Upton hits pair of 3-run homers, Tigers beat Red Sox … DETROIT — Justin Upton knows he is a talented major league hitter.  —  Sunday, he might have started to prove it once again.  —  Upton hit a pair of three-run homers and the struggling Detroit Tigers finished their homestand with a 10-5 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Why the Blue Jays demoted a Cy Young candidate to Single-A  —  Plus a case against proposed rule changes, the Mets' hangover & more in MLB Whiparound  —  There are just six weeks to go in the Major League Baseball season, and while four divisions seem to be in hand the AL East and NL West are wildly up for grabs.

Billy Butler Injured In Clubhouse Altercation With Danny Valencia  —  9:48pm: In an update to her original story, Slusser reports that the dispute between Butler and Valencia stemmed from Butler informing “an equipment representative that Valencia had not, in fact, been wearing the spikes …

Almora Jr. having injured hand looked over  —  Albert Almora Jr., landed on the disabled list earlier this month with a hand injury that has kept him out of the Iowa Cubs lineup.  —  Now the question is, will it keep him from going back to the big leagues when rosters expand in September?

How Danny Duffy became the Royals' next homegrown ace  —  The pitch began as an experiment, a curious blend of desperation and preservation, a pitcher looking for something to spark a career.  It was a quiet afternoon last October, during the early days of the American League Championship Series …

Syndergaard Outduels Samardzija in Mets' 2-0 Win Over Giants  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia combined on a three-hitter and Yoenis Cespedes homered off Jeff Samardzija, leading the New York Mets over the San Francisco Giants 2-0 on Sunday night.

Arizona Diamondbacks ponder replacing La Russa, Stewart after just 2 years  —  The Arizona Diamondbacks are a mess.  —  Once again.  —  Diamondbacks ownership is strongly considering making sweeping front-office changes, firing some of the most respected men in the game.  —  Once again.

Bakersfield, High Desert Set To Contract - Franchises would shift to Carolina League cities in North Carolina  —  After years of rumors and speculation, California League franchises High Desert and Bakersfield are officially contracting at the end of this season.

Braves to Kemp: Get in better shape  —  The Braves have told new left fielder Matt Kemp that he needs to get in better physical shape to reach his potential, general manager John Coppolella said during an interview with MLB Network Radio.  —  “We see Matt Kemp as a player with a big upside,” Coppolella said.

NL Notes: Braun, D'Backs, Marlins, Rodney  —  Here's the latest from around the National League...  - In an interview with Jim Duquette and Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link), Brewers GM David Stearns said that his team will continue to listen to other teams about Ryan Braun.

Brian McCann buying in to mentoring Sanchez, serving as DH  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Brian McCann's diminished role, from starting catcher to occasional catcher and mostly designated hitter, came about quickly.  —  He's added another role to that: mentor to the man who replaced him behind the plate two weeks ago, Gary Sanchez.