After five months and 136 games, the Cards will enter September positioned precisely as hoped. They are again co-leaders in the National League Central. A little less than two hours after stunning the Cubs with a come-from-behind, 9-6 win, the Cardinals moved into a tie with the Brewers, who were blown out in San Francisco. Matt Holliday homered, drove in four runs and hit the game-winner.

With an 8-1 win on Sunday, the Angels swept the A’s in a four-game series for the first time since 1997, winning their sixth game in a row and building a season-high five-game lead over Oakland in the AL West. The Halos also improved to 30 games above .500.

The Tigers committed three errors in the first two innings, and four total, in Sunday’s finale against the White Sox and went down to a 6-2 defeat at U.S. Cellular Field. Starter Rick Porcello gave up six runs, but just three were earned, over 6 2/3 innings.

John Lackey understands Spanish well enough to know what Starlin Castro was saying, but didn’t grasp that the Cubs’ shortstop was mad at himself, not at the Cardinals pitcher. Castro was upset after he flew out to center to end the fourth inning Sunday, and he yelled something in Spanish. Lackey took exception to what was said, and Cubs first-base coach Eric Hinske and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina had to be peacemakers.

Chase Anderson has been remarkably consistent against the Rockies this year, and on Sunday afternoon, he helped lead the D-backs past the Rockies, 6-2, at Chase Field.

No individual, not even the peerless Mike Trout, has played a more significant role in the transformation of the Angels than Matt Shoemaker, who has eased the pain of Garrett Richards’ loss to knee surgery.

After experiencing an alarming “pop” in his left wrist during a Sunday strikeout, Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez needs further tests to determine whether he will miss time for a struggling team trying to hold on to first place in its division.

Though he has added plenty of unwanted tension along the way, Trevor Rosenthal joined select Cardinals company on Sunday when he nailed down the team’s 9-6 win with his 40th save of this season.

The red-hot bat of Jose Altuve rescued the Astros. Altuve stroked a two-out, tiebreaking RBI single into center field to score Jake Marisnick from third base — his career-high-tying fourth hit of the game — to send the Astros to their third win in four games against the Rangers at Minute Maid Park, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon.

J.J. Hardy crushed a grand slam that highlighted a seven-run sixth inning as the Orioles downed Minnesota, 12-8, in front of 40,905 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sunday that, paired with the Yankees’ 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays in Toronto, gave them a nine-game lead in the American League East.

In the seventh inning of Sunday’s 3-2 victory over the Pirates, Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton swiped second following an infield single. It gave Hamilton 54 stolen bases this season, tying the 105-year-old rookie record set by Bob Bescher in 1909.

For a moment Sunday afternoon at Citi Field — before the Mets finished off the Phillies, 6-5 — one Anthony Recker swing in the sixth inning eased the pains of a difficult season in Queens, his bat colliding with an A.J. Burnett breaking ball that never really broke, the ball soaring through the humid August air until it landed a half-dozen rows back in left field.

Chris Heisey connected for two home runs, including the one that gave the Reds the lead in the ninth inning for a 3-2 series-salvaging win over the Pirates on Sunday at PNC Park.

Clay Buchholz hurled his second shutout of the season as the Red Sox downed the Rays, 3-0, on Sunday at Tropicana Field.

Jose Bautista has moved within one of the Blue Jays’ franchise record for most consecutive games with a home run. He homered during the sixth inning of Sunday afternoon’s 4-3 victory over the Yankees. It marked the fifth straight game in which Bautista homered, and history is now within his sights.

Melky Cabrera, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion each homered, while Munenori Kawasaki drove in the go-ahead run during the Blue Jays’ 4-3 victory over the Yankees on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

Speaking to reporters following his trade from the White Sox to the A’s on Sunday, Adam Dunn said he is going to retire following the season.