David Price struck out 11 batters on Wednesday, becoming the first pitcher in a decade to fan at least 10 in five straight starts.

"I've never been as good as I am right now, period. Not in 2012 (when he won the Cy Young Award), not in college, not in high school," declared Price, who is rumored to be on the trading block. "This is the best pitcher I've ever been. I feel in complete control on the mound at all times.

"I'm throwing all my pitches on both sides of the plate, and that's tough to do."

Price also set a franchise record for strikeouts in a month with 54.

B.J. and Justin Upton both homered for the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, tying a Major League record in the process.

It marked the fourth time they had homered in the same game as teammates. The only other brother combos to match this total are Vladimir and Wilton Guerrero and Jason and Jeremy Giambi.

"It's pretty cool," B.J. Upton said. "Anytime you can tie a Major League Baseball record, it's pretty cool. I kind of knew we were close, but I didn't know how close. It's cool to say you did it. We're not going to try to break it, but hopefully we do."

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Uptons have now played 185 games together with the Braves. The Guerreros appeared in 345 games as teammates and the Giambis 219.

David Ortiz saw his batting average increase by four points before even stepping to the plate on Monday night.

Official scorer Bob Ellis reversed a controversial call from the June 18 game between the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park and awarded Ortiz with a hit while taking an error away from Joe Mauer.

Ortiz criticized Ellis after the game and was reprimanded by Joe Torre for his actions.

"All I have to say is I know I owe an apology to MLB, Mr. Joe Torre, even the scorekeeping guys," said Ortiz. "I know that I had frustration come out that way, and that's not what you really want."

Ortiz is hitting .255/.354/.478 with 17 home runs and 46 RBIs this season.

David Ortiz hit his 17th home run of the season on Sunday night, lifting the Boston Red Sox to victory over the Oakland Athletics in the 10th inning.

The 38-year-old is still going strong. He is coming off a World Series MVP performance for the ages despite an extended slump back in May 2009 that had many believing he was well past his prime.

After three strikeouts on May 14, 2009, Ortiz was hitting .208/.318/.300. He had endured a two-month slump after a significant wrist injury in 2008.

"I couldn't even watch TV, any sports channel at the time, because it was nothing but, 'He's done.' You're struggling and people are saying that you're done, it doesn't help," recalled Ortiz. "That's when your mind has to start processing that and next thing you know, 'I'm out.'"

Ortiz finds it hard to fathom the dialogue that surrounded him, especially those who wondered whether his performance dip was permanent.

"It wasn't like I was declining or anything like that. That's the first thing people put in their heads. I'm 38 and I'm still hitting 97 mph fastballs. They said my bat speed was shutting down back then," he said. "I was, what, I was 33 years old. How many 33-year-olds you see losing bat speed? I haven't seen that many. Especially a guy coming off an injury."

Jose Abreu slugged his 20th home run on Wednesday night, making him the third-fastest player to reach the mark in Major League history.

The Chicago White Sox slugger reached 20 homers in his 58th game, faster than everyone not named Wally Berger (51 games) and Mark McGwire (56 games).

"I wasn't aware of this happening, but it's a great thing and I welcome it," the 27-year-old said through a translator. "I'm just going to continue to help the team win, and that's what it's all about right now."

Abreu, a Cuban rookie, is hitting .269/.321/.608 this season.

Justin Verlander allowed seven runs for the second straight start on Monday night as he endures the toughest stretch of his career.

Verlander's one-time 2.67 ERA has since blown up to 4.98 since May 9.

"Maybe I'm just getting it all out of my system now, and I can turn the page and never look back," the right-hander said. "That's what I plan on doing."

Verlander is a power pitcher and typically adjustments are made as they get older. However, he isn't ready to entertain that idea.

"I don't think I'm there yet," he said. "You look at my stuff and it's still there. I'm not throwing 100 mph in the ninth inning, but stuff-wise, I'm still there."

Verlander has thrown more than 1,800 innings over nine years. He'll turn 32 in February.

Max Scherzer tossed a three-hit shutout on Thursday for the first complete game of his career, in his 179th start.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Scherzer went the most starts without a complete game in modern baseball history.

"It's awesome," said Scherzer, who threw 113 pitches. "I finally got the monkey off my back.

"I was finally able to go nine and finish the deal, so it's good feeling."

Scherzer won the 2013 American League Cy Young.

The Tampa Bay Rays scored four runs in the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night, ending a club-record 31-inning scoring streak.

"Outstanding," Joe Maddon said after the team's 6-3 victory. "The guys needed that, and you could just see them relax immediately."

Tampa Bay, which won for just the second time in 16 games, had been shut out in its previous three games. The Rays had scored 35 runs over the previous 15 games.

The New York Yankees have more problems than just Jacoby Ellsbury's defense, but they expected to get more from the $153 million they spent this winter.

Ellsbury ranks 30th in defensive runs saved among the 35 center fielders with the most innings played this season.

He saved 23 defensive runs over the past three full seasons, but is actually a minus-6 in 2014.

Nelson Cruz hit his Major League-best 21st home run in the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

The three-run homer brought his RBI total to 55, also tops in baseball.

Cruz missed 50 games with the Rangers last season after serving his suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs and still managed to hit 27 homers and drive in 76 runs in 109 games before the suspension. He signed with the Baltimore Orioles this past winter.

"I cannot be more thankful for the Rangers," Cruz said. "They gave me a chance to be a major league player. The coaches, they teach me how to play baseball and how to be a professional."