07/04/26 11:01:00
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07/04 21:44 CDT Skenes, Misiorowski, Ohtani all could miss All-Star mound
appearances. 4 Dodgers elected to start
Skenes, Misiorowski, Ohtani all could miss All-Star mound appearances. 4
Dodgers elected to start
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes, Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski and the Dodgers'
two-way star Shohei Ohtani all could miss All-Star mound appearances because of
starts next weekend, while four players from the World Series champion Dodgers
were voted to the National League's starting lineup.
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout earned his 12th All-Star selection and
first since 2023 based on the second round of fan balloting announced Saturday
by Major League Baseball. Trout, who grew up near Philadelphia in Millville,
New Jersey, was voted by fans to start for the 11th time and hopes to return
from a strained right hamstring sustained June 17.
First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., among four All-Stars from the American
League champion Toronto Blue Jays, said he will skip the July 14 game at
Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park to rest a bad back that has bothered him for
much of the season.
"Those four days will be great," Guerrero said through a translator, "to come
back strong in the second half."
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, elected to his eighth start, will miss the game
because of a broken rib that has sidelined him since May.
Skenes, the NL starter in the last two All-Star Games, is scheduled to pitch
for Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Sunday. The 24-year-old right-hander is 0-6 in
his last nine starts, dropping to 6-8 with a 3.62 ERA for the season. He was
voted in by players, as was Misiorowski.
"To be honest, probably a little surprised," Skenes said of his selection.
Misiorowski, averaging 100.4 mph with his fastball and leading the major
leagues with a 1.47 ERA, was an All-Star last year after just five big league
games.
"This year I think I proved that it wasn't a fluke thing and that I do belong.
It's really cool," he said before Saturday night's game against the Arizona
Diamondbacks.
He also is scheduled to start Sunday.
"We're looking for September, October," he said Friday. "It sucks --- obviously
I want to throw in a game like that --- but so be it."
Ohtani, a three-time, two-way All-Star and six-time pick overall, is unlikely
to pitch in the game because of a right biceps issue that will push his last
prebreak start to next weekend, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Freddie Freeman became a 10-time All-Star when the LA first baseman was
announced Sunday with Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy and outfielder Andy Pages
as winners in the second phase on fan voting, which ran from June 29 to
Thursday. They joined Ohtani, who won the NL designated hitter spot by
finishing with the most votes in the initial round of fan selection announced
June 25.
In the closest race, Pages edged Atlanta's Michael Harris II by fewer than
5,000 votes for the third NL outfield spot.
Four Dodgers were elected to start for the first time since Steve Garvey, Davey
Lopes, Bill Russell and Reggie Smith in 1980. World Series MVP Yoshinobu
Yamamoto was picked for the NL pitching staff by Major League Baseball with one
of its six selections, giving the Dodgers five or more All-Stars for the
seventh straight time.
Twenty-six first-time All-Stars were among the 64 players picked including four
rookies: Cleveland second baseman Travis Bazzana, Detroit shortstop Kevin
McGonigle, Cleveland left-hander Parker Messick and Cincinnati third baseman
Sal Stewart.
McGonigle is the youngest player at 21 and Boston closer Aroldis Chapman at 38
is the oldest.
Atlanta and the host Phillies each have five All-Stars.
Philadelphia outfielder Brandon Marsh was elected to start and will be joined
by four fellow Phillies: first baseman Bryce Harper, DH Kyle Schwarber,
reliever Jhoan Duran and left-hander Cristopher Snchez. Harper was a legend
pick added by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin and second baseman Ozzie Albies were voted in as
starters and will be joined by left-hander Chris Sale, a 10-time All-Star, and
closer Raisel Iglesias.
Toronto has four, with Guerrero joined by second baseman Ernie Clement, who led
AL players in the first phase of voting from June 3-25, and pitchers Dylan
Cease and Louis Varland.
"Our fan support is unlike any other team, obviously, because of the country
backing you," said Toronto's John Schneider, the AL manager. "Not just Canada
--- I think a lot of baseball people really recognized how those guys play the
game."
Elected AL starters also include Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers; Kansas City
shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.; Tampa Bay third baseman Junior Caminero; Houston
designated hitter Yordan Alvarez; and the New York Yankees' Judge and
Minnesota's Byron Buxton in the outfield.
Guerrero will be replaced in the starting lineup by the Athletics' Nick Kurtz
and Judge by Yankees teammate Cody Bellinger. Replacements are based on player,
manager and coach voting.
Bellinger earned his third All-Star selection but first since 2019.
"That's going to be cool. Last time I had no kids or family or anything," he
said.
NL starters also include New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto and Washington
shortstop CJ Abrams.
MLB had in previous years announced starters first, then pitchers and reserves
several days later.
Other AL pitchers elected by players include Boston's Chapman, Tampa Bay's Drew
Rasmussen, Minnesota's Joe Ryan, Yankees' Cam Schlittler, Cleveland's Cade
Smith. Other NL pitchers voted in by players include Cincinnati's Chase Burns
and San Diego's Mason Miller.
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AP freelance writers Larry Fleisher and Patrick Stevens contributed to this
report.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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