A.J. Griffin pitched seven strong innings to win his fourth consecutive start, and the A’s used another big inning of offense en route to an 8-2 victory over the Twins on Thursday afternoon at Target Field. The A’s picked up a half-game on idle Texas and now lead the AL West by 3 1/2 games.

Everything seemed to be right again as the Braves concluded a tough seven-game road trip with Thursday afternoon’s 6-1 win against the Marlins. Freddy Garcia proved he still has the potential to be an effective starter at the big league level, and Freddie Freeman celebrated his 24th birthday by securing his third consecutive 20-homer season.

The Marlins are not asking Jose Fernandez to change his emotional nature, they’d just like to see him tone it down a bit. The morning after the 21-year-old was at the center of some bench-clearing controversy with the Braves, Fernandez said what he did was wrong and he hopes to learn from it.

Players like Miguel Cabrera, Matt Carpenter, Dustin Pedroia and Jeff Keppinger have been able to use different approaches to see success at the plate while facing the tough task of hitting with two strikes against them.

Not that long ago, Greg Holland was a high school third baseman in North Carolina with his jaw wired shut after being hit during a pickoff attempt. Now, he’s in the Major Leagues in a role he never would have predicted.

It really is about how you close out a season, and now that we’re in the final three weeks, it’s time to look at who might be the best at doing just that.

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters and first baseman Chris Davis know how important their job is. But it’s not even close to the job of being a father.

Every lineup, every day, as they are made public by the clubs.

Patrick Corbin put together his second consecutive outstanding outing as the D-backs beat the Dodgers, 4-1, on Wednesday night to avoid a sweep in the three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Yasiel Puig hit his 16th home run on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, but the Dodgers’ magic number held at six after Hyun-Jin Ryu battled the D-backs for six innings in his return from a stiff lower back.

It’s a bit late to wonder if the Royals are going to contend for a postseason spot, because they already are doing just that. And they just might also have the most traction, winning eight of 11 September games after taking two of three at Cleveland.

Jose Fernandez is everything that is good in baseball, no matter what happened on Wednesday night. So he showed a little youthful exuberance after hitting his first career home run. If that’s the worst thing he does on baseball field, big deal.

Right-hander Anibal Sanchez struck out 10 and Omar Infante’s RBI single in the eighth was the difference for the Tigers in a 1-0 win over the White Sox on Wednesday night in the rubber game.

For the second straight night, the Cardinals were no-hit for much of the night. For the second straight night, the offense erupted in the late innings to top the Brewers on Wednesday. This time, the Cards won, 5-1, to remain a game ahead of the Pirates in the National League Central.

Mike Carp took it up even another notch on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, when he belted a pinch-hit grand slam to center field with one out in the top of the 10th. Backed by Carp’s game-breaking slam, the red-hot Red Sox upended the reeling Rays, 7-3.

The A’s scored 10 runs in the fourth inning and batted around again in the fifth, setting a season high with 22 hits and a season high in runs in an 18-3 blowout of the Twins at Target Field. With Wednesday night’s win, Oakland took a three-game lead over Texas in the American League West.

Mike Carp’s pinch-hit grand slam off Roberto Hernandez in the top of the 10th gave the Red Sox a 7-3 win at Tropicana Field, making the Rays’ prospects from making the postseason appear bleaker than at any point in recent weeks.