Cueto, Sale named All-Star starters
San Francisco Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto will start the 2016 All-Star Game for the National League, while Chicago White Sox southpaw Chris Sale will get the ball for the American League, MLB announced Monday.
Entering his second All-Star appearance, Cueto has gone 13-1 with a 2.47 ERA in 131 1/3 innings in 2016. He'll form an all-Giants battery with Buster Posey starting behind the plate.
His last All-Star Game was in 2014 when he finished second in Cy Young voting as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
Across the league, Sale was a no-brainer. He's 14-3 with three complete games. He has a 3.38 ERA in 125 innings while notching 123 strikeouts. This will mark Sale's fifth consecutive All-Star season. He's made it to the festivities in each of his seasons as a full-time big leaguer.
After Sale throws, AL manager Ned Yost said his tentative pitching order is Corey Kluber, Cole Hamels, Aaron Sanchez, and Jose Quintana before making way to the bullpen.
Boston Red Sox starter Steven Wright, who leads the AL in ERA and was voted in, wasn't named before Kluber, Sanchez, and Quintana, who were named as replacements.