Around the Bases: In which A-Rod is only mentioned once

Braves 2, Nationals 1: Bryce Harper hit a home run, and then drama ensued. Other than that, the Braves were in control of this one, and they now have a silly lead over everyone else in the National League East.

Phillies 9, Cubs 8: Darin Ruf and Carlos Ruiz hit home runs, and Jonathan Papelbon was able to hold on despite a tough ninth inning. Domonic Brown dropped a routine flyball in that final inning that nearly cost the Phillies the game.

Tigers 5, Indians 1: Justin Verlander was vintage on Tuesday, allowing one run over eight innings while striking out seven batters. The Indians have now dropped the first two games of this crucial four-game series to the Tigers, and are falling in the AL Central as a result.

Pirates 4, Marlins 3: The Pirates continue their wild run of wins, walking off in this one on a home run by Josh Harrison. And Andrew McCutchen is going to become the favorite for the NL MVP if he doesn't stop doing stuff like this:

Mets 3, Rockies 2: Eric Young Jr. scored from second on a grounder, and the Mets were able to steal this one from the Rockies. He also made a diving catch in the outfield, and was just a general badass.

Reds 3, Athletics 1: Mat Latos didn't allow a run over 7⅓ innings Tuesday, and the Reds cruised to a win over the AL West-leading Athletics. Jay Bruce homered in this one for Cincinnati.

Red Sox 15, Astros 10: Steven Wright and Jordan Lyles did not have stellar starts in this game, and the Red Sox and Astros lineups erupted for 25 combined runs. Jacoby Ellsbury hit two home runs and David Ortiz had four hits. L.J. Hoes was 2-for-3 for Houston and continues to do well for his new team.

Twins 7, Royals 0: From SBN MLB's league manager:

Pretty sure that's the worst Royals game I've ever attended. The highlight reel included a custard-eating contest.

— Justin Bopp (@justinbopp) August 7, 2013

White Sox 3, Yankees 2: Chris Sale out-dueled Hiroki Kuroda and A-Rod was 1-for-2. The Yankees continue to fall back in the Wild Card standings.

Cardinals 5, Dodgers 1: Home runs from Carlos Beltran and Matt Adams secured the Cardinals a win, ending the Dodgers' road winning streak.

Diamondbacks 6, Rays 1: Wade Miley allowed one run in seven innings and Cody Ross hit a home run for the Diamondbacks. Paul Goldschmidt was 0-for-1 in this game and had a .750 OBP #MONEYBALL.

Rangers 8, Angels 3: Four runs by Texas in the ninth inning put any thoughts of a comeback out of the Angels' minds. Remarkably, Texas managed to score eight runs without a single extra-base hit. Elvis Andrus had three hits.

Brewers 3, Giants 1: Carlos Gomez hit his 18th home run of the year for Milwaukee. Matt Cain allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings but took the loss for the Giants.

Orioles 4, Padres 1: Adam Jones tied a career-high with four hits, including a home run, scored two runs and had two RBIs. Bud Norris allowed a run in six innings for Baltimore, marking his second win in as many starts since being traded.

Blue Jays 7, Mariners 2: Toronto jumped out to a first-inning lead, eventually growing it to 7-0, in cruising past Seattle. Jose Reyes hit a home run for the Jays. The 41-year-old Raul Ibanez is having another successful season at the plate, but he would probably request a mulligan on this throw (via Baseball Nation)