Left fielder Michael Brantley launched a pair of home runs, right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall came through with three defensive assists and the Indians claimed a 7-5 victory over the rival Tigers on Thursday night at Progressive Field.

Andy MacPhail was hired by the Phillies in June. He’ll formally take over as team president at the end of the regular season. So it was natural for him to be asked Thursday afternoon about his profile for the team’s next general manager in the wake of the announcement that the contract of Ruben Amaro Jr. will not be extended.

The Cubs will continue their postseason pursuit with a doubleheader Friday against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Due to inclement weather in New York on Thursday, the Yankees and Blue Jays will play a crucial single-admission doubleheader on Saturday as they battle for supremacy in the American League East. Toronto holds a 1 1/2-game division advantage heading into the opener of the four-game series, which was pushed back to Friday at Yankee Stadium.

Jake Arrieta’s pursuit of his Major League-leading 19th win will have to wait a day. Thursday’s game between the Cubs and Phillies was postponed because of rain, and will be made up Friday as a day-night doubleheader.

With four starts left in his season, Felix Hernandez remains in the hunt for some pretty good milestones.

There’s no perfect situation, but a closer look at the Phillies shows a lot more potential than might be expected from the team with the worst record in baseball. What’s tough for former general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., of course, is that the strength of the farm system has largely been built by the trades he’s made since December, when he began dismantling the nucleus that helped the organization win five straight division titles, two National League pennants and a World Series from 2007-11.

After 10 long seasons and 890 games in the Minor Leagues, Brewers catcher Nevin Ashley made the most of his first swing in the Majors. Making his first Major League start because regular catcher Jonathan Lucroy was suffering concussion symptoms, Ashley’s first swing produced his first career hit, a double, and his first RBI in the second inning of the Brewers’ 5-2 loss on Wednesday in the series finale at Marlins Park.

Steve Pearce hit a tiebreaking home run off Adam Warren in the top of the eighth inning on Wednesday, helping to lift the Orioles to a 5-3 victory over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

David Ortiz hit a laser beam to center for career homer No. 498 on Wednesday night, a three-run shot against Blue Jays right-hander Drew Hutchison, in the Red Sox’s 10-4 victory at Fenway Park.

Logan Forsythe doubled in a run and homered for another, leading a four-homer Rays assault on Tigers pitching to avoid a series sweep with an 8-0 win Wednesday night at Comerica Park.

When Dayton Moore arrived as the Royals’ general manager in May of 2006, he had a vision of one day winning a World Series title and also of breaking the team’s single-season attendance record.

Backed by Jung Ho Kang’s sixth-inning grand slam, the Pirates’ first slam of the year, left-hander J.A. Happ struck out 10 over six-plus innings and led the Bucs to a 5-4 win over the Reds on Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park.

Tom Koehler on Wednesday night was primed to go where no Marlins starter had gone this season — the distance. The right-hander fell short of that bid, but still matched a career-high with 10 strikeouts in eight innings in Miami’s 5-2 win over the Brewers at Marlins Park.

There were only two more innings to go and the nine-game homestand was looking like a disaster — until Stephen Piscotty notched the big hit in a three-run rally that lifted the Cardinals past the Cubs on Wednesday.

Five outs away from dropping their fifth game in six days to a pursuing National League Central club, the Cardinals stunned the Cubs on Wednesday by scoring three times in the eighth to steal a 4-3 victory at Busch Stadium.

Julio Teheran helped the Braves accomplish something Wednesday night they had not done in nearly a month. He helped them win a series with an 8-1 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.