Jimmy Rollins’ two-run homer off Josh Johnson in the seventh broke a tie for the Phillies, who rode a stellar outing by Cliff Lee to their seventh consecutive win.

Right-hander Luke Hochevar labored through five innings before the Royals exploded for five runs in the fifth en route to a 10-5 win over the Twins on Wednesday night to secure a series victory.

Right-hander Liam Hendriks hopes the return of outfielder Denard Span bodes well for the Twins as they look to snap a three-game skid overall against Luis Mendoza and the Royals in Thursday’s series finale at Target Field.

As the Cardinals and Dodgers open a four-game series Thursday, the National League’s race for the second Wild Card comes into focus. The clubs are the leading contenders to face the Braves in a one-game Wild Card playoffs.

Clayton Richard allowed two runs over seven innings Wednesday as the Padres completed a three-game sweep of the Cardinals with a 3-2 victory before a crowd of 16,442 at Petco Park.

Despite a quality start from Kyle Lohse, the Cardinals fell to the Padres, 3-2, in front of 16,442 at Petco Park.

A.J. Burnett allowed two runs on a pair of outs, and it was enough to doom the Bucs to a 2-1 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park, the team’s season-long sixth in a row, although they remained 2 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race.

The Reds executed all the little things properly Wednesday as they brought out their brooms and completed a sweep of the Pirates by edging out a 2-1 win at Great American Ball Park.

Another new face stepped into the limelight Wednesday in the Reds’ 2-1 win against the Pirates as rookie J.J. Hoover chalked up the first save of his young career, in his first opportunity.

Josh Vitters, the Cubs’ top pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, spent five years in the Minors and was aided by many coaches, but he said his father was the most important of all.

For the second time in less than two weeks, it will be Justin Verlander vs. Chris Sale with a share of first place on the line.

Things are getting crowded atop the American League Central. A late rally wasn’t enough to let the White Sox overcome Max Scherzer’s early dominance, and they fell to the Tigers, 8-6, on Wednesday night at U.S. Cellular Field.

With one crushing swing from Prince Fielder for a three-run homer in the seventh inning, Detroit turned what had been another pitching duel into a runaway lead. They needed most of it to hold off a late White Sox rally for an 8-6 win.

Looking to remain atop the American League East, the Yankees will have Phil Hughes on the mound vs. the Red Sox, who will counter with Felix Doubront.

Andy Pettitte is once again poised to make a major difference for the Yankees. The calendar moves on, the lead character grows older, but this script never really changes.

MLB.com on Wednesday launched its Postseason Chase Ticket Deal to help fans cut through increasing demand and make it out to the ballpark to see the drama and maybe even some clinchers.

As a heated race for the American League East title shows no signs of abating, the Yankees’ priority is to keep taking care of their own business. Curtis Granderson homered twice and Robinson Cano also went deep on Wednesday, leading New York to a 5-4 win over the Red Sox.