Yanks’ Cole, D-backs’ Gallen tabbed to start ASG
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
SEATTLE — The loaded National League All-Star lineup will face New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who will start the Midsummer Classic for the first time in his career.
American League manager Dusty Baker named Cole, 32, a six-time All-Star, to face Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen, who will start the game Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park in his first appearance.
With rosters decimated by injuries and absences — those missing include reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, expected AL starter Shane McClanahan, Yordan Alvarez and Clayton Kershaw — the lineups and starters nevertheless illustrated the wide array of talent playing today.
Gallen will be backed by NL MVP favorite Ronald Acuna Jr. hitting leadoff, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez. St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado will hit fifth, with Miami’s Luis Arraez — flirting with a .400 batting average — in the No. 6 hole. Atlanta catcher Sean Murphy, Arizona rookie Corbin Carroll and Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia round out the lineup from Rob Thomson, the Philadelphia manager.
The AL lineup includes the biggest star in the game, Shohei Ohtani, who will bat second after leadoff hitter Marcus Semien but will not pitch due to a blister on his right middle finger. Tampa Bay outfielder Randy Arozarena will hit third and teammate Yandy Diaz fifth, with Texas shortstop Corey Seager in between in the cleanup spot. The remainder of the lineup includes Baltimore outfielder Austin Hays hitting seventh and three more Rangers: outfielder Adolis Garcia (sixth), rookie third baseman Josh Jung (eighth) and catcher Jonah Heim (ninth).
“Sounds like a winner,” Baker said.
The AL team has done nothing but win over the past decade, last losing an All-Star Game in 2012. And Cole was happy to carry the mantle of continuing that streak, even though the All-Star Game no longer counts for home-field advantage in the World Series.
“It’s just always something that I’ve wanted to do,” Cole said. “I feel like I’m physically able to do it. I got an opportunity. I’m thankful Dusty selected me.”
Said Baker: “If a guy like Gerrit Cole wants to pitch, I’ll let him pitch.”
Gallen was informed earlier in the week that he would start for the NL, whose pitching will be missing Kershaw, potential starter Spencer Strider and Marcus Stroman. While Gallen separated himself from the other options, figuring out the lineup wasn’t so easy for Thomson.
“We didn’t know what to do,” he said.
What Thomson could do during the game, he said, is feature an all-Braves infield, with first baseman Matt Olson, second baseman Ozzie Albies and third baseman Austin Riley all available to join Arcia.
“There could be a chance,” Thomson said, “we have an all-Braves infield.”
MIAMI — Kyle Stowers hit a three-run homer and the Miami Marlins defeated the New York Yankees 7-3 on Sunday, completing their first-ever sweep of the Yankees in a series of three or more games.
The Marlins (55-55) reached .500 for the first time since April 15, when the team was 8-8. Since June 13, the Marlins are 30-14; that’s tied with the 2003 team for the most wins in a 44-game span in franchise history, according to ESPN Research.
The 2003 Marlins went on to beat the Yankees in the World Series in six games.
Marlins starter Edward Cabrera (5-5) pitched six innings of two-hit ball with seven strikeouts and one walk. His only blemish came against the first batter he faced. Trent Grisham drove Cabrera’s 98.1 mph four-seam fastball to right-center.
Miami rookie Jakob Marsee, who made his major league debut on Friday, was 2-for-4 and finished a single short of the cycle.
Stowers made it 6-1 when he connected on an 0-2 fastball from Brent Headrick, who entered in the fourth with two on after starter Luis Gil (0-1) was lifted 3⅓ innings into his season debut.
Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, struck out three and surrendered five runs and five hits while issuing four walks in his return from a high-grade lat strain. He threw 77 pitches.
Gil’s shaky debut comes at a rough point in the season for the Yankees, whose inconsistency has prompted a rash of criticism, the latest coming from former Yankees stars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez on Fox’s pregame show Saturday night.
“They make way too many mistakes,” Jeter said. “Way too many mistakes, and you can’t get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams.”
Added Rodriguez: “Where’s the accountability?”
Boone addressed those criticisms before Sunday’s game, saying it comes with the territory of being the Yankees, but he added after the loss that it’s “gut-check” time for his club.
New York’s weekend series at Miami included the Yankees blowing a six-run lead in a wild 13-12 loss on Friday, before a 2-0 loss on Saturday.
The Yankees had a seven-game lead in the AL East in late May. By July 2, the lead was gone and the Yankees have been looking up at Toronto in the division ever since. The red-hot Boston Red Sox, who were more than 10 games behind the Yankees about two months ago, have overtaken their rival for the second spot in the AL East and AL wild-card lead.
“It’s getting late,” Boone said. “And it’s certainly not too late for us. I am confident that we’re going to get it together. But that’s all it is right now is, you know, it’s empty until we start doing it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
SEATTLE — Julio Rodriguez homered to become the first player in major league history with 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in each of his first four seasons, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Sunday.
Rodriguez hit a two-run shot in the third inning — his 100th career homer — and the slugging and speedy center fielder also added his 21st stolen base of the season after singling in the fifth inning.
Jorge Polanco added a solo shot in the second, and shortstop J.P. Crawford smacked a two-run blast in the fourth against Rangers starter Jacob deGrom (10-4), who became the fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 1,800 career strikeouts by games and innings Sunday.
The Rangers kept things close by pushing across three runs against Mariners starter Logan Evans (5-4), but tallied only one run against the Mariners bullpen before closer Andrés Muñoz locked down his 25th save of the season.
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