The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating where Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs obtained the drugs that were in his system at the time of his July 1 death in Southlake, Texas, two sources with knowledge of the investigation told Outside the Lines on Wednesday.

An autopsy released Aug. 30 found evidence of fentanyl, oxycodone and ethanol in Skaggs' system. The fentanyl drew the attention of federal investigators, the sources said. One senior DEA official said the agency typically gets involved in fentanyl cases in an effort to track down the source of the drug.

Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, has been linked to a number of high-profile drug-related deaths, including musicians Prince, Tom Petty and Mac Miller.

Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room July 1 during a road trip against the Texas Rangers, having choked on his own vomit.

One federal law enforcement agent, speaking on condition of anonymity, said fentanyl has been showing up "everywhere, even in marijuana."

"We continue to cooperate with law enforcement on this important matter," Angels team spokesperson Marie Garvey said.

MLB deputy commissioner Dan Halem declined comment. Attorney Rusty Hardin, who represents Skaggs' family, did not return messages seeking comment.

When the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office released its autopsy report, Skaggs' family issued a statement saying, "We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them."

No team employee has been publicly identified as having been connected to Skaggs' death, or as a target in the investigation.

BOSTON -- The San Francisco Giants helped manager Bruce Bochy reach yet another milestone before his retirement at the end of the season.

San Francisco's 11-3 rout of the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night was Bochy's 2,000th career victory as a manager in the majors.

"I've been lucky. I've been blessed to have been doing this this long. That's what it means," Bochy said.

Fans who stuck around Fenway Park were chanting Bochy's name at the end and Boston manager Alex Cora saluted from the opposite dugout, knowing the significance of what Bochy has achieved in 25 years of managing.

"That number just represents so many people, more than anybody are those players. Hopefully when they hear that number, they realize what a big part they had to do with it. It doesn't happen without them.''

The Giants broke out champagne in the clubhouse for a postgame celebration, which included a few understated remarks from their beloved skipper.

"It was actually pretty relaxed and very Boch-esque. Just gave a little speech and said what he always says -- how much he appreciates the guys. And we know that, so that's why we play so hard for him,'' said Jeff Samardzija, who took a no-hitter into the sixth on Bochy's big night. "You don't want to let him down. When you have that respect for a manager, the team shows up every night and is always competing.''

Bochy won 951 games while managing the San Diego Padres over 12 seasons and is 1,049-1,047 in 13 years with San Francisco, which won three World Series titles with Bochy at the helm.

Cora opened his postgame remarks by congratulating Bochy.

"At this level that's kind of like unreal. I think everybody that gets to do this job wish they could last that long and be able to do what he has done throughout his career,'' Cora, who is wrapping up just his second season as a manager in the majors. "The way he's gone about the business. I mean, he's been amazing, so congratulations.''

The Giants helped Bochy reach 2,000 with just 10 games remaining in the season. The 10 other managers to win 2,000 are all Hall of Famers, and Bochy is sure to follow.

"He's just a players' coach, which I think is the ultimate compliment,'' Samardzija said. "He understands the sacrifices we make. He understands the grind we go through. He hasn't forgotten that.''

Samardzija didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning and the Giants gave him plenty of offense, tagging eight Boston pitchers for 15 hits while winning for the second consecutive night at Fenway Park. San Francisco blew the game open with two runs in the eighth and five more in the ninth and will try and complete a three-game sweep of the interleague series Thursday afternoon.

Rafael Devers hit his 30th home run and Jackie Bradley Jr. homered for the second straight night for the Red Sox.

Stephen Vogt hit a two-run homer in the first and finished with four RBIs for the Giants. Samardzija (11-12) pitched six innings, holding Boston to one run on two hits and four walks. He struck out two.

WILD NIGHT

The Giants capitalized quickly on control issues by Boston starter Jhoulys Chacin, who was tagged for three runs in the first inning and didn't make it through the third despite striking out six.

Chacin (3-11) was in trouble from the start with a walk to leadoff batter Mike Yastrzemski, followed by a Brandon Belt's double to left-center. Kevin Pillar drove in Yastrzemski on a fielder's choice and Vogt lined a two-out homer off the Pesky Pole to give the Giants a 3-0 lead.

Brandon Crawford's RBI double in the third put San Francisco up 4-0, which was plenty of cushion for Samardzija, who didn't allow a hit until Devers' homer with two out in the sixth.

Enderson Franco made his major league debut when he started the ninth for San Francisco. He allowed Bradley's homer, which bounced off the top of the Green Monster and was initially ruled a triple before being overturned after a video review.

MORE YAZ

Yastrzemski hit an RBI single in the ninth, one night after homering in his first game at Fenway, where his Hall of Fame grandfather, Carl, played 23 seasons with the Red Sox. Carl Yastrzemski, Boston's beloved "Yaz,'' threw out the ceremonial first pitch Wednesday night.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Giants: C Buster Posey (back, hip) could return to the lineup Thursday, Bochy said. Red Sox: Cora said LHP David Price (cyst left wrist), who hasn't pitched since Sept. 1, will have surgery on his left wrist and is done for the season. "We're going to shut him down,'' Cora said. "It's a head start to next year and a smart thing to do.'' ... OF Mookie Betts missed his fourth straight game with inflammation in his left foot. Cora said Betts could return as designated hitter this weekend when the Red Sox visit Tampa Bay. ... IF Sam Travis was under the concussion protocol after getting hit in the head by a throw while sliding into third Tuesday night.

UP NEXT

LHP Madison Bumgarner (9-8, 3.73 ERA) starts for the Giants in the series finale Thursday afternoon against Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (17-6, 3.64).

Houston Astros right-hander Gerrit Cole became the 18th major league pitcher since 1900 to strike out at least 300 batters in a season Wednesday night.

Cole reached the milestone by getting Shin-Soo Choo of the visiting Texas Rangers to whiff on an 89 mph changeup to end the sixth inning. It was Cole's eighth strikeout of the game.

Cole (18-5) allowed two runs on six hits while striking out 10 to earn his 14th straight win as the 3-2 victory clinched at least a wild-card spot for Houston. He hasn't lost since May 22 against the White Sox, a span of 20 starts.

Cole struck out 10 or more for the seventh straight start, tying the club record set earlier this season by Justin Verlander.

"He's incredible," Houston manager AJ Hinch said. "He's a special player; he's a special person. It was a big night for him. That's a big accomplishment. He did it in a win. ... He's been a workhorse for us the entire year. These performances that he just rattles off [are] not easy. He makes it look a lot easier than it is."

Cole, the major league leader in strikeouts, became the third Astros pitcher to reach 300 strikeouts in a season, joining J.R. Richard, who had 313 in 1979 and 303 in '78, and Mike Scott, who struck out 306 in '86.

Cole reached the mark in 198 1/3 innings. According to Elias Sports Bureau data, that's the second-fewest innings pitched in major league history in a season at the time of a player's 300th strikeout, trailing only Randy Johnson (197 2/3 innings in 2001).

After striking out Choo to end the sixth, Cole leaped off the mound and was given a standing ovation as he walked to the dugout. Cole waved to the crowd with his glove hand and touched his chest with his throwing hand.

"At first, I didn't know that was the one," Cole said. "Then, it became pretty obvious, and I just wanted to spend a minute with the fans and thank them for the ovation and all the support."

Houston won its fifth straight and 100th game of the season, becoming one of six teams in major league history to win at least 100 games in three straight seasons. The Astros lost at least 100 games in three straight seasons from 2011 to '13.

"If you like winning, 100 three years in a row is a lot," Hinch said. "I love it for this team and for this organization. It's a big accomplishment. It's one step along the way for us and what we're trying to accomplish this season. I don't want that to be the high note by any means."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Here's the thing about picking some of the most notable surprises and disappointments of 2019: You have to adjust for the baseball. Is it a surprise that Jorge Soler has 45 home runs? Yes. Did he always have power potential? Yes. Did anybody predict 45 home runs from him? No, of course not; he hit nine last year. So, he could be No. 1 on this list if you want. I won't throw up a block on that one.

Is it a surprise that Eugenio Suarez has 48 home runs? Well, he hit 34 last year in 143 games, so reaching 50 with the rocket ball isn't that ridiculous. I mean, it is; nobody would have predicted Suarez would hit 50 home runs, and he might do it.

But you get the point. I don't want this list to just be a list of surprising sluggers -- although we'll include a few.

To the list!

Surprise: Yankees power hitters

The Yankees are neck and neck with the Twins for the all-time home run record, which isn't the big surprise since the Yankees just set the mark in 2018. The surprise, of course, is the source for so many of those home runs: Not Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton combining for 90 to 100 of them, but guys such as Gio Urshela and DJ LeMahieu and Brett Gardner and Mike Tauchman and Mike Ford. We knew Gleyber Torres was good, but I don't think anybody believed 40 home runs was in his 2019 equation.

Put it this way: The Steamer preseason projections had a combined 41 home runs for those six guys. Instead, they've combined for 131, with LeMahieu and Gardner both shattering their previous highs. (They were projected for nine home runs each, and they have combined for 49.) The biggest surprise, however, has been Urshela, filling in at third base for the injured Miguel Andujar and hitting .325/.364/.550 with 20 home runs. It's almost as if Brian Cashman did indeed make a pact with a certain Mr. Applegate.

Surprise: Mitch Garver

Speaking of those power-hitting Twins, they just became the first team with five 30-homer players in one season. In 335 plate appearances as a rookie in 2018, Garver hit seven home runs. In 338 plate appearances in 2019, he has bashed 30. He is slugging .636 with a 1.000 OPS. Only 12 catchers have batted at least 300 times and produced a 1.000 OPS. Garver's power outburst has helped Twins catchers hit a combined 42 home runs -- one shy of the single-season mark of 43 shared by the 1953 Dodgers (led by Roy Campanella), 1997 Dodgers and 1999 Mets (both led by Mike Piazza) and 2003 Braves (led by Javy Lopez).

Here's the unpredictable nature of baseball: Garver was a teammate at the University of New Mexico of D.J. Peterson, the Mariners' first-round pick in 2013. The Twins drafted Garver in the ninth round that year. Peterson hit .185 at Triple-A for the White Sox this season, before getting released and ending the season with Sugar Land of the Atlantic League; and his less-heralded college teammate is having one of the great part-time seasons for a catcher in MLB history.

Disappointment: Phillies' offense

The Phillies signed Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen and traded for J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura, turning a mediocre offense into a ... mediocre offense:

2018: Averaged 4.18 runs per game (National League average of 4.37)

2019: Averaging 4.86 runs per game (NL average of 4.80)

OK, they've gone from slightly below average to slightly above average. That hasn't been enough to push the Phillies into the postseason for the first time since 2011, as the rotation has been inconsistent and the bullpen faced an unending string of injuries. There are 55 qualified regulars with a .500 slugging percentage in 2019 -- none of them plays for the Phillies.

Disappointment: Red Sox

The defending champs began the season with an 11-game road trip to Seattle, Oakland and Arizona and went 3-8 -- a stretch in which the rotation posted an 8.57 ERA. In a sense, the Red Sox never recovered from that opening trip, never found their 2018 mojo. In fact, when they lost their home opener to fall to 3-9, it put them six games out of first place. The closest they got to first after that was three games for one day on May 12.

The major culprit was the starting rotation. Rick Porcello (5.77 ERA) never got it going. Chris Sale, signed to a big extension in spring training, racked up big strikeouts but had a 4.40 ERA before his season ended with a an elbow injury. David Price (wrist, elbow) has pitched just 107 innings, and Nathan Eovaldi, re-signed as a free agent, has pitched just 56 with an elbow issue. It all cost Dave Dombrowski, head of baseball operations, his job.

Surprise: Most improved White Sox

You can make the case that the most improved position player in the league is White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson and the most improved pitcher is White Sox starter Lucas Giolito. Anderson entered the season with a .258 career average in more than 1,500 career plate appearances, and now he is hitting .335 to lead the American League. If he does win the batting crown, it would be the lowest career average entering the season for a batting title winner (from Elias Sports Bureau):

Tim Anderson, 2019: .2576
Gary Sheffield, 1992: .2585
Terry Pendleton, 1991: .2586

Giolito, meanwhile, was so bad in 2018 -- 6.13 ERA and an AL-worst 90 walks in 173⅓ innings -- that you wondered if he had the stuff to pitch in a big league rotation. He got stronger, ditched his two-seamer, started throwing harder and pounding the strike zone, and in just three more innings than in 2018 struck out 103 more batters and lowered his ERA to 3.41. (His season is over with a mild lat strain.)

Which player is more likely to hold his gains in 2020? I'd bet on Giolito. Anderson still has one of the worst strikeout-to-walk ratios in the league at 102 to 12. His average exit velocity, while up from last season, is still below average, and Anderson's Statcast metrics suggest a predicted average of .291. That's still a big improvement from .258, however, so along with Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez, the White Sox are building a young foundation.

Surprise: Sonny Gray, back from the dead

OK, Gray wasn't exactly dead, but after posting a 6.98 ERA at Yankee Stadium in 2018 (admittedly, he was much better on the road), he was run out of the Big Apple for the gentler pastures of Cincinnati. All he has done is go 11-7 with a 2.80 ERA and 199 strikeouts in 170⅓ innings. Check out his NL rankings:

ERA: 4th
Innings: 16th
Strikeout rate: 8th
BA allowed: 1st
wOBA allowed: 3rd
bWAR: 4th
fWAR: 7th

He could finish in the top five of the Cy Young voting. No doubt being reunited with Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson -- his pitching coach at Vanderbilt -- helped Gray rediscover his form. In March, he blamed his stint in New York on the Yankees wanting him to throw more sliders, a pitch he said he had poor control over. The only trouble with that assessment is Gray has thrown a higher percentage of sliders in 2019 than he did in 2018. Whatever the fix, it has worked, and the four-year extension he signed after the trade looks like a bargain for the Reds.

Disappointment: Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano

Speaking of New York ... maybe Diaz would prefer the gentler pastures of Seattle again after his nightmare 2019. After recording 57 saves and averaging 15.2 K's per nine innings with the Mariners, Diaz has averaged 15.2 K's per nine with Mets. Which only goes to prove there is a lot more to successful pitching than strikeouts. Out of 309 relievers with at least 20 innings, Diaz ranks 306th in win probability added.

Cano has played better in the second half, but his .262/.309/.436 line is the worst of his career -- and that's without adjusting for the increased offense across the league. His WAR: 0.3. He has barely been a replacement-level second baseman. This trade will sting even more down the road when Jarred Kelenic wins the 2024 MVP award for the Mariners.

Surprise: Ketel Marte

Man, this guy has won a lot of fantasy leagues for folks this year. His transformation from a slap-hitting, speedy shortstop to a power-hitting center fielder/second baseman went to a new level, as he has hit .329/.389/.592 with 32 home runs. Here's a question: Who's better over the next five years: Marte or Manny Machado?

Disappointment: Kyle Freeland

I don't know if there's a way to study which type of pitchers have been most harmed by the juiced ball, but I would suggest a left-hander without a big strikeout rate who pitches at Coors Field might be the answer. Regression would have been expected after Freeland's stellar 2018 campaign, but I was buying him heading into the season. Instead, he went 3-11 with a 6.98 ERA and 25 home runs allowed in 99⅓ innings. Freeland, German Marquez and Tyler Anderson combined for 16.1 bWAR in 2018. This year, just 2.0 WAR.

Surprise: Yordan Alvarez

Among this year's rookie sluggers, I might classify Alvarez as a bigger surprise than Pete Alonso. Put it this way: Alonso hit 36 home runs in 132 games in the minors last year. Factor in the major league rabbit ball and it's not outrageous (in retrospect) to think he could hit 40 home runs. He has done better than that -- he is up to 49 -- but the big power numbers aren't a big surprise. In Alvarez's case, we knew about the raw power, but it's his all-around hitting ability that has been off-the-charts impressive. He is hitting .318/.419/.671 with 26 homers in 79 games. Alvarez is insanely talented, doesn't strike out as much as Alonso and has best-hitter-in-the-game potential.

Disappointment: Nationals' bullpen

What's with the NL East? No wonder the Braves are running away with the division. Not that we expected the Nationals to have a lights-out bullpen, but one of the worst of all time? The Nationals' 5.84 bullpen ERA ranks last in the majors (even worse than the Orioles'), their relievers are last in win probability added (easily the worst figure in the past decade) and they had to turn to 42-year-old Fernando Rodney at the trade deadline.

Here is what's weird: In May, the Nationals traded Austin Adams to the Mariners. Adams had fanned 169 batters in 105⅓ innings with just three home runs allowed over the past two seasons in Triple-A. They couldn't use a guy like that? Adams has been pretty solid with Seattle, registering 50 K's in 29 innings.

Surprise: Mike Soroka

Soroka was a top prospect and pitched well in five starts last season, but the baby-faced 21-year-old entered spring training (A) having to prove he was healthy after throwing just 55 innings last year between the minors and majors, and (B) having to win a job in the rotation. He actually began the season with two starts in Triple-A, but Soroka has put together a remarkable rookie season with a 2.57 ERA. In the year of the home run, he has done a superb job of limiting home runs (and hard contact, which helps him succeed without an elite strikeout rate). I love the consistency and efficiency, and he is one of the big keys to the Braves making a World Series run.

Surprise: Oakland Athletics

Is there a surprise team in 2019? Not really. And since the A's won 97 games last year, you can't classify them as a shock. But who thought they would win 97 games again? They're at 92 after Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Royals. Of the 31 people polled in ESPN's preseason picks, only nine predicted the A's would make the playoffs (although two picked them to win the World Series). Among readers, more of you picked the Angels to win the AL West than the A's. The A's are 22½ games up on the Angels. So, the A's are your underdog story of 2019.

Britain’s 200m No.1 has worked at building his self-belief

His performances might not show it, but Miguel Francis says he has struggled with self-belief and a lack of confidence in the past.

When he stands on the start line at the IAAF World Championships in Doha later this month, the sprinter knows that all of his nerves will disappear but managing those emotions in the lead-up is something which the 24-year-old has focused on.

“It has been really rough. At the beginning of my season, in my first two races, I struggled a lot. I didn’t know how I would compete coming back from injury. I was really nervous going into those races,” says Francis, who has returned to near top form this summer after undergoing surgeries on his right ankle and knee in the past couple of years.

“I struggled a lot with confidence and believing in myself,” adds the British 200m No.1, who works with Glen Mills, coach of sprints great Usain Bolt, in Jamaica as part of the Racers Track Club. “It is something I am still working on right now, my coach is trying to get me to work on it – trying to believe in myself more and be more confident.”

But the Montserrat-born sprinter, who transferred his allegiance to Britain in 2017, adds that his performances so far this year have given him a boost, with a UK-leading 19.97 clocked at the Müller Anniversary Games in London and a third-place finish at the British Championships, which helped to secure his spot on the GB team for Doha.

“The races I have done have really boosted my confidence a lot,” he says.

“I was coming back from surgery in September last year. To come back and finally run 19 (seconds) again and have the season I’m having, I feel the best I’ve ever felt. I’m training really well and things are going smoothly.

“The beginning of the season was kind of rough, I had some small pains and stuff. I started back basically learning to run again, learning to sprint again. I had to make sure that I got my body – my hamstrings, quads – stronger so I can stay healthy.

“The times that I do in training, I run them so easily, to be honest. I train so well. But it is so hard for me to be confident heading into races. But when I get on the start line, it all disappears – my nerves and everything disappear. I just get really nervous before my races.

“It definitely isn’t because of who is in the race, it is just me not believing in myself and believing that I can run fast.”

But Francis has already proven that he can. With some swift times this summer, and some solid training behind him, the best could still be yet to come.

The 19.97 he ran in London in July ranks him equal third on the British 200m all-time list alongside Adam Gemili, behind only John Regis and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, though Francis does have a faster PB of 19.88 – just 0.01 off Regis’ best – which he ran in 2016.

That came after he represented Antigua & Barbuda at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 world championships, with Francis having moved there with his family when he was a few months old after a volcanic eruption on his home Caribbean island.

But the Wolverhampton & Bilston athlete, who has family in the West Midlands of England, was eligible for a transfer to GB with his birthplace being a British overseas territory and his mind is now on medals as he races for GB in the 200m and forms part of the 4x100m squad in Doha.

“I know myself. I know when I get to Doha I won’t have any problems confidence wise,” he says. “Anything is possible. I feel like I can definitely be in the mix.

“This is something I want. I don’t want to go my whole career and never win a major medal. It’s something that I want to achieve.”

The United Kingdom's biggest women-only grass-court event is to be downgraded from next summer, with Wimbledon supporting a new tournament in Berlin.

The Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham, a Premier status competition on the WTA Tour since 2014, is to return to being categorised as an International event.

The change means lower prize money and ranking points for players.

Ashleigh Barty become world number one after winning the tournament in June.

The French Open champion was in a field that included Naomi Osaka, Karolina Pliskova and Venus Williams.

The tournament - held two weeks before Wimbledon, putting it up against the men's event at Queen's Club - is one that makes significant losses.

Prize money in recent years has not been matched by a similar increases in ticket sales or sponsorship.

The reduction in prize funds for the 38-year-old event represents a drop of about £600,000 from around £800,000 to approximately £200,000 - a significant sum for the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which reported a loss of £8.8m in May.

LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd said the event will still "provide opportunities for tennis fans to get closer to the sport".

"We have worked closely with the All England Lawn Tennis Club on the plans for next year's grass-court season," he said.

"The Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham will continue to be one of the LTA's major events next season."

Birmingham will now have to compete with Berlin to try to attract players.

Other changes the grass-court season will include a new men's event in Majorca and a proposed women's tournament in Bad Homburg, Germany, backed by former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber.

The other British tournaments in Nottingham and Eastbourne are unaffected by the changes.