Kershaw has back strain, not herniated disk like last season  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) Braced for the worst possible news on injured ace Clayton Kershaw, the Los Angeles Dodgers tried to find some comfort Monday that his back diagnosis did not appear as dire as last season.

LEADING OFF: Stanton surges, Devers debuts, Gray auditions  —  A look at what's happening all around the majors Tuesday:  —  GIANT GIANCARLO  —  Miami slugger Giancarlo Stanton has hit six home runs in seven games and is tied with Yankees rookie Aaron Judge for most in the majors at 32.

Perez, Moustakas homer in 12th, Royals beat Tigers 5-3 (Jul 24, 2017)  —  DETROIT (AP) Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas hit consecutive homers in the 12th inning, and the Kansas City Royals won their sixth straight game, 5-3 over the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.

Martinez, Pollock, Greinke power Diamondbacks past Braves  —  PHOENIX (AP) - J.D. Martinez's time as an Arizona Diamondback started a little rough.  Last week in his debut with the team, he was hit in the hand with a pitch, and didn't return to the starting lineup until Monday night.

McCutchen's three-run homer powers Pirates past Giants 10-3  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates kept clearing the fences, and the San Francisco Giants were left arguing plate umpire Chris Conroy's tough strike zone.  —  Even Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle understood the beef.

Paxton, Seager pace Mariners past Red Sox, 4-0 (Jul 24, 2017)  —  SEATTLE (AP) James Paxton allowed four singles over seven innings to win his fifth consecutive start in July and Kyle Seager homered to pace the Seattle Mariners to a 4-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.

Tomlin, Indians win fourth straight, 6-2 over Reds (Jul 24, 2017)  —  CLEVELAND (AP) Josh Tomlin pitched six efficient innings, Carlos Santana homered twice and the Cleveland Indians won their fourth straight, 6-2 over the tumbling Cincinnati Reds on Monday night in the makeup of a May 25 rainout.

Altuve 4 hits for 2nd day in row, Astros rout Phillies 13-4  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Like any good magician, Jose Altuve isn't sharing his secrets.  —  Once again turning his bat into a wand of sorts, Altuve had four hits for the second consecutive game, extending his hitting streak to 16 games …

Miguel Gonzalez's big start a relief as White Sox snap nine-game skid  —  White Sox starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez returns to the dugout after pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 24, 2017.  —  Chicago Tribune

Marlins option struggling Koehler leaving open spot in rotation  —  Tom Koehler's most recent struggles resulted in a trip back to the minors.  —  A day after he gave up three solo home runs and five earned runs overall in a 6-3 loss to the Reds, the Marlins optioned Koehler to Triple A New Orleans.

Grichuk, Leake lead Cardinals to an 8-2 win over Rockies (Jul 24, 2017)  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) Randal Grichuk hit a two-run homer, Mike Leake pitched seven scoreless innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 8-2 on Monday night.  —  Leake's six-strikeout performance …

Machado does it all in O's win  —  Baltimore blanks Tampa Bay 5-0  —  Copy Link  —  Copy  —  {copyShortcut} to copy Link copied!  —  BALTIMORE —  Kevin Gausman pitched six strong innings, Adam Jones homered and the Baltimore Orioles sent the Tampa Bay Rays to their season-worst fifth straight loss, 5-0 Monday night.

Liriano gets first win in three starts, Jays beat A's 4-2  —  TORONTO (AP) — Pressed into service on short rest after a pair of abbreviated outings, Francisco Liriano gave the Blue Jays the strong start they sorely needed.  —  Liriano pitched five innings to win for the first time in three starts …

As trade rumors loom, Verlander good at home; Tigers lose to Royals in 12, 5-3  —  Nicholas Castellanos leads the AL in triples.  Other Tigers of the past 60 years to lead the AL.  Video by Ryan Ford/DFP Wochit  —  CONNECT  —  Time has been ticking towards the trade deadline for a while now.

Mets put Zack Wheeler on DL due to stress reaction in right arm  —  NEW YORK — The New York Mets put pitcher Zack Wheeler on the 10-day disabled list because of a stress reaction in his right arm.  —  The Mets didn't provide a timetable for Wheeler's return.

The Upper Deck  —  WAHOO OUT? … Is Topps phasing out Chief Wahoo on Cleveland Indians' cards?  A post from SABR's baseball cards committee suggests the card company is moving in that direction in favor of the block ‘C’ logo.  —  A Cleveland TV station reported the Indians had no comment.