O’s manager jumps on Sanchez bandwagon

Buck Showalter was the Yankees manager when Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte made their major-league debuts in 1995. More than two decades later, the current Baltimore skipper, like everyone else, has been impressed by the explosive debut of rookie catcher Gary Sanchez.

“He’s a good-looking player,” Showalter said before Sanchez belted his 11th home run in 23 career games in Saturday’s 13-5 Yankees win over the Orioles, the second straight game he homered in a victory against them. “I was impressed with him defensively. That will be what will allow him to stay in the lineup all the time. I know when you have an ex-catcher as good as Joe (Girardi) was, I know he really wants a good defensive catcher and it looks like he’s got a chance to be. I like (Austin) Romine and I like obviously (Brian) McCann, too, so it looks like they’re in a real good position there catching-wise, so far. We’ll see.

“But I was looking at (Sanchez's) track record in the minor leagues. He’s certainly jumped out here a little differently than that. He’s impressive…They should be excited about it. It seems to have brought an energy back to them.”

AGAINST EXPANSION

MLB rosters can be expanded from 25 to 40 players on Thursday, and neither manager is a supporter of the annual September adjustment.

“No, I don’t (like it),” Girardi said. “I think you should have to designate maybe 27 players to a roster, 28 players to a roster (for each game). I think during the most important time of the year you look for advantages for matchups. You do that for five months and all of a sudden some of those advantages are gone because of all the call-ups.”

Showalter also has been an outspoken opponent, adding Saturday that “it really affects the integrity of baseball — not integrity, that’s the wrong word — but probably the way it was intended to be competed.”

Still, Showalter acknowledged all teams take advantage of the expansion, particularly by adding specialists: “I’m thinking about calling (Usain) Bolt (as a baserunner), isn’t that his name? Get him to (the minors) for a week , and (shoot), let’s go.”

INS AND OUTS

Brian McCann was back in the lineup at DH after missing Friday’s game because of the death of his grandmother and went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI. Ronald Torreyes (12 for his last 23) started at third base again over Chase Headley.

“He’s been playing extremely well and we’re just going with the hot hand,” Girardi said of Torreyes, who went 1-for-3 with a walk. “(Headley) understands that we’re going with the hot hand. He wants to be in there, I get that. But Torreyes has played really well.”

PITCHING SWITCH

CC Sabathia now will pitch Sunday’s series finale, with Michael Pineda going Monday against the Royals. “Left-handers have had more success against Baltimore, and right-handers have had more success against Kansas City, so we decided to flip them,” Girardi said.