Victor Martinez showed no signs of injury when he walked into the Tigers’ clubhouse at Comerica Park Monday afternoon, nor when he began pregame batting practice. Once he mentioned feeling soreness around his back, however, manager Brad Ausmus wasn’t taking any chances.

With fewer than four days remaining in the balloting, the closest All-Star races in the American League are at catcher, where Matt Wieters leads Derek Norris, and in the outfield, where only 12,000 votes separate Yoenis Cespedes and Melky Cabrera for the final starting spot.

The Nationals are expected to activate outfielder Bryce Harper from the 15-day disabled list before Monday’s game against the Rockies, according to two baseball sources. He will be in the lineup playing left field. The Nationals have not made an announcement about Harper’s status.

Last October, the Cardinals defeated the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. This weekend, however, it was Los Angeles who claimed a series victory, and the biggest difference was that three of the Dodgers’ starting pitchers were working at a nearly unhittable level.

The Mariners optioned rookie outfielder Stefen Romero to Triple-A Tacoma to clear room on the 25-man roster for hard-throwing, right-hander Taijaun Walker, the organization’s top pitching prospect.

Mike Napoli’s shouts of “What an idiot!” to his teammates after he homered off a Masahiro Tanaka elevated fastball Saturday night quickly took over New York headlines Sunday. But manager John Farrell quieted any more suspicion about his first baseman’s intentions.

Major League Baseball has a huge international presence on the rosters of its 30 clubs and in its fan base, and Sunday’s Round of 16 “futbol” match between the Netherlands and Mexico became must-see television for quite a few people around the Grand Old Game.

Along with another historic performance by three-time All-Star Clayton Kershaw, who struck out 13 in seven scoreless innings, Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier delivered a three-run homer in a 6-0 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. The win lifted the Dodgers into a first-place tie in the National League West

Reds pitcher Homer Bailey was just outside the velvet rope from admission to a very elite group. Bailey flirted with throwing another no-hitter Sunday vs. the Giants during a 4-0 victory, which would have been his third in three seasons.

Shawn Stefani took his quest for his first PGA Tour victory all the way into a playoff Sunday, taking on Justin Rose, a golfer with a major championship to his credit, one-on-one for a coveted title.

Odrisamer Despaigne helped the Padres salvage the finale of their three-game series with Arizona on Sunday by pitching into the seventh inning of a 2-1 win that lifted San Diego back ahead of the D-backs in the National League West.

Homer Bailey lost a bid for a third career no-hitter with two outs in the seventh inning Sunday but notched his fourth career shutout in the Reds’ 4-0 win over the Giants to complete the four-game sweep.

Lorenzo Cain’s move to the leadoff spot is paying off with a .407 batting average and .412 on-base percentage through eight games. Royals manager Ned Yost also has somebody with the ability to drive the ball at the top when the lineup turns over in late-inning situations.

Felix Hernandez dazzled again Sunday at Safeco Field, allowing one hit over eight shutout innings, as the Mariners beat the Indians, 3-0.

Jose Altuve, Matt Dominguez and Carlos Corporan each had three hits as the Astros got behind a solid start from Scott Feldman to earn a series victory over the Tigers with a 6-4 win on Sunday at Minute Maid Park.

Lorenzo Cain logged a four-hit day and his double keyed a big four-run fourth, but it was Omar Infante’s single in the ninth that lifted the Royals to a 5-4 walk-off win over the Angels in Sunday’s rubber game.

Chris Owings joined fellow shortstop Cliff Pennington on the disabled list on Sunday with a sore left shoulder and the D-backs selected the contract of Nick Ahmed from Triple-A Reno and he made his big league debut in the afternoon game with the Padres. He went 1-for-3 with a single in the seventh.