TIGERS RETIRE TRAMMELL’S NO. 3 UNIFORM

» On the day his No. 3 DETROIT was retired by the Detroit Tigers, Hall of Famer Alan Trammell did some campaigning for his longtime keystone partner.

Now that Trammell is in the Hall and has been honored by the Tigers, does Lou Whitaker have a chance for any of these accolades as well?

“The love that Lou has not received, it bothers me,” Trammell said after Sunday’s pregame ceremony. “I’m shocked. Hopefully, maybe this will help get a little momentum. I meant what I said, that I hope that he’s in the Hall of Fame soon, and that he also has his number retired here at Comerica Park.”

Trammell was inducted into the Hall late last month, and now his name and number are on the brick wall beyond one of the bullpens at Comerica. Whitaker was on hand for the ceremony, which delayed the start of Detroit’s 7-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday by about a half-hour.

Trammell was with the Tigers from 1977-96, establishing himself as one of the game’s top shortstops. Whitaker was right alongside him at second base, playing for Detroit from 1977-95.

“We just had fun,” Whitaker said. “That would be the legacy there. Two young kids having fun, playing the game they love, for 19 years.”

Whitaker was a career .276 hitter with 244 home runs. Trammell hit .285 with 185 homers. According to Baseball-Reference.com, Whitaker had 75.1 wins above replacement for his career, more than Hall of Fame second basemen Ryne Sandberg (68) and Roberto Alomar (67.1).

Trammell and Whitaker were both with the Tigers in 1984, when they won the franchise’s most recent World Series title.

Morales extends HR streak to 7 games.

TORONTO

» Blue Jays designated hitter Kendrys Morales set a team record by homering for the seventh consecutive game Sunday, becoming the seventh player in major league history with a home run streak of at least seven games.

Ken Griffey Jr., Dale Long, and Don Mattingly share the record with home runs in eight straight games.

Morales has connected eight times in his streak, the longest in the majors this season. He extended his run with a two-run drive to right off Philadelphia right-hander Vince Velasquez in the third inning, his 21st of the season.

Jose Cruz Jr. homered in six straight games for the Blue Jays in 2001.

Morales has hit safely in 10 straight games.

Morales has six home runs in 116 at-bats at Baltimore’s Camden Yards, where the Blue Jays begin a three-game series Monday.

Astros pitcher not expected back for playoffs.

ANAHEIM,

» Houston Astros manager CALIF.

AJ Hinch does not expect Lance McCullers Jr. to rejoin the starting rotation this season when he returns from a forearm injury.

Hinch said Sunday it is unlikely McCullers, who is 10-6 with a 3.93 ERA, would be able to rebuild his stamina to the point where he could start.

“I guess never say never ‘cause once you get on the mound and get going things can progress a different way, but I think the focus will be and probably should be shorter stints,” Hinch said.

McCullers has been on the disabled list since Aug. 5, one day after he left a start against the Los Angeles Dodgers early because of a muscle strain.

Hinch also said McCullers’ rehabilitation program was being slowed down because of a “continued lack of progress,” but he is still targeting September for him to resume throwing off the mound. — The Associated Press