Yost's All-Star lineup: Hos bats sixth, Salvy eighth
SAN DIEGO -- Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox will start for the American League in Tuesday night's All-Star Game and former Royal Johnny Cueto of the San Francisco Giants will start for the National League.
Sale, a 27-year-old left-hander, is 14-3 with a 3.38 ERA and leads the major leagues in wins. He has 123 strikeouts and just 26 walks in 125 innings, and batters are hitting .225 against him.
"There are no repercussions that come from the game other than having fun and competing," he said Monday. "I fully intend to go out there and giving it all I got for that inning or two, whatever it might be."
Cueto, a 30-year-old right-hander who left Kansas City to sign with the Giants last offseason, tops NL pitchers in victories. He is 13-1 with a 2.47 ERA, striking out 115 in 131 1/3 innings. He has won 10 consecutive decisions since an April 21 loss to Arizona.
His path to the starting nod became clearer when Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard got hurt, Stephen Strasburg pulled out of the game because of a recent disabled list stint and Madison Bumgarner was ruled out because he started Sunday.
"I was just happy to be participating in the game," Cueto said through a translator. "But I'm very happy."
Cueto impressed New York Mets manager Terry Collins with a two-hitter for Kansas City in Game 2 of last year's World Series, the first complete game by an AL pitcher in the Series since Jack Morris in 1991.
"That was the best outing I've ever seen him have," Collins said.
AL manager Ned Yost's batting order has Houston second baseman Jose Altuve leading off, followed by Angels center fielder Mike Trout, Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado, Boston designated hitter David Ortiz, Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts, Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez and Boston left fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.
Collins has Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist leading off, followed by Washington right fielder Bryce Harper, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, San Diego's Wil Myers at designated hitter, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, Miami center fielder Marcell Ozuna, Colorado left fielder Carlos Gonzalez and Cubs shortstop Addison Russell.
Ozuna and Gonzalez are replacements for the Cubs' Dexter Fowler and the Mets' Yoenis Cespedes, who are hurt.
Yost said Corey Kluber, Cole Hamels, Aaron Sanchez and Jose Quintana will follow Sale to the mound.
The AL will be the home team for the game at Petco Park because this is the second straight year of at least four in which the NL will host the All-Stars. The AL has a 10-3 advantage since the All-Star Game has determined home-field advantage in the World Series.
"It's vitally important," said Yost, whose Royals swept the first two games at Kauffman Stadium last year. "We've got a room full of tremendously talented players and if we win this game it's going to affect somebody or somebodies in that room."
