Tag: all star game

Red Sox’ Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez Will Not Start for American League in 2019 MLB All-Star Game

After both made it as starters in their first season as teammates in 2018, Mookie Betts and JD Martinez will not be starting in the 2019 All-Star Game.

Major League Baseball announced who will be starting for the American and National League in the 90th installment of the Midsummer Classic set to take place in Cleveland on July 9th, and neither Red Sox star made the cut.

Betts, 26, finished fifth in the fan vote among American League outfielders, sitting behind Mike Trout, George Springer, Michael Brantley, the starters, and Aaron Judge, the first runner-up.

Betts received 9.1% of the fan vote and should still get in as a reserve, as the reigning AL MVP has posted a .261/.379/.459 slash line to go along with 13 home runs and 37 RBI through exactly 80 games this season.

Martinez, meanwhile, finished second among the three Designated Hitter finalists, with the Texas Rangers’ Hunter Pence taking the first spot and the Minnesota Twins’ Nelson Cruz landing in third. Martinez received 31.2% of the fan vote.

Now in his second season with Boston, the 31-year-old slugger has put together a solid first half of to the 2019 campaign, slashing .287/.364/.528 with a team-leading 17 homers and 45 runs driven in over 72 games. He, like Betts, also has a decent chance to make it as a reserve.

Speaking of All-Star reserves, they, along with pitchers, will be announced on June 30th at 5:30 PM EDT on ESPN.

Per Red Sox Stats on Twitter, “The first 17 All-Star reserves are picked by the player ballot (backup at each spot, 5 starters, 3 relievers). The final 6 reserves are picked by the commissioner’s office. There is no final vote.”

Here is who will be starting in the 2019 All-Star Game for both the American and National League.

 

Recapping the All-Star Game from a #RedSox Perspective.

In what turned out to be a record-setting 8-6 win for the American League in last night’s MLB All-Star Game, I thought I would break down how the five Red Sox representatives contributed to the victory.

Chris Sale

Making his third consecutive start for the American League on Tuesday night, Sale was responsible for just the first inning of the 89th Midsummer Classic. Appearing in the bottom half of the first, the lefty surrendered a leadoff single to Cubs infielder Javy Baez on his very first pitch, then retired the last three batters, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Freddie Freeman, on eight pitches, including this nasty 83 MPH slider to fan Goldschmidt for the second out.

Finishing with nine pitches (seven strikes), Sale did not factor into the decision, but he did electrify with a four-seam fastball that topped out at 100.7 MPH, which according to the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, is “the hardest tracked pitch velocity he’s had since 2010.”

Sale will look to build on a successful first half in his next scheduled start against the Tigers in Detroit on Sunday.

Mookie Betts & JD Martinez

The other two starters for Boston, Betts and Martinez had five at bats between them, and Martinez was the only one who managed a hit, as he ripped a two out single off of Max Scherzer in the first inning.

The dynamic duo also struck out three times while failing to drive in a run, so they really did nothing for themselves in terms of making a case for the game’s MVP.

Mitch Moreland

A pleasant surprise, Moreland entered this game in the sixth inning as a defensive replacement for White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu.

A first time All-Star, Moreland struck out in his first at bat against Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez in the seventh, but followed that up by singling in his next two at bats while seeing the win for the American League through until the end.

Looking at the final box score, no one on either roster had more hits than Moreland, so congrats to him on that.

Craig Kimbrel

Per Kimbrel himself, he was not available to pitch last night after the workload he has had recently. Makes sense.

After the American League took home an 8-6 win in 10 innings, former Red Sox draft pick and current Astros third baseman Alex Bregman was named the game’s Most Valuable Player thanks to his go-ahead home run in that 10th and final frame.

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Having the next two days off, the Red Sox will be back at it once again this weekend, as they head to Detroit to take on a 41-57 Tigers team. David Price gets the nod against his former team in the series opener. He’ll be matched up against another lefty in the Tigers’ Matthew Boyd. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 7:10 PM ET.

Mookie Betts Batting Leadoff, JD Martinez Cleanup in American League Starting Lineup.

In their first season as teammates, Mookie Betts and JD Martinez were voted in by the fans as started in this year’s All-Star Game. Representing the American League for their third and second times respectively, Betts and Martinez have clearly emerged as two of the best hitters in not just the AL, but in all of baseball.

Batting first and fourth for the AL, this should be nothing new for the pair of dynamic hitters. With 52 home runs between them, both Betts and Martinez should be able to make an impact on Tuesday night.

I mean, both have already homered at Nationals Park this season.

With Chris Sale getting the starting nod for the third straight year, the three Red Sox starters will be joined by Craig Kimbrel and first time All-Star Mitch Moreland as well.

First pitch of the 2018 All-Star Game is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET Tuesday on FOX.

Chris Sale Named All-Star Game Starting Pitcher for Third Consecutive Year.

For the third straight season, Red Sox ace Chris Sale will get the nod for the American League in this year’s All-Star Game in Washington D.C.

Going up against Max Scherzer, Sale becomes the first Red Sox pitcher to start in multiple All-Star Games.

The last time a pitcher started in as many as three consecutive All-Star Games came when Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies did it from 1953-1955.

In exactly 20 starts this season, Sale owns a 2.23 ERA and 2.17 FIP to go along with 188 strikeouts in 129 innings pitched.

On the flip side, representing the host Washington Nationals, Max Scherzer will make his sixth appearance in an All-Star Game. At the age of 33, Scherzer has been as dominant as ever, as he has punched out 182 batters in 134.2 innings pitched this season.

First pitch of the 2018 All-Star Game is scheduled for 8:00 PM on FOX.

For the First Time in His Career, Mitch Moreland, 32, Is an All-Star.

In a season where it initially looked like he would not be receiving regular playing time, Mitch Moreland has managed to turn that situation into his first All-Star Game selection.

With Hanley Ramirez getting most of the starts at first base for the first 50 or so games to start the 2018 campaign, Moreland struggled to find regular at bats, and had difficulties out of the gates because of it.

As of April 13th, the Mississippi native was slashing a mere .217/.308/.304 in 26 plate appearances. Since that point in the season, Moreland owned a .918 OPS in 60 games heading into this afternoon’s contest against the Royals.

If he had enough at bats to qualify, Moreland would rank number one in terms of OPS on the season (.883) among American League first baseman.  The nine-year veteran has also collected 11 HR and 41 RBI in exactly 70 games.

Moreland will join the likes of Mookie Betts, JD Martinez, Chris Sale, and Craig Kimbrel as members of the Red Sox getting the call for this year’s Midsummer Classic. Outfielder Andrew Benintendi also has the chance to join those five, as he has been selected as one of the five players in the Final Vote for the American League.

With the All-Star Game just over a week away, I’m looking forward to seeing what our Red Sox All-Stars have in store for us in the nation’s capital.

Here’s how you can vote for Benintendi: redsox.com/vote

 

Constructing the National League All-Star Roster.

Yesterday, I wrote about who I had representing the American League in this year’s All-Star Game. So today, I give you the National League side with the same format as before, that being the roster is based off of last year’s. Let’s get into it.

Starters:

C: Buster Posey, SFG
1B: Freddie Freeman, ATL
2B: Ozzie Albies, ATL
3B: Nolan Arenado, COL
SS: Brandon Crawford, SFG
OF: Nick Markakis, ATL
OF: Matt Kemp, LAD
OF: Bryce Harper, WAS
SP: Max Scherzer, WAS

Reserves:

C: JT Realmuto, MIA
1B: Brandon Belt, SFG
1B: Paul Goldschmidt, ARI
2B: Scooter Gennett, CIN
2B: Javier Baez, CHI
3B: Eugenio Suarez, CIN
3B: Matt Carpenter, STL
SS: Trevor Story, COL
OF: Lorenzo Cain, MIL
OF: Brandon Nimmo, NYM
OF: Kyle Schwarber, CHI

SP: Jacob deGrom, NYM
SP: Aaron Nola, PHI
SP: Miles Mikolas, STL
SP: Mike Foltynewicz, ATL
SP: Jon Lester, CHI
SP: Patrick Corbin, ARI

RP: Brad Hand, SDP
RP: Kenley Jansen, LAD
RP: Josh Hader, MIL
RP: Adam Ottavino, COL
RP: Sean Doolittle, WAS
RP: Felipe Vazquez, PIT

And there you have it. 32 players listed above, I made sure to include at least one representative from all 15 NL teams. Let me know if I left anyone deserving of an All-Star nod off.

 

Today Is the Last Day to #VoteRedSox, so Here’s Who I Have Representing the American League in This Year’s Midsummer Classic.

With today both being an off day for the Red Sox and the last day to vote for All-Star Game starters, I figured I should share something like this.

So, without further ado, here is what this year’s American League All-Star Roster would look like if it were up to me. I will be using last year’s position breakdown as a template.

Starters:

C: Wilson Ramos, TBR
1B: Jose Abreu, CWS
2B: Jose Altuve, HOU
3B: Jose Ramirez, CLE
SS: Francisco Lindor, CLE
OF: Mike Trout, LAA
OF: Mookie Betts, BOS
OF: Aaron Judge, NYY
DH: JD Martinez, BOS
SP: Luis Severino, NYY

Reserves:

C: Gary Sanchez, NYY
1B: Matt Olson, OAK
2B: Jed Lowrie, OAK
2B: Whit Merrifield, KCR
2B: Dee Gordon, SEA
3B: Alex Bregman, HOU
3B: Eduardo Escobar, MIN
SS: Manny Machado, BAL
OF: Mitch Haniger, SEA
OF: Shin-Soo Choo, TEX
OF: Nick Castellanos, DET
OF: Eddie Rosario, MIN
DH: Nelson Cruz, SEA

SP: Chris Sale, BOS
SP: Justin Verlander, HOU
SP: Gerrit Cole, HOU
SP: James Paxton, SEA
SP: Corey Kluber, CLE
SP: Blake Snell, TBR
SP: Charlie Morton, HOU
SP: Trevor Bauer, CLE
SP: Mike Clevinger, CLE

RP: Edwin Diaz, SEA
RP: Blake Treinen, OAK
RP: Aroldis Chapman, NYY
RP: Chad Green, NYY
RP: Craig Kimbrel, BOS
RP: Ryan Tepera, TOR

With 38 or so players listed above, I believe this counts injury replacements and alternatives as well. I’m pretty sure I accounted for all 15 teams, but let me know if I left someone off you think deserves to go to DC in a few weeks. Looking at you, AJ Hinch.

National League roster should be posted sometime tomorrow.

 

Recapping All-Star Weekend from a #RedSox perspective.

The American League just beat the National League 2-1 in 10 innings. The 88th Midsummer Classic was dominated by the pitching, Chris Sale got the start, Craig Kimbrel got the win, and shout out to Robinson Cano for hitting the go-ahead home run in the top of the tenth.

Now let’s summarize the past three days from the perspective of the Red Sox.

Futures Game:

Image result for rafael devers

Only one representative represented the Red Sox in this event, and that was third baseman Rafael Devers, the 20 year-old prospect currently playing for the Portland Sea Dogs at the Double A level. Devers played the entire game, going 1-4 with a single. Former Red Sox prospects also played in this game. This is the second time Devers has appeared in a Futures Game, so the hype is there. Michael Kopech, Yoan Moncada, and Mauricio Dubon all made appearances for the US and World teams, which was kind of depressing to watch. Moncada is one of my favorite players, so there’s bias there, but watching Kopech throw 100 MPH gas made me upset he was gone. Anyway, the US won 7-6.

Home Run Derby:

Nothing to report here, although Bryce Brentz, representing the Pawtucket Red Sox, won the Triple A Home Run Derby in Tacoma, Washington Monday night.

Image result for bryce brentz

All-Star Game:

Like I said up top, Chris Sale got the start in this one. Sale was a bit shaky, allowing three hits in the two innings he pitched, though he did strike out three. If Cano didn’t hit that home run, Sale could have won MVP, it was looking that way late in the game. Mookie Betts also got the start in center field. Despite not reaching base in either of his at-bats, Betts still had an impact. In the bottom of the fourth, Nolan Arenado tried to tag up from first on a fly out to Mookie Betts. Mookie was not having any of that, as he threw Arenado out from center with ease.

It took a while, but Craig Kimbrel got the ball for the botom of the ninth. Like Sale, Kimbrel was also a bit shaky, walking two in the inning. Luckily for Kimbrel, he got out of the inning without allowing the walk-off hit, and would eventually pick up the win.

It’s been a fun few days, now there’s time for a little rest, and it’s right back to the grind. Yankees up next on Friday, huge series, see you then, probably.

Here’s who I have in this year’s #ASG on the National League side.

Yesterday, I gave my picks for who I think will be an American League All-Star. Today, I’ll list who I think should represent the National League in this year’s Midsummer Classic in Miami. As I did yesterday, I’ll construct the rosters like the way they were in 2016.

Starting pitchers:
Sale vs. Scherzer

(No particular order)
Pitchers:
Clayton Kershaw
Carlos Martinez
Zack Greinke
Gio Gonzalez
Robbie Ray
Ivan Nova
Stephen Strasburg
Jacob deGrom

Relievers:
Kenley Jansen
Greg Holland
Wade Davis
Corey Knebel
Felipe Rivero

Starters:
C Buster Posey
1B Ryan Zimmerman
2B Daniel Murphy
3B Nolan Arenado
SS Zack Cozart
OF Bryce Harper
OF Marcell Ozuna
OF Charlie Blackmon

Reserves:
C Tyler Flowers
C JT Realmuto
1B Paul Goldschmidt
1B Joey Votto
2B Josh Harrison
3B Travis Shaw
3B Jake Lamb
SS Corey Seager
OF Adam Duvall
OF Giancarlo Stanton
OF Cody Bellinger

Potential snubs/ fan vote candidates:
1B Eric Thames
2B DJ LeMahieu
3B Justin Turner
SS Chris Owings
OF Jay Bruce

I know I left out some teams but, whatever. Let me know if you have any thoughts…

twitter.com/brendan_camp

It’s the last day to #VoteRedSox, so here’s who I’d have playing for the AL in this year’s ASG.

On July 11th, baseball’s best will be taking center stage for the 88th edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Today is the last day for fans to vote, so I thought I’d give you guys who I think should make it for the American League team this year, along with the starting pitchers. (In no particular order)

Starting pitchers:
Sale vs. Scherzer

American League Roster (constructed like it was in 2016):
Pitchers:
Jason Vargas
Corey Kluber
Ervin Santana
Luis Severino

Relievers:
Craig Kimbrel
Brandon Kintzler
Dellin Betances
Will Harris
Alex Colome
Brad Brach
Andrew Miller
Roberto Osuna
Ken Giles

Starting lineup:
C Salvador Perez
1B: Eric Hosmer
2B: Jose Altuve
3B: Miguel Sano
SS: Carlos Correa
DH: Nelson Cruz
OF: Aaron Judge
OF: George Springer
OF: Avi Garcia

Reserves:
C Gary Sanchez
C: Brian McCann
1B: Yonder Alonso
2B: Dustin Pedroia
3B: Mike Moustakas
SS Xander Bogaerts
SS Elvis Andrus
OF Mookie Betts
OF Khris Davis
OF Aaron Hicks
DH Corey Dickerson

Potential snubs / fan vote candidates:
1B Justin Smoak
1B Logan Morrison
3B Jose Ramirez
2B Jonathan Schoop
OF Justin Upton

Let me know if you have any thoughts. NL Roster should be coming tomorrow.

twitter.com/brendan_camp