The Arizona Diamondbacks' one legitimate superstar-in-the-making was rightfully named to the National League All-Star team as a reserve on Sunday, the same day his team salvaged a win against the Oakland Athletics in the D-Backs' final interleague game of the season.
The All-Star Game will be held Tuesday, July 12, at Chase Field.
On Monday, the D-Backs opened the final week of the season's first half with a come-from-behind 8-6 stunner against the Milwaukee Brewers. With the win, the D-Back kept moved within two games of first place, as the division-leading San Francisco Giants lost to the San Diego Padres.
Upton, the D-Backs' 23-year-old right fielder is hitting .296, with 13 homers, 43 runs batted in, 49 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases, in this first season as an all-star. He is the only D-Back named to the 33-man team, but starting pitcher Ian Kennedy has an outside shot to be named in an online-voting campaign for fans. Kennedy is 8-3, with a 3.38 earned-run average and 103 strikeouts, but didn't do much to bolster his chances of being voted in as he gave up seven runs on 10 hits in only 5.2 innings in Sunday's 7-2 loss to the A's.
Also up for the NL's final roster spot are the Colorado Rockies' Todd Helton, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Andre Ethier, the Washington Nationals' Michael Morse, and the Philadelphia Phillies' Shane Victorino. You can vote for Kennedy at www.dbacks.com until Wednesday night.
On Monday, the only other D-Back who might've fit in the All-Star discussion, starting pitcher Daniel Hudson, did not have his best stuff, letting the Brewers jump out to a 6-1 lead in the fourth inning. But the D-Backs kept pecking away at the Brewers' lead, scoring in every inning except the first three. With the score knotted at 6 in the top of the ninth, Chris Young ripped a two-single to score Kelly Johnson and make it a 7-6 game. Young stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Then, Miguel Montero, who'd already launched a solo homer in the game, singled home Young to finish off the comeback. David Hernandez struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to secure his fourth save of the year.
Tonight, the D-Backs will send Zack Duke out to face veteran Randy Wolf as they try to make it two in a row and pull a game closer to the Giants. First pitch is at 5:10 p.m. Radio: KTAR 620 AM. TV: Fox Sports Arizona. More info: www.dbacks.com.
