Perhaps the only thing more unusual than Indians ace Corey Kluber walking a pair of guys with two outs in the second inning Tuesday was the 0-2 pitch he served up moments later to Marwin Gonzalez, whose three-run homer helped the Astros to a 4-3 win at Progressive Field.

A day after becoming the sixth Twins player to hit three homers in a game, Brian Dozier quickly extended his home run streak to five straight games to match a club record with a leadoff homer against the Royals on Tuesday.

Stephen Strasburg will come off the disabled list Wednesday to start against the Braves at Nationals Park. The Braves will counter with 24-year-old Mike Foltynewicz, who has a 3.72 ERA over his past six starts after posting a 4.60 ERA over his first 13 outings.

Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez exited Tuesday night’s game with a right wrist contusion after being hit with a 92-mph fastball from Twins starter Ervin Santana.

Games are starting to run out on the Marlins’ playoff chances, and the Phillies are thoroughly happy to take on the role of spoiler as they develop their own young talent. On Tuesday night, left-hander Adam Morgan kept Miami off stride, allowing one run in six innings, and Philadelphia held on for a 4-3 victory at Marlins Park.

Yoenis Cespedes was the power presence the Mets needed when they added him for the stretch run last season, and he led them all the way to the World Series. With every game this season having added importance for New York in the National League Wild Card hunt, Cespedes delivered with a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning in a 5-3 win over the Reds on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.

On a day set aside to remember Roberto Clemente, the Cardinals and Pirates will wrap up a three-game series in the shadows of the great Pittsburgh right fielder. The matchup will be preceded by a pregame ceremony, during which members of the Clemente family will be recognized.

The Indians and Astros will play the third of a four-game series at Progressive Field, where Cleveland’s Carlos Carrasco and Houston’s Doug Fister will square off Wednesday in a showdown with playoff implications on the line.

Is this a new Joey Votto?

Another milestone for Ichiro.

At a time the Marlins desperately need an infusion of energy and inspiration, Giancarlo Stanton is ready to step up to the plate. So much so that the slugger worked himself into playing shape three weeks after sustaining a Grade 3 left groin strain. In a surprising move on Tuesday, the Marlins reinstated their three-time All-Star right fielder an hour before facing the Phillies at Marlins Park.

The Rangers added three more players to their September roster, recalling outfielder Jared Hoying and infielder Joey Gallo from Triple-A Round Rock and activating right-handed reliever Tanner Scheppers off the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday.

The best news of the day was the release of pitcher Matt Shoemaker from a Seattle hospital, where he’s been since getting hit on the head by a line drive and subsequently undergoing emergency surgery. Replacing him in the starting rotation is not so obvious.

Braves prospect Sean Newcomb is set to start for Double-A Mississippi in the first game of the Southern League semifinals in the Minors on Wednesday.

It will mean more to Justin Verlander in the offseason, but right now, surpassing 200 strikeouts for the sixth time is just another number to the Tigers’ veteran ace.

As the Braves have continued to evaluate the possibility of signing Tim Tebow to a Minor League contract, they have remained interested primarily because they do not see an obvious risk. The financial commitment would be insignificant, and the former NFL quarterback would simply fill a need for Double-A Mississippi while serving as a non-roster player.

When Mets shortstop Gavin Cecchini found out he’d be getting his first Major League promotion when the season ended for Triple-A Las Vegas, he had to keep it a secret. “[51s manager] Wally [Backman] called me into his office, and it was the last day, and he just told me, ‘Hey, you’re going up to the big leagues, but you can’t say anything to anyone, not even your parents,'” Cecchini said.