By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Welcome back, Kinsler. Ian returned to action for the Detroit Tigers last night. He hit his seventh double and walked in five trips to the plate in a 5-3 loss to the visiting LA Angels. The loss pushed the Tigers to a game under the .500 mark, at 28-29. Brad Ausmus’ concerns? The Tigers had won six of nine during Kinsler’s absence.

Danny Valencia kept up his hot hitting, although he was “just” 1-for-3 with 3 RBIs and a walk in a 12-3 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins. Valencia, who set a franchise record last week with nine straight hits, cracked his 10th double — a bases-clearing shot as part of a seven-run fourth inning — and scored twice. Craig Breslow pitched 1.1 innings for the Twins, gave up two hits, struck out one and threw a wild pitch, but he did not allow either of the two runners he inherited to score.

All good things must come to an end, and that’s what happened to the Houston Astros’ 11-game winning streak. They lost to the host KC Royals, 9-7, with Alex Bregman going hitless in five at-bats. The ‘Stros still have the best record in the Majors at 42-17.

Kevin Pillar was 1-for-4 as the Toronto Blue Jays ( 28-31) fell t the host Oakland A’s, 4-1.

Scott Feldman did not appear for the Cincinnati Reds (27-30) in their 13-1 win over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, but not-an-MOT Scooter Gennett sure did. He was 5-for-5 with four home runs to tie a Major League record, driving in all but three of the Reds’ runs.

Richard Bleier did not appear for the Baltimore orioles in their 6-5, 10-inning win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.

Brad Goldberg did not appear for the Chicago White Sox in their 4-2 win over the host Tampa Bay Rays.

Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers) and Joc Pederson (LA Dodgers) remain on the disabled list, although Pederson is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Friday. Braun is putting his time off to good use: Tikun Olam.

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