonable expectation.

Matt Wieters admitted he won’t know if he will be able to have a full Spring Training until he resumes throwing, which may not happen until November.

Any time, day or night, Kyle Seager is always capable of hurting the Rangers. Five minutes before midnight Saturday night, the Mariners third baseman hit a crucial two-run home run that tied the game and then in the eighth he moved the winning run from first to third on the way to a 4-2 victory over Texas.

With the Braves winning and the Brewers losing on Saturday, the two teams are tied for the second NL Wild Card spot, and the Pirates are just a half-game back. In the AL, the Central contenders fell, while those in the East and West all won.

Left-hander Jorge De La Rosa would have happily settled for a straight up win in his first start since signing a two-year, $25 million extension earlier this week. Instead, the Rockies treated him to a dose of the dramatics as Drew Stubbs’ single walked it off in the 12th to give Colorado a 7-6 victory over the Padres Saturday at Coors Field.