AL CENTRAL
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox played without manager Rick Renteria for four games after he was admitted to a Minneapolis hospital. He felt lightheaded before the Aug. 20 game at Minnesota.
Renteria was kept overnight for observation, then spent three days receiving medical care in Chicago before returning to the dugout Aug. 24 for a game at Detroit.
“I can tell you right now that I am cleared to go, full tilt,” Renteria said. “I’m going to keep it at that.”
The White Sox went 2-2 while bench coach Joe McEwing served as acting manager.
“Under the circumstances, it’s not the way you want to go about it, but it’s been fun,” McEwing said.
❚ Rookie right-hander Michael Kopech apologized for racist and homophobic tweets he made while in high school and has since deleted. The 22year-old became the latest major leaguer to be embarrassed when tweets from his past were revealed, joining Brewers reliever Josh Hader, Braves left-hander Sean Newcomb and Nationals shortstop Trea Turner.
Cleveland Indians
Manager Terry Francona said he is committed to staying with Cody Allen as the primary closer.
Allen’s role came into question Aug. 24 when the righthander gave up back-to-back home runs to Ryan O’Hearn and Hunter Dozier in the ninth inning of a 5-4 loss at Kansas City. The blown save was Allen’s fourth in 29 chances this season, and his ERA rose to 4.50.
“His ERA’s higher than he wants it to be,” Francona said. “Come the end of the year if we get him on a roll, nobody’s going to care.”
“That dude’s like a ball hog out there. He wants everything.”
Yan Gomes Indians catcher, on rookie center fielder Greg Allen’s defense
Francona said he might continue to use Allen before the ninth inning on occasion but dismissed the idea of turning over the closer’s job full time to left-hander Brad Hand. Hand had 24 saves in 41 games with the Padres before being traded July 19 and five in his first 14 games with the Indians.
❚ Center fielder Leonys Martin will miss the remainder of the season while recovering from a lift-threatening bacterial infection that has sidelined him since Aug. 8.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers held a players meeting before beginning a sixgame homestand. The subject was the importance of continuing to compete until the end of the season.
Despite being in the first season of a rebuilding project, the Tigers were 36-37 in mid-June after sweeping a three-game series against the White Sox at Chicago. The Tigers then were 15-37 in their next 52 games before the meeting.
“From the beginning of the season, people have been counting us out. We’ve played pretty well this year, given the circumstances,” outfielder Mikie Mahtook said.
Mahtook suggested that the Tigers have overachieved considering that their best hitter, first baseman Miguel Cabrera, was lost for the season in mid-June. They were 53-78 through Aug. 26.
❚ Right-hander Michael Fulmer was activated from the disabled list Aug. 24 and pitched 42⁄3 scoreless innings against the White Sox. The 2016 AL Rookie of the Year had been shelved since July 15 because of a strained muscle in his left side.
Kansas City Royals
Salvador Perez provided a memorable highlight in an otherwise miserable season for the Royals when he hit a three-run homer in the first inning of a victory over the Indians on Aug. 24.
Perez met Colin Couch, a fan in a wheelchair, before the game and guaranteed he would hit a home run. Perez then belted a 454-foot opposite-field homer into the Kauffman Stadium fountains in right field in the first inning off Mike Clevinger.
It was the longest home run hit by a Royals player in a home game this season.
“We were talking, and I said, ‘I’ll hit a homer for you today, OK?’ ” Perez said. “He was so happy and all that. After I hit a homer I was looking — he was close to my family in the family (seating), so he was excited.”
Perez was hitting a careerlow .233 with 23 homers through 109 games.
❚ Three innings after Perez’s home run, the game was delayed for 30 minutes after a pipe burst near the fountains. Water began leaking onto the field, and relievers in the Royals bullpen quickly alerted stadium officials to the problem.
Minnesota Twins
Manager Paul Molitor has not settled on one relief pitcher to serve as closer since Fernando Rodney was traded to the Athletics on Aug. 9.
The Twins had six saves in the first 15 games after the trade. Right-hander Trevor Hildenberger earned four of them, and left-hander Taylor Rogers had two.
Hildenberger had only one save in his first 91 career appearances over two seasons before closing out a victory at Detroit on Aug. 11. Rogers got the first save of his three-year career Aug. 17 against the Tigers in his 181st game.
“It’s kind of the mystery ’pen,” Molitor said. “You don’t really know when you’re going to pitch.”
Twins relievers ranked 23rd in the majors with a 4.50 ERA through 130 games.
❚ Left-hander Stephen Gonsalves went 0-2 with a 11.37 ERA in his first two career starts after being called up from Class AAA Rochester (New York). Considered one of the Twins’ top prospects, the 24-year-old was 9-3 with a 2.96 ERA in 19 games, including 18 starts, with Rochester.