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OAKLAND, Calif. -- For a No. 5 starter, Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks has been doing a pretty good impersonation of an ace this season.Hendricks is 10-7 with an ERA of 2.22, second lowest in the National League. Over his past nine appearances, including eight starts, he is 6-1 with a 1.04 ERA, 47 strikeouts and 16 walks. He is coming off a shutout of the Miami Marlins and will try to continue his hot streak against the Oakland As on Sunday afternoon.Last season, his second in the big leagues, Hendricks went 8-7 with a 3.95 ERA.I think I learned a lot from last year, the struggles I kind of went through, Hendricks said Saturday before the Cubs 4-0 victory against Oakland. I lost my mechanics a little bit. Kind of getting back into that. I learned a lot about myself. ... I was able to carry that through the offseason, came into spring and still felt good with it. Did a lot of work in spring just to make sure my mechanics were solid, ready for the year.There have been a lot of other changes. Im using my curveball a lot more this year, my four-seam fastball a lot more. Ive been pitching more. Im pitching inside better. Ive been doing a lot of different things.Cubs manager Joe Maddon pointed to Hendricks improved fastball command as the key reason for his turnaround.Hes always had it but not to the level or extent hes had it this year, Maddon said. And everything plays off of that. In addition to that, more curveballs recently and a little bit more four-seam fastball elevated, which I love. So I think hes kind of added in a subtle way some mixes to what hes doing that have benefited him, but primarily throwing his fastball for a strike.He gets a lot of takes, a lot of called strikes where the hitter is scratching his head but doesnt really argue with the umpire a whole lot because it was a strike. Theres great movement on his pitches.The As will send rookie left-hander Sean Manaea to the mound for his 16th career major-league start. In his previous start he gave up five runs, four of them earned, on six hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 5-4 loss to the Angels. Two of those hits allowed were two-run homers.Last time it was like two pitches that got me, Manaea said. I definitely learned from that. Just got to calm myself when I get in those situations. In my bullpen, it was all about just locating my fastball. I worked really hard in the bullpen and Im feeling really good for my next start.Manaea has gone 1-2 with a 3.14 ERA in seven games, including six starts, after returning from the disabled list on June 29. He went on the DL on June 14 with a left pronator strain. He is 0-1 with a 2.51 ERA over his past five games.The As acquired Manaea on July 28 last season from the Kansas City Royals, along with right-hander Aaron Brooks, for current Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist.Manaea grew up in Indiana, not far from Chicago, and hell face the Cubs for the first time.I think its fun, just because I grew up watching the Cubs, Manaea said. They are really good this year. Its going to be a fun matchup. Im excited to see how things go tomorrow. Nike Shoes Black Friday Sale . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. 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HOUSTON -- Gary Sanchez has quickly supplanted seven-time All-Star Brian McCann as the New York Yankees top catcher.The 23-year-old hit his fifth home run since he was brought up on Aug. 3, his fourth in four games, during the Yankees 7-4 loss to Toronto on Wednesday.Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, speaking at the owners meetings in Houston, said general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi will decide the future of McCann, who is signed through 2018.It was always the case that Sanchez at some point was going to come up and hopefully come up to stay, Steinbrenner said. So well cross that bridge in the offseason when we come to it. But McCanns a great player, too, so well just have to figure that out.Carlos Beltran was traded to Texas and Alex Rodriguez was released as part of the Yankees recent youth movement, and McCann is the latest veteran to lose playing time.Sanchez, who made a one-game call-up as a designated hitter in May, has started seven of 14 games behind the plate since he rejoined the Yankees this month and has been the DH for six more. McCann has caught just twice since then and been the DH seven times, while backup catcher Austin Romine has been behind the plate five times.McCann called Sanchez one of the better, if not the best, young catchers since Ive been in the big leagues. He understands what Girardi is doing with Sanchez, whose defense improved considerably this year while at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.He told us its the time when hes going to play and play a lot, McCann said. Listen, hes a future All-Star, year in and year out. There are not many guys walking around with that talent. Its going to be nice seeing him grow into that player.Thus ffar with the Yankees, Sanchez is hitting .dddddddddddd360 with 11 RBI in 53 plate appearances, bringing energy to the lineup along with right fielder Aaron Judge and first baseman Tyler Austin, who homered back-to-back in their big league debuts Saturday.McCann is batting .231 this season with 15 homers and 45 RBI. He was born in Athens, Georgia, went to high school in Duluth and could be sought by the Atlanta Braves, who drafted him in 2002. He made all his All-Star appearances with Atlanta, then left after the 2013 season to sign an $85 million, five-year deal with the Yankees.McCann wouldnt discuss the future, saying Im not going to get into all that.His contract includes salaries of $17 million in each of the next two seasons and a $15 million club option for 2019 with no buyout. The option would become guaranteed if McCann has 1,000 plate appearances combined in 2017-18 and makes 90 starts at catcher in 2018 and is not on the disabled list at the end of the season. If the option becomes guaranteed, McCann can void it.Sanchez was bumped up to the cleanup spot for the first time Wednesday, with Judge right behind him.It says that theyve handled whatever weve given them so far, Girardi said. Obviously, these are two young men that have the ability to be very productive. Some guys out of the lineup today, we moved them up against the lefty, let them go get it. Obviously, your hope is over time they can become middle-of-the-order hitters.---AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick and AP freelance writer Doug Gould contributed to this report from New York. ' ' '