AL EAST
Baltimore Orioles
After his Aug. 17 start was delayed because of shoulder discomfort, Chris Tillman couldn’t record an out in the third inning Saturday, matching his shortest outing of the season.
But Tillman said there was no physical issue.
“That’s the big positive coming out of this — probably the only positive you can find,” Tillman said. “Just couldn’t command the baseball.”
Manager Buck Showalter said the outing probably was the result of the layoff. Tillman was pitching on eight days’ rest.
“He said he actually felt better (Sunday) than he normally does after a start,” Showalter said. “That’s good news today.”
Ryan Flaherty pitched the ninth inning Saturday, becoming the first Orioles position player to pitch in a game since Chris Davis earned the win in a 17-inning contest at the Boston Red Sox in May 2012. Zach Britton was available, but with the Orioles on their way to a second consecutive loss after giving up double-digit runs, Showalter opted to save his closer for a game his team could win.
Britton began the week with 42 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run, a major league record. He was 37for-37 this season in save opportunities through Sunday, the longest streak by a left-hander to start a season.
Boston Red Sox
As hot as he was in July — and he was extremely hot — Mookie
Betts is doing even more at the plate this month.
His July numbers included a .368 average, 1.068 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS), 15 runs, five home runs and 15 RBI in 23 games.
In his first 18 games in August before going 0-for-3 Sunday, he hit .382 with a 1.149 OPS, 16 runs, seven home runs and 20 RBI.
After moving from the leadoff spot to lower in the lineup, he went 7-for-13 with five home runs, 13 RBI and no strikeouts in a three-game span.
“He doesn’t take on any added significance to the role or the spot in the lineup,” manager John Farrell said. “He’s in some kind of spot right now the way he’s seeing the baseball.”
Boston pitchers had allowed four or fewer runs in 10 consecutive games before giving up 10 Sunday. It was their longest such streak since a 10-gamer in 2014, and they have had just one longer streak since 1999 — 11 in 2013.
Of right-hander Rick Porcello’s 25 starts, 16 were against teams at or below .500 on the day he faced them and two others were against teams one game over the break-even mark. But in the seven other starts, he was 5-0 and the Red Sox were 6-1.
New York Yankees
Since being recalled Aug. 3, catcher Gary Sanchez was hitting .386 with a 1.225 OPS, five doubles, six homers and 12 RBI in 15 games through Sunday. Five of his homers came in a six-game span.
Manager Joe Girardi has said the rookie will get the majority of the playing time. Veteran catcher
Brian McCann will serve as the designated hitter and will back up Sanchez as the Yankees continue their youth movement.
“Listen, he’s a stud. He’s a future All-Star, year in and year out,” McCann said. “There’s not many guys walking around with his talent. It’s going to be nice to see him grow into that player. This is a time when he’s going to play, and he’s going to play a lot.”
After homering in his first major league plate appearance, Aaron Judge was hitting .308 with a .956 OPS, two home runs and six RBI in his first seven games. He is the first Yankee since Thurman Munson in 1969 to reach base safely in four of his first five games.
Yankees pitchers recorded 10 or more strikeouts five times in seven games. That gave them 50 games with at least 10 strikeouts this season, which ranked second in the majors behind the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 56.
Tampa Bay Rays
Brad Miller had 25 home runs in 114 games through Sunday, more than double his previous career high of 11 last season in 144 games with the Seattle Mariners. His three-run double Saturday gave him 21 RBI this month, nearly double his previous best in any other month this year.
His newfound power has been a matter of making continuous adjustments and being more selective at the plate, he told tampabay.com.
“You’ve got to be comfortable,” Miller said. “I wanted to go up there and have a free mind and
just say, ‘OK, hit the ball hard,’ where I’m focusing on the pitcher rather than focusing on what I’m doing. And that has allowed me to kind of run with that.
“You’ve got to hit them — that’s the first part. And I want to hit them as hard as I can.”
Tim Beckham became the second player with two triples in a game at Tropicana Field, joining Carl Crawford, who did it four times.
Evan Longoria is on pace for career highs in hits, home runs, extra-base hits, slugging percentage and fielding percentage. He had 28 homers through Sunday and figures to eclipse his best of 33, set in 2009, his first full season in the majors.
Toronto Blue Jays
Looking to limit Aaron San
chez’s innings, which stood at a career-high 1561⁄ 3, the Blue Jays optioned him to high Class A Dunedin (Fla.) on Sunday.
Sanchez, who is 12-2 with a 2.99 ERA, is expected to stay in the minors before making his next start Aug. 31 at Baltimore.
“I’m going to continue doing everything that I would do on a normal five days, bullpens included,” Sanchez said. “It’s not like my season is over, so it’s normal work when I go down there. Nothing changes for me.”
The Blue Jays made the move without much disruption to their staff because they had been working with a six-man rotation. The other five starters are expected to stay on schedule.
J. A. Happ was tied with Boston’s Rick Porcello for the major league lead in wins (17) through Sunday. In 12 starts since his last loss June 6, Happ is 11-0 with a 2.53 ERA, and Toronto is 12-0 those games. That’s the longest single-season winning streak by a Toronto pitcher since Roy Halladay won 15 in a row in 2003.
Brett Cecil lost for the seventh time in eight decisions this season when he gave up the tying and winning runs in the eighth inning Sunday against the host Cleveland Indians. The only season in which he had more losses was 2011, when he lost 11 times — when he was a starter.