Games like Tuesday night’s happen when you’re on a roll. And make no mistake about it, the Rays are riding a major one, which continued in a 4-1 win over the Twins at Tropicana Field as Chris Archer allowed three hits in six innings.

Forget the moral victories. James Shields was hungry for an actual win. The Royals have had trouble scoring for Shields, and as a result, he doesn’t win nearly as often as he should. Only one half of that equation rang true for Shields on Tuesday night, when he held the Yankees to one run in seven innings and wound up with a rare decision in a 3-1 victory.

No history of the Yankees is complete without mention of the Pine Tar Game, a bizarre engagement between the Yankees and Royals 30 summers ago that gained so high a profile that it came to warrant upper-case treatment before it was completed.

Of the eight 21-or-under players who have appeared in a big league game this season, four are All-Stars. No other All-Star Game in history had that many players that young.

MLB.com columnist Matthew Leach concedes that there are arguments against Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig’s inclusion on the National League All-Star team. There just aren’t many that are especially convincing.

Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is the latest phenom to arrive from Cuba, and the National League Final Vote contender has the support of his countrymen across the big league landscape.

As the 30th anniversary of the infamous “pine tar” game approaches, George Brett serves as the Royals’ hitting coach, and thus the topic came up with his team’s return to the Bronx. He embraces the memory, fully aware that it could be much worse.

After two injury rehab games at Triple-A Colorado Springs, All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is on the verge of rejoining the Rockies. Tulowitzki will fly to the West Coast on Wednesday and be evaluated Thursday in Los Angeles.

An active campaign, coupled with the ongoing efforts of the Blue Jays and Braves to solicit votes from each other’s fan base, has kept Freddie Freeman in the National League lead in the 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote. In turn, Steve Delabar, Toronto’s star reliever, continues to pace the American League.

With Monday’s game tied in the 16th inning due to stagnant offenses from each dugout, Eric Young Jr. finally provided life for the Mets singling, stealing second and scoring the winning run on a Giants fielding error for a 4-3 victory.

Tyler Chatwood allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings as the Rockies took the series opener from the Padres, 4-2, at Petco Park on Monday.

All-Star Felix Hernandez fired seven strong innings to earn his ninth win, while Raul Ibanez belted a go-ahead homer in the fifth and the Mariners never looked back in a 11-4 win over the Red Sox on Monday night.

Lost in the commotion surrounding the emergence of Yasiel Puig has been the sudden resurgence of Hanley Ramirez. However, the Dodgers clubhouse has certainly taken notice of the rejuvenated infielder.

Yasiel Puig is in the eye of the beholder now, with the whole baseball world watching, in a mixture somewhere between appreciation and awe.

Zack Greinke allowed two hits on the mound while knocking three singles at the plate as the Dodgers beat Arizona, 6-1, opening a three-game series between the division-leading D-Backs and their closest pursuer, without an unsightly incident.

While Max Scherzer picked up a no-decision for seven innings of two-run ball to remain unbeaten, the Tigers picked up their sixth win in seven games, and third in this four-game series with the Indians, with a rain-soaked Monday marathon. Victor Martinez haunted his old team with a go-ahead two-run double in the 10th off Matt Albers, sending Detroit to a 4-2 victory at Progressive Field.

Luis Valbuena knocked in three runs, including the go-ahead runs with a two-run double during a five-run eighth inning, to lift Matt Garza, who worked seven strong innings, and the Cubs to an 8-2 victory over the White Sox on Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field.