Jonathan Lucroy, Aramis Ramirez Get 2 All-Star Game Hits
By Phil Watson
The Milwaukee Brewers were well-represented Tuesday night at the 85th All-Star Game in Minneapolis, holding down a third of the National League starting lineup, with closer Francisco Rodriguez waiting in the bullpen.
Jonathan Lucroy had a pair of doubles, driving in two of the National League’s three runs, and Aramis Ramirez had two hits and scored once in the American League’s 5-3 win.
Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels earned MVP honors with an RBI triple in the bottom of the first and a run-scoring double in the fifth, when the AL pulled ahead for good.
Carlos Gomez, playing left field, didn’t provide any offensive fireworks, but he might have saved a run when he ran down Trout’s liner with Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees on second base with no outs in the bottom of the third.
Live Feed
Jays Journal
It was Jeter who sparked the AL to a three-run first inning.
The Yankee captain, playing in his final All-Star Game, led off with a double down the right-field line and Trout followed with a triple to right-center.
What was eerie about that is that earlier in the day Trout appeared on MLB Network’s coverage of the red-carpet parade in downtown Minneapolis and host Greg Amsinger asked him “how cool” it would be to come up in the first inning with Jeter at second and “you drive him in, Jeter scores, you end up at third.”
No word if Amsinger has left the network to begin a consulting business picking lotto numbers.
One out later, Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers lined a ball into the left-field seats for the game’s only homer, making it three runs off NL starter Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals.
In the top of the second, against Boston Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester, Ramirez got things started with a sharp liner up the middle for his first hit. Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies followed with a liner to center for a double that scored Ramirez.
Lucroy then hit a ball over the head of Trout into left-center field for a double of his own to bring the NL back to a 3-2 deficit.
In the top of the fourth, Final Vote winner Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox came on to pitch for the AL and his teammate, Alexei Ramirez, came out of the dugout after the team had taken the field, providing Jeter with an opportunity to have his moment as he exited the game.
Sale got the first two batters of the inning—including Ramirez on an absolute rocket that was right at his counterpart, Oakland Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson, but Sale hit Utley with a pitch with two outs.
Lucroy lined a ball off the high wall in right field, scoring pinch-runner Dee Gordon of the Los Angeles Dodgers, for his second RBI double of the game, tying things up at 3-3.
The AL came back to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth, with Pat Neshek of the St. Louis Cardinals surrendering an RBI double to Trout and Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros getting a ball deep enough into left field for a sacrifice fly for the final run of the game.
Jul 15, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; National League infielder Aramis Ramirez (16) of the Milwaukee Brewers scores a run past American League catcher Salvador Perez (13) of the Kansas City Royals in the second inning during the 2014 MLB All Star Game at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
Ramirez got one more at-bat in the top of the sixth, doubling to left field off Oakland Athletics lefty Scott Kazmir.
Lucroy came out of the game to start the bottom of the fourth, replaced by Cincinnati Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco.
Gomez—who was 0-for-2 and struck out once—and Ramirez came out of the game to start the bottom of the sixth. Gomez left in favor of Pittsburgh Pirates utility man Josh Harrison and Ramirez was replaced by Todd Frazier of the Reds.
As for K-Rod, he came on at the same time Gomez and Ramirez were leaving, working a scoreless bottom of the sixth.
Rodriguez got Home Run Derby champ Yoenis Cespedes of Oakland to ground out to Frazier, induced Kyle Seager of the Seattle Mariners to ground out to first baseman Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves, walked Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers and got Michael Brantley of the Cleveland Indians to bounce out to Gordon, who made a terrific sliding stop in short right field and flipped the ball to Freeman in time to get the out.
Lucroy and Ramirez joined Ryan Braun in 2012 as the only Brewers to get two hits in one All-Star Game, while Lucroy joined Prince Fielder in 2011 as the only Brewers to drive in multiple runs in a single All-Star Game appearance.
Lucroy and Ramirez became only the fourth and fifth Brewers with an extra-base hit in All-Star play, joining Jeromy Burnitz (1999), Fielder (2009, 2011) and Braun (2012).
Rodriguez was the first Brewer pitcher to appear in an All-Star Game since Trevor Hoffman threw a scoreless inning in 2009. Yovani Gallardo was selected in 2010, but did not pitch.