This week in MLB

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

MLB: Boston LHP Chris Sale

Expectations were sky high when the Red Sox acquired Sale from the White Sox, but he has not disappointed. He threw eight shutout innings Thursday against Toronto with 13 strikeouts, throwing 80 of 102 pitches for strikes. Sale (0.91 ERA) has begun the season with four quality starts.

BREWERS: 1B Eric Thames

Thames got on baseball’s national radar screen by socking five home runs in a four-game series in Cincinnati and hasn’t stopped hitting since. Folks who wondered how he’d adjust after three years in South Korea have stopped wondering.

BREWERS THIS WEEK

The Brewers’ long home stand continues Sunday with the series finale against St. Louis before Cincinnati comes in for three games. Then, finally, the Brewers get an off-day – only their second this season after 23 games in 24 days. Atlanta checks in for a weekend series before the Brewers hit the road again.

DID YOU KNOW?

Reliever Drew Storen joined Hod Eller (1917), Rob Dibble (1989) and Carlos Contreras (2014) as the only Cincinnati pitchers to need only nine pitches to strike out the side when he whiffed three Baltimore hitters in the ninth inning Tuesday.

YOU FIGURE IT OUT

It took 13 innings for a run to be scored Thursday night when Texas finally prevailed over Kansas City, 1-0, on Delino DeShields’ walk-off single.

A double by catcher Jonathan Lucroy leading off the fifth inning was the Rangers’ last hit until Joey Gallo’s double in the 13th set up DeShields’ game-winning hit.

“I think what you saw tonight was two struggling offenses facing off with some pretty darn good pitching on both sides,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

QUOTE

“I think the main thing is you have to be grateful that he’s not hurt worse.” – Giants catcher Buster Posey, on Madison Bumgarner’s dirt-bike accident.