The back-and-forth party otherwise known as the AL Central kept on going Wednesday night, and the Royals were the ones blowing out the candles this time, as the Pulse of the Postseason continues to beat.

James Shields fired seven shutout innings, while Salvador Perez and Lorenzo Cain backed him with RBI singles in the Royals’ 3-0 win over the Tigers on Wednesday night.

Matt Shoemaker shut out the Rangers through the first six innings at Globe Life Park on Wednesday, paving the way for the offense to come on late and leading the Angels to an 8-1 win that pushed their winning streak to a season-high seven games.

The Pirates gained ground in the National League Central and held their lead in the NL Wild Card standings Wednesday with a 6-3 win against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Andrew McCutchen watched the fly ball off his bat casually for a few strides, and then he took off. The ball hit just the right part of the Citizens Bank Park wall in left-center field, and about 310 feet around the bases later, McCutchen was crossing home plate with his first career inside-the-park home run.

Backed by a magnificent effort by starter Wei Yin Chen, who took a perfect game into the sixth inning, the O’s used a six-run third to outdistance themselves in a 10-6 victory and secure a three-game sweep at Fenway Park.

Yusmeiro Petit’s late-season success, which continued Tuesday night with the Giants’ 5-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, is nothing new. He also thrived toward the end of the 2013 campaign. The difference is that this time around, more people are watching.

Padres right-hander Andrew Cashner earned his first win since April 16 with seven strong innings on the mound and a two-run double at the plate in a 6-3 victory over the Dodgers on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

Shortstop Hanley Ramirez committed a pair of errors that led to three unearned runs for Roberto Hernandez in the second inning, and the Dodgers lost to the Padres, 6-3, their four-game win streak snapped and their lead over the Giants in the NL West cut to 2 1/2 games.

The Pulse of the Postseason was riveting Tuesday in ballparks across the Majors.

Josh Donaldson scored two runs and sent home four by virtue of a career-high five hits in the A’s 11-2 win over the White Sox on Tuesday.

Giancarlo Stanton ought to be the 2014 National League Most Valuable Player. This thing you hear about, he should get the MVP if the Miami Marlins qualify for the postseason is a completely arbitrary distinction. That would be an obvious plus for Stanton’s candidacy, but it shouldn’t be a prerequisite for the award.

Craig Gentry left with a concussion in the top of the fifth inning of Tuesday’s game against the White Sox after colliding with Carlos Sanchez at first base while trying to beat out a bunt.

Jon Lester cruised through the White Sox lineup on Tuesday and led the A’s to an 11-2 win to keep them atop the American League Wild Card race.

Jose Bautista hit a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning and Mark Buehrle continued his recent turnaround with another quality start in the Blue Jays’ 9-2 victory over the Cubs on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.

Aramis Ramirez’s first RBIs in September came with Ryan Braun out of the lineup nursing a lingering right hand injury. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke knows that for his team to snap its prolonged funk, it will need more from its middle-of-the-order hitters.

Max Scherzer went 6 2/3 strong innings for his 16th win and Rajai Davis hit a key two-run homer as the Tigers downed the Royals, 4-2, on Tuesday at Comerica Park.