With the first half mercifully over, most Chicago Cubs not named Wade Davis will get to rest over the next few days before jumping back into the grind of the regular season. Meanwhile, the mighty Giancarlo Stanton will get to defend his Home Run Derby title on his home turf against a pretty formidable set of sluggers…
The Home Run Derby bracket is all set. https://t.co/ezww2enzhA pic.twitter.com/x95hvCryHE
— theScore (@theScore) July 6, 2017
I just don’t see how anyone, not even Aaron Judge, can beat Stanton. But watch for falling projectiles if you’re lucky enough to watch the show. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the lineups are set:
Sale and AL All-Star lineup pic.twitter.com/8Si3tikTHd
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) July 10, 2017
Maddon's NL All-Star lineup pic.twitter.com/tUAnF8H5ES
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) July 10, 2017
I figure Chris Sale might carve up the lefties in the lineup, but stranger things have happened, particularly when a pitcher in an exhibition game just decides to groove one to the hitter to see what happens. Joe Maddon certainly couldn’t have gone wrong with this order, as it seemed that the fans chose wisely in selecting starters this year. And with the game not carrying home field advantage incentives anymore, looks like everyone can just purely relax:
Both managers agree the All-Star Game is going to be a participation-trophy event. Said they want to get almost all the players in the game.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 10, 2017
As a rule, I root for the National League, but I’m just looking for a fun game that should hopefully be played well. If they can score a bunch of runs to amp the excitement level, that would be great.
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