It was supposed to be power vs. power between Stephen Strasburg and Matt Harvey, but it turned out to be a one-sided affair as the Nationals pounded the Mets, 9-1, at Citi Field on Thursday night. The Nationals took two out of three games in the series between National League East rivals and remain in first place in the division, one game ahead of the Phillies.

Not much makes Astros slugger Evan Gattis uneasy, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit of anxiety in the minutes leading up to his start at catcher in Thursday night’s 2-1 loss to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

As he sprinted around third base in the fifth inning on Thursday, Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin had his sights set on scoring. There was only one problem: Tomlin was not used to this kind of situation. His mind suddenly raced with the options that existed a few strides ahead.

No, this was not a dream.

Edwin Encarnacion smacked a game-tying two-run homer in the sixth, and Troy Tulowitzki hit a go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the 11th inning to lift the Blue Jays to a 3-2 win over the Twins on Thursday night at Target Field.

Add another one to the highlight reel for Astros right fielder George Springer, who made one of the most remarkable and athletic catches of the season when he pulled back what would have been a home run off the bat of White Sox slugger Jose Abreu.

Rockies veteran lefty Jorge De La Rosa was a bright spot on a rough Thursday night for pitching.

Gregory Polanco has taken his place this season alongside McCutchen and Marte as the Pirates’ third star outfielder.

Things are going just swimmingly for the Shark — and the rest of the Giants’ pitching staff, for that matter.

The Mets hoped Thursday would be the night Matt Harvey began figuring things out. Instead, their one-time ace left a 9-1 loss to the Nationals so shaken that he may not make his next start.

The 2016 Draft is exceedingly difficult to project for a couple of reasons. No one has stamped himself as a clear-cut top-of-the-Draft option, and the deepest demographic for first-round talent is also the one that scares teams the most.

How rough have things become for the beat-up and shorthanded Reds rotation? Even the replacements for injured pitchers are getting injured. The latest discouraging development came during Thursday’s 7-2 loss to the Indians, when starting pitcher Tim Adleman left his outing with a strained left oblique.

Randal Grichuk exited Thursday’s 13-7 win over the Rockies after three innings due to lower back tightness on his left side, a move manager Mike Matheny later described as precautionary.

Starling Marte is back with the Pirates after he and his wife, Noelia, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Tiana, on Monday.

Because of injuries and a myriad of factors, last year the A’s bullpen bottomed out. Their 28 saves were the lowest in Major League Baseball. Their ERA of 4.63 was 28th. The goal in the offseason was to rebuild the bullpen. Mission accomplished.

Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista was penciled into Thursday night’s starting lineup against the Twins as the leadoff hitter for the first time since 2010.

A season series was already clinched by the Indians over the Reds, but Thursday’s 7-2 victory by Cleveland underscored that the Ohio Cup was firmly in its grasp for another year. A pair of two-run home runs by Carlos Santana, including one to cap a four-run fifth inning, sealed a four-game sweep this week in the home-and-home series.