It was a scenario that might not have developed earlier in the season. In the fifth inning on Wednesday night, the Astros called a left-hander out of the bullpen, and Indians manager Terry Francona did not hesitate to summon Brandon Guyer off the bench as a pinch-hitter.

Not many teams take a chance on a pitcher who doesn’t light up the radar gun, but scout Jay Heafner remembers watching Kyle Hendricks pitch at Dartmouth College and liking what he saw. And Heafner isn’t that surprised that the Cubs right-hander is leading the Major Leagues in ERA.

1. He last played competitive baseball in high school.

Middle infielders, rarely known for power production, are flexing their muscles like never before in 2016.

Rally bat(s).

Will Chris Davis play against the Tigers on Friday? Orioles fans ask, and beat reporter Brittany Ghiroli answers in the latest Inbox.

riel Miranda turned in his best start since being acquired by the Mariners and Adam Lind ripped a pair of home runs, including a grand slam, as Seattle kept its slim postseason hopes alive with an 8-3 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday night at Safeco Field.

The Cubs’ magic number dropped to single digits, but it wasn’t because of what they did on the field on Wednesday night. Jonathan Villar hit a pair of home runs, including a tiebreaking blast in the eighth, to lift the Brewers to a 2-1 victory over the Cubs at Miller Park and take the series.

Yasiel Puig stayed hot since his return to the Dodgers with a pair of RBIs to key a 3-1 win over the D-backs on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. The win gave L.A. a sweep over Arizona, five straight wins and a season-high five-game lead over the Giants in the National League West.

Bryan Mitchell tossed five strong innings in his season debut and Starlin Castro homered to lead the Yankees to their fourth consecutive win, completing a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays with a 2-0 victory on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

Jung Ho Kang is back and, apparently, just what the struggling Pirates needed. Kang put an end to Pittsburgh’s eight-game losing streak with one swing of the bat on Wednesday night, crushing a 99-mph fastball into the Cardinals’ bullpen and sending the Bucs to a much-needed 4-3 win.

The Red Sox will only see the American League East — the division they lead — from here on out. Out West, they created some momentum for that challenge with a workmanlike, 7-2 victory Wednesday night over the Padres in the rubber match of a three-game series at Petco Park.

Feel the feels.

Prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Cubs, Brewers outfielder Keon Broxton and reliever Tyler Thornburg struck up a conversation on the specifics of robbing home runs at Miller Park. Hours later, Broxton gave Thornburg a game-saving lesson.

After spending years preparing the mound within the Giants organization as part of the team’s Augusta grounds crew, right-hander Jake Smith can now say he’s a big league pitcher.

Who cut the onions?

A 6-3 Mets victory over the Reds on Wednesday meant a three-game series sweep for New York, five straight victories and wins in 14 of their past 18 games. Jose Reyes, Curtis Granderson and Wilmer Flores homered for New York.