SB Nation St. Louis - 2012 MLB All-Star Game: N.L. Defeats A.L. 8-0

Jim Johnson Is The Name Of Someone Who Was In The 2012 All-Star Game, Obviously

2012-07-11T14:00:46Z

Now, look, I totally knew who Jim Johnson was when he came into the 2012 All-Star Game and threw a scoreless inning, and no doubt you did, too. But not everyone can be so well-informed as us. So if, say, that less-informed person wanted to know more about Jim Johnson, who everyone like us already knows is a member of the Baltimore Orioles' bullpen who is currently leading the major leagues in saves, they could learn that:

He orders a grande skinny vanilla latte every day at Starbucks, according to this article. Which, you and I both know what a grande skinny vanilla latte is, already, but maybe not everybody does.
He's got a stereotypical Cardinals-starter body and skill-set--tall, thick, and reliant on a sinker that produces a lot of ground balls and very few strikeouts. In fact, he was a starter all the way through the minors before emerging as a reliable reliever for the Orioles in 2008.
He threw this crazy pitch, which Carson Cistulli was kind enough to GIF for the rest of the world.

These are all things that every right-thinking baseball fan, even the ones who spend most of their time watching National League baseball, obviously knew already, obviously. But maybe someone didn't.

2012 MLB All-Star Game: Tony La Russa And The Cardinals Win One More Time

2012-07-11T12:00:43Z

If the 2012 MLB All-Star Game was the last we'll see of Tony La Russa in the dugout, count this St. Louis Cardinals fan satisfied. Not only did La Russa and the National League roll to an 8-0 victory; not only did the Cardinals who played--Matt Holliday, David Freese, Carlos Beltran, and Rafael Furcal--all play a role in said victory; but The Genius went out the way he came in, with a ton of strange pitching changes and an undeniable track record of success.

Melky Cabrera was the deserving MVP, capping off a return from the prospect wilderness with an All-Star Game home run, but you'll have to forgive those of us in St. Louis for imagining this as one last run from the Tony La Russa-Dave Duncan tandem that powered more than a decade of Cardinals success. When La Russa gave his giddy postgame interview and sounded, for once, like someone completely unworried by conspiracies or perceived slights--well, the 2011 World Series finally sank in for me.

That's what last year was about, in hindsight: One more season consumed by questions of Albert Pujols's legacy, one more trip through the comically intense La Russa ringer. If this season has felt, so far, like a mostly successful hangover, I think this was the closure I needed.

2012 MLB All-Star Game Final Score: N.L. Thumps A.L., 8-0

2012-07-11T03:45:32Z

The MLB All-Star Game isn't normally known for its offense, but that was not the case on Tuesday night in Kansas City, as the National League won the 2012 All-Star Game by the score of 8-0. The N.L. jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back from there, as their final run total was greater than the total number of hits (six) accumulated by the American League.

Those five runs came off of reigning AL Cy Young Justin Verlander, who gave up four hits and walked two batters in his sole inning of work. Ryan Braun got the scoring going for the N.L. when he doubled home Melky Cabrera, but the it was Pablo Sandoval (whose inclusion in the starting lineup was maligned) who broke the game open with a three-RBI triple to plate Braun, Carlos Beltran and Buster Posey. Dan Uggla capped off the five run first with a single to score Sandoval.

The N.L. did further work in the fourth inning, going up 6-0 when Matt Holliday singled in Rafael Furcal and stretching that lead to what would be the final score when Cabrera smashed a homer to left to score Holliday. All three runs came off Texas Rangers starter Matt Harrison.

As far as Cardinals All-Stars went, Furcal finished the night 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. Holliday went 1-for-1 with an RBI and a run and David Freese went 0-for-1 with a strikeout.

For more, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of the Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos. And for complete All-Star break coverage, visit Baseball Nation.

MLB All-Star Game 2012: Rafael Furcal, Matt Holliday Take Part In N.L.'s Offensive Explosion

2012-07-11T01:38:47Z

The N.L. All-Stars exited the fourth inning up 8-0, thanks to a barrage of extra base hits off A.L. All-Star pitchers Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers and Matt Harrison of the Texas Rangers. Rafael Furcan and Matt Holliday of the St. Louis Cardinals played a small role in that offensive explosion, but a role they did play.

With the N.L. up 6-0 in the fourth, Furcal tripled to right field off of Harrison. Holliday was then inserted into the game in place of Carlos Gonzalez, and promptly singled Furcal home to make it 7-0. San Francisco Giants OF Melky Cabrera then smacked a homer to left field to bring the score to 8-0.

The A.L. All-Stars have amassed only two hits on the night, with one coming off of Matt Cain and another off of Stephen Strasburg. Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals pitched a clean third inning for the N.L.

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2012 MLB All-Star Game: Ryan Braun Not Booed At Kauffman Stadium

2012-07-11T00:24:28Z

Just in case you, the sportswriter with a long-standing grudge against all things performance-enhancing, were wondering how long fans would hold failing and then unfailing a test for performance-enhancing drugs against National League MVP Ryan Braun: Like, part of a season, maybe. Braun is on pace for a season exactly as impressive as last years--he leads the NL in home runs, with 24--and at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, which has proven itself more than willing to boo if need be, he got a basically average hand of applause when his name came up.

Here's where that leaves PEDs, then, on the fans' list of baseball-ruining tragedies: Way behind not putting Billy Butler into the Home Run Derby, and significantly behind being Chris Perez.

Sportswriters will always have their hobbyhorses, but at some point they're going to have to come to grips with the fact that baseball fans don't care about steroids as much as they do. My suggestion, if that leaves them without material: Take a look at all those football players who are clearly using.

MLB All-Star Game 2012: Matt Holliday Is Having A Better Season Than Carlos Beltran, Cardinals Fans

2012-07-10T23:41:51Z

I'm not sure why, three years into his St. Louis Cardinals career, we still need to be having this conversation, but as the Redbirds' two veteran outfielders get prepped for Tuesday's 2012 MLB All-Star Game it's worth mentioning: Matt Holliday is arguably having a better season than Carlos Beltran. Since hitting just .215/.277/.376 in April Holliday's been remarkable; he's hitting .358/.442/.580 with 18 doubles, 10 home runs, and, for all the worries about his perceived clutchness, 43 RBI.

This is not to take away from Beltran's own excellent start--only to remind fans who still haven't warmed up to Matt Holliday, for whatever reason, that he's thus far been worth every penny of his seven-year contract. For all the worries about his ability to adjust to life away from Coors Field, he's actually been better in St. Louis, with a career OPS+ of 153, then he was in Colorado (131.)

He's earned his sixth career All-Star appearance--and his third in a row--and he's likely to continue earning these midsummer reminders of his own excellence.

MLB All-Star Game 2012: NL Pitcher Rotation To Feature Lynn In 7th Inning

2012-07-10T20:43:22Z

The dynamic right-hander and All-Star SP Lance Lynn will be the lone St. Louis Cardinals pitcher on the roster for the National League All-Stars on Tuesday night. He is in his first season in the starting rotation for the Cardinals, but on Tuesday night, he will return to his late-inning bullpen duties.

The NL Team's pitching coach, Dave Duncan, has released the NL's general pitching plan, which has Lynn slotted to pitch the eighth inning:

1st inning, starter -- Matt Cain, Giants

2nd inning -- Gio Gonzalez, Nationals

3rd inning -- Stephen Strasburg, Nationals

4th inning, 5th inning -- Cole Hamels, Phillies and R.A. Dickey, Mets

6th inning -- Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

7th inning -- Lance Lynn, Cardinals

8th inning and later -- Aroldis Chapman, Reds; Craig Kimbrel, Braves; Huston Street, Padres; [Joel Hanrahan], Pirates; Jonathan Papelbon, Phillies

Extra innings -- Wade Miley, Diamondbacks

In 2011 season, Lynn pitched in 18 games, 16 of which were in relief. He collected 1 save and 8 shutdowns with a 3.12 ERA and 2.88 FIP.

MLB All-Star Game 2012: Tony La Russa Takes Heat For Not Starting R.A. Dickey

2012-07-10T20:42:05Z

It's not often that Tony La Russa has taken heat, as a manager, for being too conventional, but in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game the National League manager--in what might be his final gig ever--has taken some heat for not starting a knuckleballer. R.A. Dickey, the New York Mets' 37-year-old, 12-1, knuckleball-throwing ace, will be entering the game second, behind San Francisco Giants stalwart Matt Cain.

Mets fans are justified in their angst; Dickey's been outstanding, and he's a better story, and for the average All-Star Game that's really all that matters. But here's one thing I think people are overestimating: How much people care about who started the All-Star Game after the All-Star Game is played.

Being an All-Star is a permanent honor; people will always know how many All-Star Games you were named to, and that number will follow you around forever. Starting the All-Star Game, though? I can't remember, if I'm being honest, who did that last year. So get mad at Tony La Russa, by all means; that's what he's there for. But I don't think Dickey is being kept from something that will, say, define the rest of his year, let alone the rest of his life.