MLB All-Star Game 2011: Preview
The All-Star Game is all set for Tuesday, July 12 at Chase Field in Phoenix. The venue is generally renowned as the hitters’ ballpark and that is what the fans would be expecting from the teams.
The American League dominated the All-Star encounters from 1997 till 2009 before being defeated last year by the National League 3-1, helped by some brilliant pitching. The National League will vie to put in a similar performance and to convert the breakthrough
into a winning streak.
This year’s result will most likely depend on the pitching quality from either side. With hits expected to come easy, the pitching staff which succeeds in containing the opposition will get an inch closer to victory.
Team News:
The American League had a lot to boast about when the rosters were announced on July 3. Things are now different as injuries have taken a toll and pitchers had to be swapped for the reason that they pitched in games played on Sunday.
They will now be without Justin Verlander, James Shields, Felix Hernandez and Dan Haren. All of them have been the top pitchers in the circuit and with all of them not available, the AL need a miracle!
The AL suffered two more blows when Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez opted out of the July 12 clash, both because of injury. Jeter is just back from the disabled list and does not want to risk the next half of the season. A-Rod has opted for surgery to repair
a torn meniscus in his right knee and is expected to be out for four to six weeks.
While Jose Bautista and Curtis Granderson are in sublime form and can make up for A-Rod and Jeter at the plate, the AL needs some drastic help at the mound to halt the NL batters at the hitters ballpark.
The National League is free from injury and substitution problems. They have kept their pitching staff undamaged and will go with full strength looking for their second-consecutive win.
The NL pitchers have the entire arsenal to conquer the AL hitting. Clayton Kershaw, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels head the staff and will not be easy to tackle. Each one of them is capable of single-handedly shutting out any star-side.
The National League, however, does not match the hitting power of their counterparts and this may be a disadvantage if the game turns out to be high-scoring.
Watch out for:
Jose Bautista will be making his first start for the American League. Bautista came to the limelight last season and became an instant hero with his big-hitting ability. He currently tops the list for home-runs this season and fans at Chase Field should
get ready to catch more of these.
Clayton Kershaw has had a phenomenal strike-out filled season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has gathered 138 in 18 games thus far and with his aggressive instinct, he will eye more of these at the All-Star Game. The NL requires someone strong on nerves
to manage the AL hitting and Kershaw will not disappoint. He is a likely candidate for the NL Most Valuable Player Award.
The National League has an upper-hand over the American League for Tuesday’s clash. The AL need to be strong on the mound to give the NL a hard-time chasing their second-successive win. Currently, this seems to be a distant possibility but in an All-Star
Game, we can never be over and done with until the game is over.
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