Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum have been chosen to start tomorrow night’s All-Star game and both managers revealed their lineups this morning:
AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. Ichiro Suzuki, RF 1. Hanley Ramirez, SS
2. Derek Jeter, SS 2. Chase Utley, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, C 3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Mark Teixeira, 1B 4. Ryan Braun, RF
5. Jason Bay, LF 5. Raul Ibanez, LF
6. Josh Hamilton, CF 6. David Wright, 3B
7. Evan Longoria, 3B 7. Shane Victorino, CF
8. Aaron Hill, 2B 8. Yadier Molina, C
9. Roy Halladay, SP 9. Tim Lincecum, SP
Lincecum is the reigning Cy Young winner and ranks second in ERA this year, so he’s the easy pick to start for the NL. Halladay isn’t quite as much of a slam dunk for the AL, because Zack Greinke was the league’s best pitcher during the first half, but Halladay wasn’t far behind and has been one of the league’s elite pitchers for a decade now. All in all, it’s a great pairing.
Shane Victorino goes from being added via the “Final Vote” process to starting in place of the injured Carlos Beltran, because with Raul Ibanez and Ryan Braun in the corners the NL outfield needed someone actually capable of chasing down fly balls in the gaps. It’s interesting to note how much more power the NL has in the first three spots in the lineup.
Ichiro Suzuki, Derek Jeter, and Joe Mauer have combined for 31 homers in 1,044 plate appearances, and that’s with Mauer already setting a career-high in long balls. Hanley Ramirez, Chase Utley, and Albert Pujols have combined for 66 homers in 1,111 plate appearances. On the other hand, Aaron Hill has 20 homers and ranks second in the league in total bases, yet is batting eighth for the AL.
