Darin Mastroianni’s aggressive baserunning produced the winning run in the 12th inning as the Twins defeated the Indians, 6-5.

The Tigers regained momentum with a much-needed win over another American League playoff contender with Tuesday’s 12-2 win over the Oakland A’s at Comerica Park.

A.J. Griffin surrendered a career-high five runs against the powered Tigers on Tuesday, and the A’s couldn’t catch up in a lopsided 12-2 defeat in Detroit.

Justin Verlander, who takes the mound Wednesday opposite Oakland’s Brett Anderson in the second game of a three-game set, loves the kind of pressure the Tigers are under in the AL Central race.

Andy Pettitte will have to wait one more day to get back on a mound against Major League hitting, as Tuesday’s opener between the Yankees and Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium was postponed due to rain.

Tuesday’s game between the Mets and Phillies was postponed due to severe weather, and it was rescheduled for Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field.

Marco Estrada, who takes the mound for Milwaukee on Wednesday, has been a major factor in the club’s success of late. The Pirates will counter with a new weapon of their own, as Kyle McPherson toes the rubber for his first Major League start.

The Brewers’ Yovani Gallardo pitched two-hit ball for 6 2/3 innings and got enough help from an offense slightly stalled by A.J. Burnett’s two early hit batters to down the Pirates, 6-0.

Shortstop Yunel Escobar was suspended three games by the Blue Jays on Tuesday for displaying eye-black stickers containing a homophobic slur written in Spanish during Saturday’s game in Toronto against the Red Sox.

Yovani Gallardo continued his late-season surge with 6 2/3 scoreless innings, and the Brewers ran wild on the basepaths to take the opener of a key series between National League Wild Card contenders, 6-0, at chilly PNC Park on Tuesday.

Alejandro De Aza, Gordon Beckham and Alex Rios hit solo homers and Gavin Floyd pitched seven strong innings to lead the White Sox to a 3-2 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Rays will look to right-hander Chris Archer on Wednesday to help get the team out of its current slide, and he’ll be opposed by Daisuke Matsuzaka in Wednesday night’s contest.

If the Rays taking their fourth consecutive defeat and losing for the seventh time in their last eight games wasn’t bad enough, the tone of Tuesday night’s 7-5 loss to the Red Sox left little room for optimism in Tampa Bay’s clubhouse.

For weeks, both energy and results seemed to be missing in action for the Red Sox, but those elements have returned of late and were on full display throughout Tuesday night’s 7-5 victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Tuesday is Roberto Clemente Day throughout Major League Baseball, a day instituted on the 30th anniversary of his passing, and it will be testament to the fact that every year is a major anniversary for those who keep alive Clemente’s spirit of giving. MLB announced the names of the 30 club nominees, including nine 2012 All-Stars, who are candidates to receive the overall Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet at the World Series.

Boston Red Sox bench coach Tim Bogar will interview for the Astros’ full-time managerial opening on Wednesday.

A ballpark is a ballpark, regardless of whether it’s a Major League stadium or a fence-less park with a few metal bleachers and a small wooden clubhouse in Gauteng, South Africa. And if there’s anyone who should know the ins and outs of a ballpark, it’s 22-year-old South African infielder Gift Ngoepe. He grew up in one — in that small wooden clubhouse, in fact.