LEADING OFF: A’s thump Tigers, Sale starts, Callaway cloud?
A look at what’s happening around the majors Sunday:
ALL A’S
The Athletics try to beat Detroit for the 16th time when Mike Fiers starts at Comerica Park.
A win by the A’s would equal the franchise record for the longest winning streak against one team. Oakland took 16 in a row from the Yankees from 1989-91.
Rookie Gregory Soto goes for his first major league win when he pitches for the Tigers. The Athletics are aiming for a four-game sweep — they host Detroit in a three-game series in early September.
RE-SALE
Red Sox ace Chris Sale starts for the first time since striking out 17 in just seven innings against Colorado. He’ll face hard-hitting Houston at Fenway Park.
Sale (1-5, 4.24 ERA) looks to continue his stellar revival after a rough start this year. After opening the season 0-5 with a 6.30 ERA in six starts, he has a 1.29 ERA in three starts in May.
The lefty is now the only pitcher in major league history to allow no more than three hits, strike out at least 14 and walk nobody in consecutive starts.
CALLAWAY CLOUDS
The Mets have lost four in a row and fallen a season-worst four games under .500, increasing the speculation that manager Mickey Callaway’s job is in jeopardy.
Miami, with the worst record in the majors, has beaten the Mets two straight days, including holding them to one hit Saturday in a 2-0 win.
“I’m coming in tomorrow to manage the New York Mets and I’m going to be enthusiastic about it and I’m going to continue to lead this team to something special,” Callaway said.
Callaway is in his second season.
“I do believe we have talent in there,” he said. “We haven’t played like that. There’s no doubt that hasn’t been the case, but I believe those things for a reason and I believe everyone comes to the park every day for something greater than what’s been happening. We have to start making it happen, somehow, some way.”
FEELING BETTER?
The Yankees will see how Masahiro Tanaka is doing, a day after he was hit just above the right ankle by hard grounder against Tampa Bay. X-rays were negative.
Tanaka said he wasn’t sure whether he would be able to take his next turn.
“There’s some swelling and some blueness to it,” Tanaka said through a translator.
“We’ll see how it is tomorrow and I guess we can evaluate from there,” he said.
