said in a statement released Wednesday by his agent, Dav

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Oakland Athletics needed to rely on a lot of young pitchers to win an American League West title this season. Theyll turn to one of those young arms on Tuesday, as they try to finish off the Detroit Tigers and advance to the American League Championship Series in Game 4 of the ALDS at Comerica Park. Dan Straily gets the call for the As, who will be trying to secure their first trip to the ALCS since 2006 when they were swept by the Tigers. The 24-year-old righty made 27 starts this season for the As and went 10-8 with a 3.96 ERA. Like Sonny Gray on Saturday, Straily will be making his first postseason start tonight. "We come in here and were a very confident group," Straily said of the As young staff. "Just because everyone hasnt heard of us, doesnt mean that we dont belong here, that we arent good enough to be here. We all know what we can do individually and accomplish as a group as well." Straily has made one career start against the Tigers, coming at Comerica on Aug. 28. He threw six innings of one-run, eight-hit ball and was credited with the victory in a 14-4 win. After splitting the first two games of this series in Oakland, the Athletics seized control of the best-of-five set Monday, as Seth Smith smacked a two-run homer and Brandon Moss added a solo shot as part of a three-run fifth inning in the As 6-3 win. Josh Reddick cracked a solo blast as well for Oakland, which pounded out 10 hits after tallying just 11 with three runs through the first two games. Oakland, of course, was up among league leaders with 186 homers on the season. "Thats the logic with our team," said Josh Reddick, who hit the other homer. "Were going to strike out and were going to hit the long ball, so once we get those going, its going to be a good day. And to do it against a guy like (Anibal) Sanchez, whos been great all year, it does a lot for your confidence coming into tomorrow." Grant Balfour tossed a scoreless ninth for the save. He and Victor Martinez traded barbs during an at-bat, which caused the benches and bullpens to empty. "He was staring me down," said Balfour. "So I said, Why you staring me down? Whats your problem right now? You got a problem, come out here. So he came out. We had a few words. No big deal. I like the fire. Obviously he does, too." Coco Crisp had two doubles among his three hits to go with an RBI and a run scored, while Jarrod Parker (1-0) surrendered three runs on five hits and a walk over five innings to pick up the win. Teams that have gone ahead 2-1 in the Division Series have won it 35 out of 43 times, and nine of the last 10. And the As lost two in a row just once in their final 35 games this season. "Were good. We know what we have," Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera said. "We have to be ready to play tomorrow and try to force Game 5." Sanchez (0-1), the ALs ERA leader (2.57), allowed just 0.45 homers per nine innings during the season, but gave up all three of the Oakland homers in his 4 1/3 frames of work. Sanchez was shelled for six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits and two walks for the Tigers, who have scored in just two innings so far in this series. "Hes my guy, and he did lead the league in earned-run average," said Detroit manager Jim Leyland. "You figure hes going to get out of it at any time, because hes good at making pitches." Hoping for a little more support on Tuesday will be righty Doug Fister, who won 14 games and pitched to a 3.67 ERA this season. "Hes one of our four," Leyland said. "Hes a competitor. He keeps the infielders and outfielders on their toes because he works fast. Hes a terrific fielder. He has movement and his forte is to make them miss-hit the ball. He makes them miss-hit the ball, put it in play and makes the defense work." Fister, who was rocked to the tune of seven runs in five innings in that Aug. 28 tilt with the As, has pitched well in the postseason, going 2-3 with a 2.97 ERA in six games (5 starts). "Its not going to change anything. Its the same as any other start that we have made all year," Fister said of being tasked with extending his teams season. "Its one of those things that Im honored to be able to pitch, period. When your name is called, youre ready to go. And thats kind of the way things have been and thats my mindset. Weve just got to out there and play like we always would." Detroit, which lost four of seven games against the As during the season, has beaten Oakland the last two times these teams have met in the postseason. The As only win against the Tigers in the playoffs came in the 1972 ALCS, which started a run of three consecutive world titles for Oakland. 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Bill Barber Jersey . -- A 25-year-old freelance journalist from British Columbia was formally charged on Thursday with a felony, five days after she was arrested in the United States over allegations she threatened to kill her hockey player boyfriend. Shayne Gostisbehere Jersey . - Buffalo Bills running back C.WOODBRIDGE, N.J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. The 38-year-old right-hander didnt pitch after June 1 in 2012 because of a strained right shoulder. His spleen was removed in January 2013 after he was injured when he fell in the snow at his home in Vermont. Pavano had been hoping to return to the major leagues this year. "Despite my strong desire to compete and hard work in preparing for the upcoming season, I feel that the amount of time lost from my spleen injury, coupled with the recovery from my complications from that injury, preclude me from continuing to compete at my highest level, which is necessary to perform in the major leagues," Pavano said in a statement released Wednesday by his agent, David Pepe. "I have achieved many things as a major league pitcher of which I am very proud. However, I feel at this time, I am simply not able to continue to pitch at the major league level, and these last three months of rigorous training have failed to produce the results that I was looking for to allow me to continue my major league career.dddddddddddd" Pavano, an All-Star in 2004, was 108-107 with a 4.39 ERA for Montreal (1998-02), Florida 2002-04), the New York Yankees (2005, 2007-08), Cleveland (2009) and Minnesota (2009-12). He was an All-Star in 2004, going 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA and earning a $39.95 million, four-year contract with the Yankees. Injuries limited Pavano to 26 starts, 145 2-3 innings and a 9-8 record during his Yankees contract. He rebounded after leaving New York and went 17-11 for the Twins in 2010, when he tied for the AL lead in complete games with seven. "It has been an honour and a privilege to have been a major league baseball player, and the gratitude I have for being able to do that is profound and beyond any expression I can make in words," he said. ' ' '