Blue Jays fall to Orioles' 7th-inning rally

On a night when the Blue Jays got some of their power back in the lineup, Chris Davis stole the show.

The Baltimore slugger hit his 50th home run of the season in the eighth inning Friday night to snap a 3-3 tie as the Orioles rallied with five unanswered runs to defeat Toronto 5-3.

"He's having a great year," said Toronto manager John Gibbons. "He's so strong he hits them anywhere, it's got nothing to do with the park here. Some guys will get some cheapies here. He doesn't get any cheapies.

"The thing that makes him so good is he hits them everywhere. Even in that home-run hitting contest in the all-star game, he was the only guy hitting some home runs to the opposite field. He's dangerous.

"I thought we might have had him on a checked swing earlier. And then he hits a home run. We didn't get the call there."

Davis flied out deep to centre in the first inning, struck out in the third and flied out to left in the sixth before slamming a pitch from reliever Steve Delabar over the centre-field fence to lead off the eighth for a 4-3 lead.

'He's having a great year. He's so strong he hits them anywhere, it's got nothing to do with the park here. Some guys will get some cheapies here. He doesn't get any cheapies.'— Toronto manager John Gibbosn on Baltimore slugger Chris Davis

"I knew I barrelled it up," said Davis. "I tried to go the other way there with two strikes. I've faced Steve a few times. You can't look for his split, as hard as he throws. I was just trying to put a good swing on it and stay through it."

Visiting fan Steve Houff of Ellicott City, Md., who got the home run ball from a Jays fan for US$100, exchanged it with Davis for a signed bat and ball.

Baltimore added another run in the inning when Danny Valencia singled home Adam Jones.

Edwin Encarnacion and Colby Rasmus returned to the Toronto lineup, with Encarnacion scoring and Rasmus homering. But it wasn't enough as the Orioles snapped a three-game losing streak, keeping their wild-card hopes alive while handing Toronto its fourth consecutive loss.

Baltimore also evened its 2013 record against the Jays to 7-7.

First since Bautista

It was Davis' seventh home run against the Blue Jays this season — and his 16th since the start of the 2012 season. And it tied the Orioles' single-season home run record by Brady Anderson in 1996.

Davis is the first player to hit 50 homers since Jose Bautista (with 54) did it in 2010.

The 27-year-old first baseman becomes the third player in major league history to hit 50 home runs and 40 doubles in a season. The only others to accomplish the feat are Babe Ruth (59 homers and 44 doubles in 1921) and Albert Belle (52 and 50 in 1995).

"It's a humbling feeling to be in the same company with the guys I'm in," said Davis.

Davis, who hit 33 homers last year for the Orioles, leads the majors in home runs this season.

Trailing 3-0, Baltimore sent eight men to the plate in the seventh inning to tie the game. Homers by Adam Lind and Rasmus had given Toronto the lead.

Hard-throwing Baltimore reliever Tommy Hunter, coming in with men on first and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh, snuffed out the Toronto threat by striking out Moises Sierra and J.P. Arencibia.

Hunter (5-4) also took care of the eighth after giving up a leadoff single. Jim Johnson, coming on in the ninth, earned his 44th save while Delabar (5-4) suffered his second straight loss.

Baltimore outhit Toronto 10-7.

Backfired plan

The seventh-inning Orioles rally ruined a fine performance by Jays starter Todd Redmond, making his first start in 10 days.

Redmond, who had a strikeout in each of the first six innings, gave up one run on three hits, struck out seven and did not walk a batter before giving way to Dustin McGowan with one out in the seventh. He threw 75 pitches including 50 strikes before a Rogers Centre crowd of 20,024 with the roof closed.

Gibbons said the plan was to replace Redmond if he ran into any trouble, given his recent inactivity.

"It backfired, but that was kind of the plan," he said. "It was kind of uncharted territory for him, he's been off a little bit. But he threw a whale of a game. We just didn't get the outs … Sometimes winning a game, you've got to stop things before things develop."

Redmond said he had more in the tank but was content to take the manager's lead.

Hammel steps in

Bud Norris was slated to start for the Orioles but was scratched due to elbow discomfort. He gave way to Jason Hammel, who was making his first start since July 28.

Hammel went five innings, giving up three runs on three hits. He walked one, struck out two and threw 62 pitches, 39 for strikes.

After seeing Jose Reyes thrown out at third to open the bottom of the first, Hammel retired 10 in a row before walking Encarnacion in the fourth with two outs in the fourth. Lind then punished him by homering to right-centre field for his 20th home run of the season.

Encarnacion, who missed the last four games with a sore wrist, hit two deep shots just left of the left-field foul pole in earning the walk.

The blast extended Lind's hitting streak against the Orioles to 17 games.

Rasmus, returning to the lineup after being sidelined since Aug. 11 with an oblique strain, added a leadoff homer into the Baltimore bullpen in the fifth to make it 3-0. It was his 19th of the season.

Baltimore did not get a runner past second until the seventh inning when Jones hit a leadoff double. One out later, J.J. Hardy drove him in with a double off McGowan to trim the margin to 3-1. Ryan Flaherty then walked and, one out later, Steve Clevenger doubled home Hardy and Flaherty with a ball that bounced over the head of right-fielder Sierra to tie it at 3-3.

It marked Clevenger's first hit as an Oriole.

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Esmil Rogers, Blue Jays face stubborn Orioles

It seems like forever since the Baltimore Orioles have had a true top-of-the-rotation starter.

That drought may have finally ended thanks to Chris Tillman's breakout season.

With a chance to become Baltimore's first 17-game winner in 14 years, the bigger concern for Tillman on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays is helping the Orioles make up ground in the wild-card race.

Before Tillman beat the Yankees on Monday for his 16th victory, the Orioles hadn't had a pitcher win that many games since Mike Mussina won 18 in 1999. The right-hander took a three-hitter into the eighth inning, allowing two runs and four hits over seven-plus. Tillman (16-5, 3.66 ERA) walked none for the second time in three starts and matched a career high with nine strikeouts.

"I was able to get in sync and kind of felt my way through the first couple innings,'' he said. "I found it later in the game and I think (catcher Matt Wieters) gets a lot of the credit for that. He made some calls deep in the counts. And it was fun.''

That was the last win for the Orioles (78-69) before they rallied for a 5-3 victory in Friday's series opener to end a three-game skid. Chris Davis tied a franchise record with his 50th home run and Adam Jones had three hits as Baltimore overcame a 3-0 deficit with three runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth.

The Orioles remained 2 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay for the second wild card.

"It's nice to have personal goals and to reach your own goals but when the team is winning and you are successful, it makes it that much sweeter,'' Davis said. "It was big to come from behind and get the win.''

Davis became the 27th major leaguer to join the 50-homer club and matched Brady Anderson's 1996 Orioles record. He is the third player in major league history with 50 homers and 40 doubles in the same season, joining Babe Ruth (1921) and Albert Belle (1995).

"It's a humbling feeling to be in the same company with the guys I'm in,'' Davis said.

Davis has hit the most home runs (16) against the Blue Jays since the start of 2012, batting .366 with 33 RBIs in 31 games.

Danny Valencia had an RBI single and is batting .524 (22 for 42) since he was recalled from Triple-A on Aug. 19.

Adam Lind hit a two-run homer and Colby Rasmus returned from the disabled list with a solo shot for Toronto (67-80), which has posted a 6.25 ERA during a four-game slide.

Jason Hammel and four relievers kept Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion in the park Friday, a rare occurrence for the Orioles. Encarnacion, who missed the previous four games with a sore left wrist, has 14 homers - seven this season - against Baltimore since 2012, the most by an opponent and four more than the next-highest total.

He's 7 for 21 with a home run off Tillman, who is 2-0 with a 3.57 ERA in three starts against the Blue Jays this season.

Rasmus is 5 for 11 with a homer and two doubles lifetime versus Tillman.

Toronto gives the ball to resurgent Esmil Rogers (5-7, 4.46). Moved to the bullpen last month, the right-hander has been outstanding since moving back into the rotation. He tossed his second straight scoreless outing Sunday, pitching three-hit ball over a career-high 7 2-3 innings in a 2-0 win at Minnesota.

Rogers has posted a 1.69 ERA in seven relief appearances against the Orioles, including 4 2-3 scoreless innings this season.

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C.J. Wilson wins 8th straight as Angels down Jays

As a season to forget begins to wind down, R.A. Dickey achieved a small victory Wednesday.

The Blue Jays knuckleballer tossed 5 1-3 innings in Toronto's 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels to reach 200 innings for the third straight year.

"In the AL East you probably won't find five or six guys who are able to top 200 innings," said Dickey, who didn't figure in the decision. "But it's only a silver lining for a year that for the most part has been a struggle."

C.J. Wilson (16-6) won his eighth straight decision and Kole Calhoun drove in two runs on sacrifice flies, including the deciding RBI in the eighth, as Los Angeles took it's second straight against the Blue Jays.

Mark Trumbo also hit a two-run home run for the Angels (69-76) a night after going 5-for-5 with four extra-hits and five runs scored in Tuesday's 12-6 series-opening victory.

Moises Sierra had two doubles and a triple with an RBI for the Blue Jays (67-78), who had just four hits.

Wilson (16-6) allowed four hits, four walks and four runs (three earned) while striking out six over seven innings to improve to 12-1 in 17 starts since June 14.

"Of all the things we've talked about this year that haven't worked out, C.J. is on the other side of that ledger," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of his left-hander. "He's having just a terrific season, pitching deep into games. He's going to (throw) 200-plus innings again. Every stat you look at is terrific for him."

Dickey, meanwhile, allowed seven hits, two walks and four runs, but failed to pitch at least six innings for the first time in 15 starts.

"We took two leads and coughed both those up," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "I thought they were starting to lock up on him a little bit. I thought that his first inning was pretty good and they started to chip away and I thought it was enough."

Dickey didn't seem to agree with Gibbons' though process.

"The manger's decision is the manager's decision," said the right-hander. "You have to ask him why he does or doesn't leave guys in or takes them out.

"I definitely felt I had more left in the tank for sure."

The game was out of Dickey's hands when reliever Steve Delabar (5-3) walked Mike Trout with one out in the eighth and Josh Hamilton moved him to third with a double to right.

Trumbo was intentionally walked to load the bases and Calhoun hit a sacrifice fly to left to put the Angels up 5-4.

Ernesto Frieri induced three pop flies in the ninth for his 32nd save.

Durable starters

Dickey has thrown 202 1-3 innings this season with a record of 12-12 and an earned-run average of 4.36. Toronto left-hander Mark Buehrle has pitched 189 1-3 innings this season and is closing in on his 13th consecutive season with 200 or more innings.

"It's hard to throw that many innings and not give your team consistent chances to win ball games and that's always something that's nice," Dickey said. "The innings need to be quality innings and for a lot of the year they have been and for some of the year they haven't been so there's a lot for me to improve on.

"But the one thing can is say is that you were able to take the ball every time it was your turn. That dependability I think is worth something, that durability. Mark Buehrle, this might be his 13th year [with 200 innings] and it's hard to do that — in the AL East in particular."

The Blue Jays scored three runs in the first after Rajai Davis walked with one out and Adam Lind walked with two out. Sierra doubled in a run. Mark DeRosa singled to shortstop Erick Aybar score one run and Sierra came around to score and DeRosa took second on the wild throw to first.

"In the first inning I was really erratic," Wilson said. "I'd try to throw the ball down and away and it would be down the middle, and then I'd try to throw the ball down the middle and it would be out of the strike zone, so there are some issues with that."

The Blue Jays scored three runs in the first after Rajai Davis and Adam Lind walked and Sierra doubled in a run. Mark DeRosa singled to Erick Aybar to score one run and Sierra added Toronto's third on the shortstop's wild throw to first.

Trumbo hit a towering two-run homer to centre in the second after Hamilton led off with a walk. It was Trumbo's second homer of the series and his 33rd of the season.

The Angels tied the game 3-3 in the fourth on a sacrifice fly to centre by Calhoun that scored Trout from third.

The Blue Jays regained the lead a 4-3 in the bottom of the inning when Sierra tripled and continued home on an error by third baseman Andrew Romine.

The Angels tied the score again in the fifth when Aybar's sacrifice fly to left scored Grant Green.

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Yankees shut down Derek Jeter for season

Derek Jeter began the season on the disabled list, and that's how it will end.

The New York Yankees shortstop will miss the rest of the year after being placed on the DL on Wednesday with an injured left ankle.

Jeter missed the first part of the season after breaking his left ankle in the 2012 playoffs. He returned to the DL twice more and played only 17 games, batting .190 with one homer and seven RBIs.

And now, he's been shelved for a fourth time.

"This entire season has been a nightmare for me physically," Jeter said. "It's a fitting end."

The captain fully intends to return next year, even though he turns 40 on June 26.

"I truly believe with a full off-season, working out and getting my strength back that I can get back to doing what I always have," Jeter said. "I don't think you think about the end of anything. Our job is to get ready to play. I tried to come back this year as quickly as possible. Maybe that was not the best thing to do. My job now is to get ready for next year. And I have to do that."

Jeter last played Saturday against Boston. He was removed for a pinch runner after hurting his left ankle, and although a CT scan was negative, general manager Brian Cashman said the injury will need significant time to heal.

"You have to let the pain dissipate and then give it a chance to let the ankle strengthen back up," Cashman said. "We're just not going to have the time to do that in any capacity right now. It puts him in a vulnerable situation and risks re-injury or further injury. And that's not something we are willing to do."

His departure comes with New York in the thick of the AL wild-card hunt.

"It's very disappointing not to be able to play, especially at this time of year," Jeter said. "This is when I want to play the most."

The Yankees will miss him, but they're counting on having Jeter in 2014.

"I have seen him do this over and over and overcome a lot of things people thought he would not overcome," manager Joe Girardi said. "That just who he is. When you talk about what's inside Derek, he's special. That's what made him great for so long."

Lingering injury

The current ankle injury is seemingly related to the one that occurred last October in the AL championship series against Detroit.

"There is no new medical information other than the fact there were conversations that he has pain most likely stemming from weakness surrounding the bone, the muscles, tendons and ligaments, and it was not going to solve itself anytime soon," Cashman said. "And he would be vulnerable. Something's going to give the more we run him out there. So we feel it's best to shut him down. Let him prepare for next year. That's the safest thing to do."

Next year? Cashman is certain of it.

"I have not thought I have watched his last game," Cashman said. "Not one time."

New York's career leader with 3,316 hits, Jeter made his season debut on July 11 but hurt himself in that game and returned to the disabled list on July 19 (retroactive to July 12) with a right quad strain. After being activated on July 28, he was placed on the DL on Aug. 5 with a strained right calf.

"It seemed like when he came back, he was fine and then he would play a couple of games and something would happen," Girardi said. "It seemed to be the repeated days seemed to get to him a little bit. That was frustrating for him. That was frustrating for all of us because we wanted him out there. I think that's why we decided to shut him down."

Jeter was a regular in the lineup after his return on Aug. 26 before again running into problems with the ankle. Now he's done for good.

"I think it's just a matter of me not having any strength," Jeter said. "I have not been able to work out my legs or lift my legs since October of last year. I really think it's from lack of strength. When I came back, I had two other leg issues because of weakness there. I'll have a whole off-season to get back to being able to work out. "

Brendan Ryan, obtained in a trade with Seattle on Tuesday, was in the starting lineup at shortstop against the Orioles on Wednesday night.

"I don't think it's the most enviable position to step in after a legend," Ryan said. "He's not going anywhere. I don't want it to sound like that. I don't even know what his status is really. If I play today, and not anymore after that, whatever it is I can do to help."

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Blue Jays, Angels anticipate pitching duel

C.J. Wilson is on the verge of recording the longest win streak of his career and matching the most victories he's had in any season.

The Los Angeles Angels will try to help their left-hander accomplish both goals with another strong performance at the plate against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.

Wilson (15-6, 3.42 ERA) hasn't always been at his best in recent weeks - he has a 4.58 ERA over his last three starts - but has gotten ample support during most of his last 11 starts. The Angels have given him 50 runs over that stretch as he's gone 7-0, equaling his career-best win streak from July 18-Aug. 30, 2010.

Los Angeles did all of its scoring while he was still in the game Friday, when he gave up four runs and served up two homers in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-5 win over Texas.

"It's not one of my best games, but I got favorable run support today," Wilson said.

With another strong game from the Angels' offense, Wilson might match the 16 wins he had with Texas in 2011. Los Angeles (68-76) had 18 hits Tuesday and snapped the Blue Jays' three-game win streak with a 12-6 victory.

Mark Trumbo became the franchise's first player with five hits and five runs in a game, and he tied another club record with four extra-base hits (three doubles and a home run). Josh Hamilton drove in four runs, matching his total from the previous 19 games.

"It was unbelievable, man," Hamilton said. "Every time he went up there, you expected something good to happen."

The Angels are batting .339 with 75 runs in its last 11 games against the Blue Jays (67-77), but Wilson is 0-3 with a 5.30 ERA lifetime in Toronto.

The Blue Jays have won 10 of 14, and scheduled starter R.A. Dickey (12-12, 4.29) has won three in a row while posting a 2.61 ERA.

He's pitched into the seventh inning in seven consecutive starts.

"I feel good. I feel like I've gotten stronger as the year has gone on. I feel like I've been able to carry my workload just fine," Dickey said. "I've got four more starts left, and hopefully I'll be able to log a lot more innings."

Dickey is making his first start against the Angels since April 18, 2008. He's 3-2 with a 3.58 ERA in six starts versus Los Angeles.

Hamilton is the only current Angels player with more than one hit against the knuckleballer, going 2 for 3 with a double.

The Blue Jays would like to get Edwin Encarnacion back from a sore left wrist. Encarnacion, day-to-day after missing the past two contests, is batting .407 during an eight-game hit streak against the Angels and is 4 for 12 with a home run versus Wilson.

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Former MLB OF Wladimir Balentien matches Japan homer mark

Former major leaguer Wladimir Balentien hit his 55th home run on Wednesday, tying Japanese baseball's single-season record.

Balentien matched the mark set by Sadaharu Oh in 1964 and equaled by ex-major leaguers Tuffy Rhodes in 2001 and Alex Cabrera in 2002. He has 21 regular-season games left to break the record.

Balentien hit a solo homer in the sixth inning at Jingu Stadium and was presented with a bouquet of flowers after reaching home plate. Despite Balentien's home run, the Yakult Swallows lost 6-2 to the Hiroshima Carp.

"It's an honour to be tied with such great players," Balentien said. "I'm relieved and happy I was able to do it here in front of our home fans."

Balentien, who is from Curacao, played for the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds before signing with the Swallows in 2011. He hit 31 homers in each of his first two seasons in Japan.

Rhodes and Cabrera tied Oh's record with several games left but were then walked more and were unable to break it.

Oh is a legend in Japan. His 868 career home runs, which surpassed Hank Aaron's then major league record of 755, made him a national hero.

The single-season home run record is also highly regarded, and former New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui wore No. 55 in recognition of it.

The closest Matsui got to breaking Oh's record was 50 homers in 2002, when he played for the Yomiuri Giants.

The 29-year-old Balentien missed the first 12 games of this season because of a leg injury sustained while playing for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic.

Balentien's challenge of Oh's record comes in a season in which there is controversy over a new, livelier baseball.

In June, Japanese baseball officials admitted they introduced the new official ball this season without notifying players. The new ball has resulted in a dramatic increase in home runs.

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Chris Tillman gives Orioles important win over Yankees

BALTIMORE (AP) Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter wanted to make sure that his unusual confrontation with New York Yankees counterpart Joe Girardi didn't overshadow Chris Tillman's gem.

Girardi didn't seem interested in shedding any light on the first-inning fracas that had Showalter angry and emptied both dugouts.

Tillman took a three-hitter into the eighth inning and the Orioles beat the Yankees 4-2 on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series with ramifications in the AL wild card race.

``They are all big this time of year, and I take the approach every game I'm pitching,'' said Tillman (16-5), who became the Orioles' first 16-game winner since Mike Mussina won 18 in 1999. ``You only get to go out there once every fifth day, so for me they are all big.''

With the victory, the Orioles remained tied with Cleveland and moved within 1 1-2 games of idle Tampa Bay for the second AL wild card. The Yankees fell three games behind Tampa Bay.

Tillman allowed two runs and four hits in seven-plus innings. He walked none and struck out nine, matching his career high.

``I was able to get in sync and kind of felt my way through the first couple innings,'' Tillman said. ``I found it later in the game and I think (catcher Matt Wieters) gets a lot of the credit for that. He made some calls deep in the counts. And it was fun.''

But his performance almost became an afterthought after the skirmish between Showalter and Girardi.

Following the game, Showalter patiently answered inquiries about the clash before asking reporters to change their line of questioning.

``Guys, we had a great pitched game tonight,'' he said. ``I understand you've got to ask the questions and everything. I'd rather have the focus be on Chris Tillman, some of the things we did on the field. ... I know how drama usually plays this time of the year. I'm just glad we're playing games that mean this much to everybody, including our fans.''

Both dugouts emptied briefly after the first inning, when Showalter angrily exchanged words with Girardi after the Yankees manager yelled at Baltimore third base coach Bobby Dickerson, accusing him of stealing signs. Showalter had to be restrained by home plate umpire Ed Hickox as he charged onto the field.

Girardi refused to go into specifics about what set him off, saying only, ``The one thing that I've done, the whole time that I'm here, and everywhere I've been, is I'm going to protect our players at all lengths. That's what I'm going to do, and there was something that I saw and I'm just going to leave it at that.''

Dickerson, who said he had never been berated like that by an opposing manager, said he heard Girardi chirping from the dugout from the start of bottom of the first. Girardi had moved from the end of the bench close to the plate to the end of the dugout nearest third base by the time the inning had ended.

``Immediately, like right when I got to third base,'' Dickerson said. ``I didn't hear him at first. I heard something and as I looked at the dugout, he was right there yelling at me from the far end. And I was running off the field, something else was said. And after that it was over.''

But not before a red-faced Showalter bolted from the first-base dugout, gesturing angrily and shouting at Girardi before being held at bay by Hickox. Girardi followed from the third-base dugout in calmer fashion as players from both teams spilled onto the field.

``It strikes a chord in me and I stand accused,'' Showalter said.

Once order was restored - and both benches were issued a warning about any retaliatory measures - television cameras showed Showalter shaking his head and glaring at Girardi from the Orioles dugout.

``Two competitive good teams and we're fighting for the same thing, so there's a small margin for error. ... But Bobby's not giving pitches,'' Showalter said.

Alex Rodriguez and Lyle Overbay hit home runs for the Yankees. Rodriguez's first-inning blast to right-center was the 652nd of his career, leaving him eight short of tying Willie Mays for fourth place all-time.

CC Sabathia (13-12), who came into the game with an 18-5 career record against the Orioles, yielded four runs - three earned - and seven hits over 7 1-3 innings. He walked two and struck out six.

Tommy Hunter relieved Tillman and struck out the side in the eighth. Jim Johnson got the last three outs for his AL-leading 43rd save.

The Orioles were 2 for 29 with runners in scoring position in their last two games, and their percentage improved in the opener of the critical series, as they went 2 for 8 in such situations.

Still, Baltimore had to manufacture two runs, which scored on sacrifice flies.

``I mean, it''s that time of the year, you know, and that's what those situations call for,'' Sabathia said. ``You're trying to get the runner in from third and get runners over and just get runs however you can. So they did a good job of that.''

The Orioles tied it 1-1 in the bottom of the first when Nick Markakis led off with a ground-rule double to center, went to third on Manny Machado's sacrifice and scored on Adam Jones' sacrifice fly.

Baltimore went ahead in the fifth when J.J. Hardy doubled into the left-field corner and advanced to third by beating the relay from first base on Michael Morse's third-to-first groundout. Wieters' sacrifice fly scored Hardy.

Alexi Casilla followed with a single past Rodriguez at third, stole second and came home on Markakis' single.

In the seventh, the Orioles added an insurance run when Machado's 49th double, a two-out poke off the scoreboard in right, scored Wieters from third.

Overbay's homer leading off the eighth chased Tillman.

NOTES: Yankees SS Derek Jeter, sidelined with a sore left ankle, took Monday off from baseball activities and will be re-evaluated Tuesday, said Girardi. ... Rodriguez batted second, his first time in that position in the batting order since Aug. 26, 2006. ... The Yankees reinstated OF Zoilo Almonte (sprained left ankle) from the 15-day DL. He missed 45 games. ... The Orioles sent IF Alex Liddi outright to Triple-A Norfolk after he cleared waivers. Liddi was designated for assignment Sept. 6.

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Blue Jays return home to Angels

The last time Mark Buehrle put together a personal seven-game winning streak, he ended the season winning a World Series.

Buehrle goes for his longest winning streak in eight years Tuesday night when the last-place Blue Jays attempt to win for the 11th time in 14 tries in a matchup against the Los Angeles Angels.

Buehrle (11-7, 3.88 ERA) is 6-0 with a 2.02 ERA over his last nine starts, winning all four at home with a 1.27 ERA.

The veteran left-hander hasn't produced a longer overall winning streak since going 9-0 during a 14-start stretch with the Chicago White Sox from April 16-June 28, 2005.

That season the White Sox went on to win the World Series, but Toronto (67-76) is all but mathematically assured of finishing at the bottom of the AL East in 2013.

Still, Buehrle is finding motivation.

"I've got a couple more starts left, and I'm going to go out there and try to finish the season strong," Buehrle told the team's official website. "Personally, I feel like I'm back to where I've been throughout my career. I just wish we were in a better spot than we are."

Buehrle's recent winning streak, though, includes a rough outing in a 6-5 road victory over Los Angeles on Aug. 4. He gave up five runs and two homers in six innings before the offense bailed him out by scoring four times in the final two.

He's 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA over his last four meetings with the Angels (67-76).

Beating them for the first time since Sept. 5, 2008, would keep the Blue Jays hot after they did all of their scoring in the eighth inning in Sunday's 2-0 win at Minnesota to complete a three-game sweep.

Jose Reyes had two hits, including an RBI double, and is 10 for 22 with seven runs and three RBIs over the past five games.

He shares Buehrle's attitude about September.

"The season isn't over yet, and I feel that good," said Reyes, who missed 66 games with a sprained left ankle earlier this season. "I still feel it a little bit, but it's way better than it was months ago. Hopefully, I'll keep feeling better, and I can go into the offseason with a better idea and go to spring training 100 percent, and do what I do best, just play my game."

The Angels send Jerome Williams (6-10, 4.60) to the mound looking to avoid a third straight loss after opening a season-long 10-game trip with a 6-3 defeat to Minnesota on Monday.

The right-hander allowed two runs with seven strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings of a 6-2 win over Tampa Bay on Thursday. He had been 0-8 with a 6.15 ERA over his 15 previous games - 13 starts - dating to a victory at Baltimore on June 12.

Williams is 0-2 with a 5.03 ERA in six road starts since.

"I'm just going out here and doing my job, trying to do my best," Williams said. "As long as at the end of the day, end of the season, I can look myself in the mirror and say, 'I did OK,' that's fine."

Los Angeles' Mike Trout is 16 for 37 (.432) during an 11-game hit streak. He has a .553 on-base percentage during that span.

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Red Sox lose Jacoby Ellsbury to broken foot

Jacoby Ellsbury is a big reason the Boston Red Sox are closing in on a playoff trip. Now, they can only hope he'll be back in time to join them.

The center fielder has a broken right foot, leaving the AL East leaders without a key offensive catalyst as they try to wrap up the division title.

Red Sox manager John Farrell said the team believes Ellsbury will be back this year, and hopes it will be during the regular season. But there is no specific timetable for his return, and the speedy leadoff hitter will keep wearing a protective boot on his injured foot for five days.

'Obviously, it's big. [Ellsbury is] a big part of this team. Hopefully, he's a quick healer and he'll be back soon for us.'—Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester

"After that, we'll see how he responds to treatment and how he's feeling," Farrell said after Sunday's 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees.

Ellsbury had an MRI on Saturday and returned to Boston for further examination. Then he went to Colorado to get a second opinion from foot specialist Dr. Thomas Clanton at The Steadman Clinic. Farrell said tests confirmed the diagnosis of a compression fracture, which means it's non-displaced.

Ellsbury leads the majors with 52 stolen bases in 56 attempts. He has scored a team-high 89 runs and is batting .299 with eight homers and 52 RBIs.

"Obviously, it's big. He's a big part of this team," pitcher Jon Lester said. "Hopefully, he's a quick healer and he'll be back soon for us."

There was some good news for Boston, which began the day with the best record in the majors and an 8 1/2-game lead in the AL East: Clay Buchholz is ready to rejoin the rotation after missing three months with a strained neck.

The right-hander said he threw about 30 pitches in a routine bullpen session at Yankee Stadium, his final hurdle before starting Tuesday night at Tampa Bay. Struggling left-hander Felix Doubront will be skipped this time through the rotation.

"Just to give him some recovery time, a little added rest, just as we've done with a couple of other guys," Farrell said.

'I want to make sure I'm ready'

Buchholz will be followed by Ryan Dempster and Jake Peavy against the second-place Rays. Farrell said he probably would prefer not to use Doubront out of the bullpen right now.

"I think for this time through we'll stay away from him for now just to give him, we feel, the rest needed," Farrell said.

Buchholz opened 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 12 starts this season and was selected to the All-Star team. He hasn't pitched in the majors since beating the Los Angeles Angels on June 8.

He made three rehab starts in the minors, the final one on Thursday in a playoff game for Triple-A Pawtucket. Farrell said Buchholz should be able to throw 75-80 pitches Tuesday.

"We're hopeful we get a guy that's close to what he was prior to the injury, and it would be an additional lift to this rotation," Farrell said.

Buchholz said he wants to get in peak form in time for a potential trip to the postseason.

"I want to make sure that I'm ready for that," he said, adding that his body should feel fresher than most other pitchers because of all the time off.

Buchholz acknowledged there was a point this summer when he doubted whether he would make it back this season.

"Mentally, I'm ready. I think that's what everybody was questioning — mental toughness. But I know my body better than anybody else," he said.

Ellsbury fouled a pitch off his foot Aug. 28 against Baltimore and aggravated the injury when he stole second base in the 10th inning Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. He scored the decisive run, but hasn't played since.

Rookie center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. was recalled Saturday from Pawtucket and has started the past two games. This is his fourth stint with the Red Sox this year, and he's batting .172 with two homers and seven RBIs.

"I definitely want to be able help out any way I can, and I'll be ready whenever they want to play me," Bradley said.

Ichiro Suzuki scored on wild pitch by Brandon Workman (5-3) with two outs in the ninth Sunday, ending Boston's five-game winning streak.

Moments earlier, Mariano Rivera (5-2) gave up a wind-aided homer to streaking Will Middlebrooks that tied the score at 3. With the desperate Yankees depleted in the bullpen, Rivera was summoned to start the eighth inning for the first time since June 20, 2006.

Robinson Cano hit a two-run double and the Yankees, fighting for a wild-card spot, finally quieted Boston's booming bats behind starter Hiroki Kuroda.

The Red Sox simply outslugged New York in the first three games of the series, giving them a whopping 54 runs, 17 homers and 64 hits during a four-game span that ended Saturday.

"Somewhat of an odd ending to an otherwise very good series on our end," Farrell said.

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Esmil Rogers, Blue Jays sweep Twins

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Esmil Rogers knows the important of pitching well in September despite his team being long out of the playoff picture.

On Sunday, the 28-year-old righty continued making his case to stay in Toronto's starting rotation with his second-straight scoreless outing, helping the Blue Jays beat Minnesota 2-0 to complete a three-game sweep.

Rogers (5-7) allowed three hits and a walk while striking out four over a career-high 7 2-3 innings, and Jose Reyes' late double broke a scoreless tie. Rogers, who started the season in the bullpen, hasn't allowed a run since allowing two in a relief outing Aug. 27.

``That's the key, finish strong and try to be normal,'' Rogers said.

``You go home and you obviously think about September,'' Rogers said. ``They think, `how did everybody do in September?' When you finish the season there's already a lot of people who forget a little bit about it . but September is more closer to the finish of the season.''

Rogers won back-to-back starts for the first time since June 13 and 18. He outdueled Twins rookie Andrew Albers, who took a no-decision despite a brilliant outing. Albers made his own case for Minnesota's rotation for next year, scattering four hits over seven innings with no walks and a season-high five strikeouts.

``The kid has thrown really well and he did again today,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. ``He'll be in the mix and that's what you want is to be in the mix when you get to spring training.''

Albers frustrated Toronto's lineup for much of the afternoon, but the Blue Jays quickly got to Twins reliever Jared Burton (2-9), who came out to start the eighth.

Ryan Goins led off with a single and came around to score on Reyes' double two batters later. Reyes then stole third and scored when Brian Dozier couldn't grab Rajai Davis' pop-fly in shallow left to make it 2-0.

Goins also made a big play on defense when he threw out Pedro Florimon at the plate in the sixth.

Florimon led off the inning with a double. Alex Presley followed with a single, but Twins third-base coach Joe Vavra lost sight of the ball and held up the speedy Florimon at third. On the next at-bad, Chris Herrmann hit a grounder to Goins, who fired the ball back to catcher J.P. Arencibia rather than go for the double play.

``You've got to tip your hat, that's the play of the game right there,'' Arencibia said.

The Twins knew it, too.

``He's pretty upset,'' Gardenhire said of Vavra. ``He was bummed about it in the dugout.''

Presley eventually advanced to third on Brian Dozier's long fly, but Oswaldo Arcia grounded out to short and end the threat, drawing loud boos from the home crowd. The boos were almost as loud as the cheers from the healthy contingent of visiting Blue Jays fans, who gave Rogers a standing ovation when he left in the seventh and was replaced by Brett Cecil. Cecil and Sergio Santos combined to close out the eighth and Casey Jannsen pitched the ninth for his 29th save in 31 chances.

Toronto has won 10 of its last 13 games since a season-high seven-game losing streak from Aug. 18-24. The Blue Jays are 11-3 all-time at Target Field, where the Twins have lost 10 straight.

``That's terrible, to be honest with you,'' Dozier said. ``We're not playing very good. Offense, defense, anything.''

Notes: The Twins announced several call ups after the game - INF Eduardo Escobar, OF Chris Parmelee, LHP Scott Diamond, RHP Michael Tonkin and RHP Cole De Vries. They also selected the contracts of C Eric Fryer and RHP Shairon Martis. The Twins made room for the moves by transferring RHP Samuel Deduno (shoulder) and OF Wilkin Ramirez (fractured shin) to the 60-day DL. . Blue Jays INF Edwin Encarnacion sat out with a sore left wrist. . Minnesota's bullpen entered the game having allowed 11 runs in 14 1-3 innings against the Blue Jays, including six runs in three innings in Saturday night's loss. ``It's really hard for me to say anything bad about those guys in the bullpen, they've been our saviors,'' Gardenhire said. . Asked if he regularly checks in on injured All-Star catcher Joe Mauer (concussion), Gardenhire quipped: ``I said Hi,' at breakfast. Do I need to say more than that? I'm not going to follow him around, you guys do that.'' Gardenhire said Mauer hit in the batting cages Sunday and followed a regular cardio routine. There is still no timetable for his return. . The Blue Jays have Monday off before beginning a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at home on Tuesday. RHP Jerome Williams (6-10) is scheduled to start that game against the Angels' Mark Buehrle (11-7). The Twins will host the Angels on Monday in a makeup game from April 17; Pedro Hernandez (3-1) will start for Minnesota against Jered Weaver (9-8).

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