NEW YORK — The Boston Red Sox are trying to secure their third straight American League East title while the New York Yankees are preventing it from happening and auditioning potential starting pitchers for the wild-card game.So far Tony Phillips Jersey , the Yankees are 2-for-2 in keeping the champagne in storage for their rivals and New York will try to complete the sweep and keep the Red Sox from clinching Thursday night in the finale of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.“We don’t want them to celebrate here and we’re going to do everything we can to not do that,” New York’s Neil Walker said Tuesday.Article continues below ...Walker was responsible for putting the celebration on hold Tuesday by hitting a go-ahead three-run homer off Ryan Brasier in the seventh inning to give the Yankees a 3-2 win. On Wednesday, it was Luke Voit homering in consecutive at-bats off David Price in New York’s 10-1 win.Besides the power resulting in the Yankees tying their single-season record of 245 homers, the first two games can be viewed as part of the competition for who starts Oct. 3. New York’s J.A. Happ allowed an unearned run in six innings Tuesday and Luis Severino followed it by pitching seven innings of one-run ball to win his 18th game on Wednesday.“We’re going to fight to the end,” Severino said. “It doesn’t matter what the score says. They’re going to win 100-something games. We’re going to be behind them. We’re going to grind to the end and every game from here now we’re going to fight to the end.”On Wednesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone seemed to drop a hint about who might pitch in a wild-card game, and it appears Masahiro Tanaka, who starts Thursday, could be deployed for that start. “We’ve started to talk about it a little bit in earnest the last few days in about where we’re at, what we’re thinking, possibilities and then how these next dozen games or so http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-walt-weiss-jersey , whatever we have left, how they play out and how the rotation falls a little bit will all factor into our decision as to who we would pitch in a wild-card scenario, who would we pitch if we were moving on,” Boone said. “Those are things we’re starting to have conversations about and I would say that these next 12 days will play a role in that.”Tanaka enters the audition armed with a 12-5 record and a 3.47 ERA but, more importantly, on a roll. He has won his last three starts and is working on a 20-inning scoreless streak, which is just shy of the 21 1/3-inning scoreless run Tanaka put together from July 15-Aug. 5.Tanaka also has allowed two earned runs or fewer in nine of his last 11 starts, posting a 2.15 ERA in that span. Equally important, he has allowed just six homers in his last 71 innings.The right-hander last pitched in Friday’s 11-0 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays when he allowed four hits in six innings.Tanaka is 8-4 with a 4.08 ERA in 17 career starts against the Red Sox and 1-0 with a 6.60 ERA in three starts this season against Boston.The Red Sox (103-49) have lost their third series in the last 22 since the start of July and are trying to avoid three straight losses for the fourth time this year and first instance since Aug. 24-26.“It’s disappointing because what we set to do every series is to win it,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We don’t have a chance to win the series. We’ll show up tomorrow. We know what’s at stake. We’ll try to win a game and make it a happy flight.”Boston has managed three runs in the two games to fall to 2-6 at Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox are hitting .244 (129-for-530) this month, with a few hitters slumping of late.Andrew Benintendi is in a 2-for-15 slide Marcus Semien Jersey , Xander Bogaerts is in a 2-for-14 slump while Mookie Betts has one hit in his last 12 at-bats. Betts went 0-for-4 with a walk as the designated hitter Wednesday after sitting out Tuesday to rest his left side.“There’s a few guys struggling and we’ve faced some good pitching too,” Cora said. “It’s a combination of both. I do think that sometimes we get too passive at the plate. We’re taking too many pitches right in the middle.”Eduardo Rodriguez will make his fourth start since returning from a sprained right ankle that cost him 39 games. Rodriguez is 1-1 with a 4.20 ERA since returning but allowed one run on five hits in six innings a week ago in a no-decision against TorontoRodriguez is 12-4 with a 3.53 ERA. He began the season 3-0 with a 5.29 ERA but is 9-4 with a 2.89 ERA in his last 16.In 11 career starts against the Yankees, Rodriguez is 4-3 with a 3.16 ERA. This year, he is 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA in two starts versus New York. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — While the Oakland Athletics continue their long quest for a new stadium, Trevor Cahill and Khris Davis couldn’t be more comfortable in the team’s current home.Cahill struck out 10 in six innings, Davis and Matt Chapman both homered for the second consecutive game and the A’s beat the Detroit Tigers 6-0 on Sunday to complete a season sweep.“We’re on a nice roll right now,” said manager Bob Melvin, whose team has won eight straight at the Oakland Coliseum. “The more games you win, the more confidence you have. It seems to be playing out right now.”Matt Olson also homered and Ramon Laureano added three hits and an RBI to help the streaking A’s win their sixth in a row overall.Oakland won all seven games against Detroit this season and has a franchise-record 12 consecutive victories over the Tigers.The A’s blanked the Tigers on Friday night and allowed only an unearned run Saturday. It’s the first time in Oakland history that the team did not give up an earned run in a series of three or more games.“We know the bullpen’s the strength,” Cahill said. “We know the guys can score http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-morgan-jersey , so it helps us out and gives us confidence to go out there and trust our stuff in the zone, knowing that we have the offense that can pick us up.”Cahill (4-2) was masterful in one of his most dominant outings this season. The right-hander walked one and yielded three hits while pitching through traffic much of the afternoon.Cahill retired Jim Aducci on a swinging strikeout with the bases loaded to end the first, got James McCann to line out with a runner at second in the fourth and then struck out Jeimer Candelario looking to end the sixth.It’s the first time Cahill has won three consecutive starts since 2012. He improved to 3-0 with a 0.99 ERA in seven starts at the Coliseum this season.“It’s always easier when you’re used to pitching in a place, as far as the backdrop,” Cahill said. “You’re used to the mound. It’s just what you’re most comfortable with.”Yusmeiro Petit, Lou Trivino and Ryan Buchter finished the five-hitter.Davis provided all the offense Cahill needed with his 31st home run leading off the fourth against Tigers starter Francisco Liriano (3-6). It was his 10th in 16 games since the All-Star break.“When he first hit it I’m thinking base hit to center field,” Melvin said. “Then you watch it carry. Next thing you know it’s over the fence. He definitely does not have to square it up to hit a home run.”Chapman hit his 15th homer, a two-run shot off Daniel Stumpf, in the seventh.Olson homered in the eighth, his 22nd.Mike Gerber had two hits for Detroit.“That team can be very explosive and they made us pay a couple of times,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Kind of like how the whole series went.”ADDING RELIEFOakland acquired right-hander Shawn Kelley for international slot money from the Nationals Reggie Jackson Jersey , who no longer wanted the reliever after he slammed his glove to the ground and glared into Washington’s dugout during a game last week. The Nationals also sent cash to the A’s in the swap.ROOKIE WEEKENDLaureano had a busy three days after being called up from the minors. He delivered the game-winning single in the 13th inning Friday for his first major league hit, made a pair of defensive gems Saturday and then drove in Olson with the second of his three hits Sunday.“Today I just relaxed and felt good,” Laureano said. “I felt like I usually play.”TRAINER’S ROOMAthletics: Chad Pinder (car accident) is expected to return Tuesday when Oakland begins a three-game series against the Dodgers. Pinder hit off a machine in the batting cage and has already been doing fielding work.UP NEXTTigers: LHP Matthew Boyd (6-9, 4.22 ERA) faces the Angels for the second time this season Monday in Anaheim. Boyd pitched five scoreless innings to beat Los Angeles on May 28.Athletics: LHP Sean Manaea (10-7, 3.38) will make his seventh interleague start Tuesday against the Dodgers, tying him for second-most in major league history for one season.