Aledmys Diaz hit a rocket to left field, and the Cardinals walked off with a 6-5 win and a four-game sweep of the Padres on Thursday night at Busch Stadium.

The Rockies’ Mark Reynolds launched the second-longest homer in the Majors this year, according to Statcast™ — a 484-foot, pinch-hit, leadoff shot in the seventh inning against Braves relief pitcher Hunter Cervenka on Thursday night.

It’s been a stellar month for Marlins No. 24 prospect Jeff Brigham. The 24-year-old righty turned in yet another impressive performance Thursday, tossing seven scoreless innings and striking out a season-best 10 batters.

The Marlins are bringing plenty of confidence into a big series this weekend at home against the Mets. They beat the Phillies on Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park, 9-3, to win three games in the four-game series. Miami has moved within 4 1/2 games of the Nationals in the National League East, while maintaining a 1 1/2-game lead over the Mets for the second NL Wild Card.

The legendary final season of David Ortiz added a new twist on Thursday night at Fenway Park when the slugger made more news with a home run he hit during batting practice than the one he smashed to ice a 13-2 victory over the Twins.

Andrew Cashner put his best foot forward for potential suitors on Thursday, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out eight on a muggy night in St. Louis.

With the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline approaching, many teams have decisions to make about whether to buy, sell or hold. One such club is the White Sox, who have not reached the postseason since 2008. Chicago has sputtered after a strong start and now sits under .500, far behind in both the American League Central and the AL Wild Card race, with general manager Rick Hahn saying Thursday that his team is “mired in mediocrity.”

In a perfect world, what would your favorite team do? Forget fallback positions. Let’s go for something that might just be the final touch. Let’s attempt to put ourselves in the shoes of a dozen executives as the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline approaches.

Just fifteen minutes before Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Brewers, Pirates outfielder Matt Joyce found out he’d be starting as Starling Marte was scratched due to flu-like symptoms. All Joyce did was hit a three-run homer in the first and finish with four RBIs.

Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, starting for just the second time since the All-Star break, moved within four of 3,000 career hits with a pair of singles in Thursday’s 9-3 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

The front four in the Red Sox’s batting order — led by five hits from Dustin Pedroia — overpowered the Twins in a 13-2 romp in Thursday night’s opener of a four-game series at Fenway Park.

Pirates left fielder Starling Marte was scratched from Thursday night’s 5-3 win over the Brewers shortly before first pitch due to flu-like symptoms.

The Pirates’ Opening Day starter finally returned to top-of-the-rotation form Thursday night. Left-hander Francisco Liriano struck out 13 batters without a walk and led the Pirates to a 5-3 win over the Brewers at PNC Park.

The A’s will call on right-hander Jesse Hahn for a Sunday home start against the Rays, which will mark his first appearance with Oakland since June 8.

Commissioner Rob Manfred was among many who participated in the annual Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation Golf and Tennis Classic at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, where about $500,000 was raised to benefit the cause that Torre and his wife Ali began in 2002 to help children — more than 50,000 so far — who are profoundly affected by domestic violence.

Though he’s been the subject of much trade speculation in recent weeks, Josh Reddick has continued to let his bat do most of the talking.

Matt Holliday’s nose was grazed by a pitch from Andrew Cashner in the sixth inning of Thursday night’s series finale against the Padres. Though Holliday fell to the ground, he stood under his own power and walked to first base while talking to manager Mike Matheny, who pulled Holliday out of the game. Blood was coming from Holliday’s nose as he left the field.