“You have to deal with certain things in life,” says Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “It is not important what happened. You can’t change that. It is important how you deal with it. You have to focus on the future and not let it slip away. We’ve got the talent to win. So we have to be sure we don’t waste it.”

We are a nation divided. Some of us want to see him return; some of us would prefer he stay away from such a prominent position. I speak not of Barack Obama and his bid for reelection but of Roger Clemens and his bid for big league resurrection.

With their 4-1 win in Anaheim on Wednesday, the A’s won their 12th straight on the road, leaving them two shy of tying the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics for the longest streak in franchise history.

Despite dealing with a family tragedy, Max Scherzer has emerged this season to give the Tigers one of the best one-two punches of any big league rotation.

The A’s radically remade their pitching staff with three major trades over the winter. The Nationals were happy to take advantage, shipping four prospects to Oakland in order to add high-upside but sometimes erratic lefty Gio Gonzalez. It’s quite clear that neither side should have any regrets.

While players often take extra batting practice during the year to stay sharp, as the grueling pace of a long season begins to take its toll they must balance extra work with preserving their energy.

The Giants and Rockies battled each other for 3 1/2 hours on a crisp fall night at Coors Field on Wednesday, but the game was all but over after the first half-hour. On the strength of a five-run rally in the first frame, the Giants won the game, 8-3, and the series.

Over the last month or so, the Orioles have made it very clear that their primary goal in the playoff hunt is a division title, and they crept one step closer with a 9-2 victory over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night, pulling them even with the Yankees atop the AL East.

Major League Baseball on Wednesday released its tentative 2013 master schedule, which includes the Astros’ shift to the American League West that will lead to at least one Interleague game every day, and features 19 divisional games for every club and the World Baseball Classic during Spring Training.

This has been Matt Kemp’s lost season. Through Tuesday night, Kemp has played in just 86 games with the obvious diminishing offensive numbers relative to last year: 18 homers, 56 RBIs and 63 runs scored.

It remains difficult to believe that the New York Yankees won’t win the American League East. They are, after all, the Yankees, and there is all that talent.

Nationals outfielder Michael Morse will miss a few games because of a sore left wrist. He is expected to get an MRI and X-rays on Wednesday.

With the current state of the American League East and Wild Card standings, Wednesday’s matchup for Tampa Bay and Baltimore seems to carry even more weight than ususal.

Ryan Roberts left in the seventh inning of the Rays’ 9-2 loss against the Orioles on Tuesday because of a left forearm strain.

It has been a remarkably hard climb back. But the Phillies are .500 for the first time since June 4 following Tuesday’s 9-7 victory over the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park.

Angels ace Jered Weaver returns to action after missing a start, facing the A’s Brett Anderson, as the teams complete a pivotal four-game series on Thursday afternoon in Anaheim.

Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles and five relievers combined to shut out the Cubs on six hits as the Astros overcame four errors to beat the Cubs, 1-0, at Minute Maid Park. The win is the Astros’ fifth in their last 10 games following a six-game losing streak.