Buehrle, Blue Jays win their 11th straight

Ryan Goins hit a three-run homer during the Blue Jays’ four-run second against Jesse Chavez (6-12). He has 47 strikeouts while allowing 11 walks and 31 hits in 36 innings.

It’s still August, but the importance of the three-game series between the Yankees and Blue Jays can’t be denied.

Ordinarily, that would have been plenty for Price, but the Yankees grinded him out well before starting their rally against the ace left-hander in the eighth.

Jacoby Ellsbury’s RBI single off Aaron Loup in the ninth gave the Yankees a three-run cushion. He will begin chemotherapy during the coming week and bench coach Torey Lovullo will manage the team the rest of the season.

Teheran (8-6) gave up three hits, two walks and struck out seven. Marco Estrada is 10-6 with a 3.21 era and for the most part has been very effective. The drama was raising through the roof in the ninth inning. Osuna induced three popouts to end the game.

In their 11-1 run, the Jays have outscored their foes by 67-32, and their run differential now stands at 597 to 468, or plus 129, dwarfing the next best team in the league, the Astros, who are plus 78. “Trying to go up and in”. 500 for the first time since June 27, 2010.

Well, the last pitcher to return early from a devastating injury like Stroman’s was Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, who took just under five months to recover.

Garcia (5-4) scattered six hits and allowed an unearned run, walking one and fanning six. With a full-count and AL MVP candidate Josh Donaldson standing in the on-deck circle, Tulowitzki finally struck out on the 13th pitch of the at-bat.

Drew Pomeranz and Fernando Rodriguez combined for two scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Athletics. Carlos Beltran, pinch-hitting for Chris Young, took two mighty swings, missing both times.

Baseball mattered here. Suddenly, after a flurry of trade deadline deals engineered by general manager Alex Anthopoulos and a subsequent 11-game winning streak, it matters again. Then he added: “I definitely feel the support and the love they give me”. He obviously has benefitted from plenty of run support. It was a gruelling first inning. Shaw had a two-run and solo shot, and Castillo’s was a two-run homer in Boston’s highest run total of the season. Hutchison pitched seven innings to beat Oakland on Tuesday, his longest outing since a complete game on May 25.

Right-handed reliever Sam Dyson (4-4) earned the victory with an inning of work in the eighth.

The options are Wednesday in Philadelphia and Friday at the Los Angeles Angels. Center fielder Kevin Pillar singled to send Pennington to second.

Kelly Locken is travelling from Fort McMurray, Alta., to watch his favourite team square off against their chief rivals, the Yankees, on home turf this weekend.

The Cubs were led by their youngsters during the game.

Sanchez escaped the inning without allowing anymore runs. Then Headley doubled to left, and Beltrán scored.

Pomeranz appeared to leave with an injury after that pitch, and Brooks came on. Toronto, an event town, is hosting a first place showdown against baseball’s marquee team from America’s grandest city.

The teams went into extra innings at 1-all. He was in control this time, too, in the opener of a three-game set before the Yankees scored four times. Chavez pitched in nine games for Toronto in 2012. Washington racked up just five hits during the contest.

“A great battle”, said manager Joe Girardi, who thought to himself: “Just hit one of those ground balls to someone“.