With the start of the new workweek comes a relatively light MLB slate. There were nine games on the schedule Monday, meaning 12 clubs enjoyed an off-day. Here is our daily recap of the day around baseball.

Monday's scores

Thames crushes two more home runs

Thanks in part to his improved plate discipline, Brewers first baseman Eric Thames swatted two more home runs Monday night. He's gone deep nine times in his last 12 games, and he currently leads MLB with 10 homers. Here's the video:

Amazingly, Thames has hit seven (!) of his 10 home runs against the Reds. Even if you took remove every game he's played against teams other than Cincinnati this season, Thames would still be tied for the MLB lead in home runs. Incredible. Needless to say, this level of production is insanely valuable.

The 10 home runs are, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, tied for the most in April in Brewers history. They still have five games to play this month. They also have 14 more games to play against the Reds this season.

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Royals continue to struggle offensively

For the eighth consecutive game, the Royals failed to score more than two runs Monday night. They scored one run in their loss to the White Sox, and it was unearned. The last time Kansas City scored more than two runs in a game was last Saturday, and only once in their last 13 games did they score more than three runs. Egads.

This level of offensive futility takes a total team effort. It's not one or two guys who are slumping. Basically the entire team is in a rut. Read more about Kansas City's offensive issues here.

Hedges stays hot, crushes another home run

Saturday we told you about a minor mechanical tweak Padres catcher Austin Hedges has made at the plate, allowing him to tap into his power. He hit four home runs in the previous six days going into Saturday's game, and since then he's swatted two more home runs, including this one Monday night:

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That's six home runs on the season and six home runs in the last nine games for the 24-year-old defensive whiz. No catcher in baseball has more dingers than Hedges.

Zimmerman's resurgence continues

A year ago it seemed Ryan Zimmerman's days as a middle of the order hitter were over. He hit .218/.272/.370 (69 OPS+) with 15 home runs in 115 games in 2016, which was easily his worst big league season. His game had been slipping for a few years and it appeared Father Time had won yet again.

So far this season, Zimmerman has turned back the clock for the Nationals, hitting .387/.441/.774 (221 OPS+) with six home runs in 18 games going into Monday's game. He did not hit his sixth home run until his 40th game last season. Monday night, Zimmerman smacked his seventh home run of 2017, this one a two-run shot against the Rockies. To the action footage:

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The biggest difference between 2016 Zimmerman and 2017 Zimmerman? Health. He's dealt with foot, shoulder, and wrist injuries in the last few seasons. Right now he's healthy and it's showing in his performance. Zimmerman, along with Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, forms the most devastating middle of the order in baseball so far in 2017.

Archer melts down in the sixth inning

For the first five innings Monday night, Rays ace Chris Archer was in complete control against the Orioles. He held them to one run in those five innings, and there was no reason to think the wheels were about to come off. But then they did.

Archer allowed three home runs in the span of five batters in the sixth and seventh innings to turn a 3-1 lead into a 5-3 deficit. Hyun Soo Kim and Jonathan Schoop hit back-to-back solo shots in the sixth inning, then Adam Jones hit a go-ahead two-run shot in the seventh. Here are the Kim and Schoop homers:

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Going into Monday's start Archer had not allowed a single home run in four starts and 25 1/3 innings this year. That covered 106 batters faced. Then he gave up three homers in the span of five batters. Baseball can be weird sometimes.

A Dodger gets cheered at AT&T Park

I can't imagine this happened all that often, if ever: a Dodgers player was given a standing ovation at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Former Giant Sergio Romo returned to AT&T Park as a visiting player for the first time Monday, and the club showed a tribute video on the scoreboard:

Romo spent a lot of years in San Francisco and he closed out a World Series for the Giants -- remember when he struck out Miguel Cabrera looking to clinch the 2012 championship? -- so of course the fans cheered him, even while he was wearing Dodger blue.

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Of course, the first time Romo jogs out to the mound to protect a lead against the Giants as a member of the Dodgers, he can expect some hearty boos. It comes with the territory.

Heyward is starting to heat up?

It's no secret Jason Heyward's first season with the Cubs was close to a total disaster. He hit .230/.306/.325 (71 OPS+) with seven home runs in the first year of his eight-year, $184 million contract. Ouch. The Cubs are so good they won the World Series anyway.

Heyward responded to that dreadful season by reworking his swing over the winter. And based on the super early results this season, it may be working. Heyward swatted his third home run of the year Monday night. Here's the video:

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Heyward did not hit his third home run until June 6 last year, and now he has three in his last four games. He went into Monday's game hitting .297/.348/.422 (112 OPS+) in 69 plate appearances.

It's still a bit too early to say Heyward is fixed. Sixty-something good plate appearances to start the season doesn't mean a whole lot. After all, Heyward hit .296/.377/.481 in 61 plate appearances from June 6-21 last year, and that didn't lead to any sustained success. For now, the Cubs should be cautiously optimistic about Heyward's start to 2017.

Neverauskas becomes first Lithuanian-born MLB player

Monday evening the Pirates called up righty reliever Dovydas Neverauskas, making him the first Lithuanian-born player in MLB history. Here he is pitching in the 2016 Futures Game:

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Neverauskas, 24, allowed one run in two innings in his MLB debut Monday night. MLB.com ranked him as the club's 23rd best prospect coming into the season. You can read more about his backstory here.

Quick hits

  • Red Sox righty Matt Barnes has been suspended four games for throwing at Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, MLB announced. Barnes threw a pitch up near Machado's head Sunday in apparent retaliation for Machado spiking Dustin Pedroia in the calf Friday night. He is appealing the suspension. 
  • Orioles closer Zach Britton threw on flat ground Monday, and if he feels well Tuesday, he'll throw a full bullpen session Wednesday, according to the Baltimore Sun. Britton is currently on the 10-day DL with a forearm issue. He'll be reevaluated followed Wednesday's bullpen session.
  • On Monday Red Sox lefty David Price threw a 45-pitch bullpen session that consisted of three 15-pitch "innings," the team announced. He will be reevaluated Tuesday. Price did not pitch at all in spring training and he's yet to pitch during the regular season due to an elbow injury.
  • Twins slugger Miguel Sano has been suspended one game for his role in a brawl with the Tigers on Saturday, MLB announced. Sano is appealing the suspension and will be able to play in the meantime. Chances are he will drop the appeal and serve the suspension the next time he is scheduled to sit out a game and rest.
  • Pablo Sandoval will have an MRI on his troublesome right knee, according to the Red Sox. He left Sunday's game with what is being called a sprain. The Red Sox are currently without Pedroia (calf), Brock Holt (vertigo), and Josh Rutledge (hamstring), so they're running short on infield depth at the moment.
  • The Phillies announced right-hander Aaron Nola has been placed on the 10-day DL with a lower back strain. He is not expected to miss much time. "After receiving treatment over the last few days, the symptoms improved, but he still felt some tightness during his side session yesterday," said general manager Matt Klentak in a statement.
  • The D-Backs placed right-hander Shelby Miller on the 10-day DL with right elbow inflammation, the team announced. He had to leave Sunday's start with forearm tightness, which often indicates an elbow issue. Miller will go for a second opinion after seeing the team doctor Monday.
  • Rockies first baseman Ian Desmond took batting practice for the first time Monday, reports the Denver Post. Desmond has been out with a broken hand since being hit by a pitch during spring training. The Rockies hope he will be able to join the team within a week or so.
  • The Angels acquired righty reliever David Hernandez from the Braves for cash or a player to be named later, both teams announced. Hernandez was in Triple-A with Atlanta, but he will immediately join Anaheim's bullpen, which has been hit hard by injuries.
  • Righty Steve Delabar has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, MLB announced. Delabar, an All-Star in 2013, is with the Indians on a minor league contract.
  • Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco will be activated off the disabled list Friday, according to MLB.com. Mesoraco was able to play only 39 games from 2015-16 due to hip and shoulder injuries.
  • The Dodgers placed center fielder Joc Pederson on the 10-day DL with a groin strain, the club announced. Pederson hurt himself running out a ground ball Sunday.
  • Both the Yankees and Dodgers are poised to trim their luxury tax bills this year. The Yankees in particular are trying to get under the luxury tax threshold in the near future.