2014 All-Star Game Preview: MLB’s Best Play In 85th All-Star Game
Seattle Mariners’ ace Felix Hernandez gets the honor of starting the game for the AL. Hernandez is 11-2 with a 2.12 ERA this season and along with the rest of the AL pitching staff, will look to shut out the NL for the second straight year after a 3-0 victory in last season’s All-Star Game at Citi Field in New York.
New York Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter is making his 14th and final All-Star appearance for the AL tonight as well.
Hernandez will be opposed by Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite posting a 12-4 record with a 1.83 ERA, there has been much controversy whether manager Mike Matheny should’ve started Clayton Kershaw.
Kershaw has an 11-2 record with a 1.78 ERA this season. Not to mention a streak of 41 consecutive scoreless innings that just ended last week. Kershaw told the MLB Network that he will be pitching the second inning of tonight’s contest.
Yasiel Puig will start and bat second in his first career All-Star Game. Puig is batting .309 with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs this season. Dee Gordon is also making his first All-Star appearance as he leads the majors in stolen bases with 43.
Zack Greinke is playing in his second career All-Star Game, but first as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander is 11-5 this season with a 2.73 ERA.
The AL has won seven of the last 10 All-Star Games. Tonight’s contest will be played from Target Field in Minnesota.
NL Lineup
CF: McCutchen
RF: Puig
SS: Tulowitzki
1B: Goldschmidt
DH: Stanton
3B: Ramirez
2B: Utley
C: Lucroy
LF: Gomez
P: Wainwright
AL Lineup
SS: Jeter
LF: Trout
2B: Cano
1B: Cabrera
RF: Bautista
DH: Cruz
CF: Jones
3B: Donaldson
C: Perez
P: Hernandez
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