Dodgers’ Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw and Angels’ Jered Weaver, Howie Kendrick are All-Stars
The Dodgers’ Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw and the Angels’ Jered Weaver and Howie Kendrick were selected Sunday for baseball’s All-Star game July 12 at Chase Field in Phoenix.
It is the second consecutive year that Weaver, the Angels’ ace, has been chosen for the American League team. Kemp, Kershaw and Kendrick were selected as All-Stars for the first time.
If Weaver, a right-hander, and Kershaw, the Dodgers left-hander who leads the National League in strikeouts with 138, continue to pitch on their normal schedules, they would be in line to start in the All-Star game.
The starting pitchers will be named by NL Manager Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants and AL Manager Ron Washington of the Texas Rangers.
“I watched the [TV] show this morning with my parents, and to see your name called is definitely an honor and a privilege,” said Weaver, who is 10-4 with a league-leading 1.92 earned-run average.
Kemp, a center fielder, will be one of the NL’s starters after a late jump to third place among the league’s outfielders in All-Star voting by fans.
“We have really great fans in L.A., so I wasn’t too shocked they came through for me,” Kemp said, adding that being chosen was “pretty overwhelming at the moment.”
Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier was not selected despite a 30-game hitting streak this season. But Ethier still could make the NL team because he is one of five nominees whom fans can vote for to fill the final spot on the NL roster. Voting, which takes place at MLB.com, lasts until 1 p.m. PDT Thursday.
The other NL nominees are Colorado first baseman Todd Helton, Arizona right-hander Ian Kennedy, Washington first baseman Michael Morse and Philadelphia outfielder Shane Victorino. Nominees to fill the final AL All-Star roster spot are Kansas City outfielder Alex Gordon, Baltimore outfielder Adam Jones, White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, Detroit designated hitter Victor Martinez and Tampa Bay second baseman Ben Zobrist.
The selections of Kemp and Kendrick, a versatile infielder, marked notable comebacks for both players.
Kendrick had been a .300 hitter but struggled so badly early in 2009 that he was sent to the minor leagues for a few weeks. He came back strong and this season was batting .307 with eight home runs and 26 runs batted in at the start of Sunday’s game against the Dodgers.
The 2009 setback “made me stronger as a player and as a person,” said Kendrick, who lives in the Phoenix area. “There have been a lot of stepping stones, I’ve learned a lot of stuff, and all of the things that happened to me in my career helped me get to this moment.”
Kemp got off to a fast start last year then struggled as well. He has most-valuable-player-worthy numbers this season and began Sunday’s game batting .327 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs.
“I wanted to prove to everybody that I can still play and be good at this game,” Kemp said.
Kershaw lost to the Angels on Saturday night but is 8-4 with a 3.23 ERA.
“Last night was rough, but fortunately they picked [the All-Star team] before that game, so that was good,” Kershaw said. “It’s an honor, I’m excited.”
The rest of the NL’s starting lineup included three Milwaukee Brewers: Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun, who was the NL’s top vote-getter with 5.93 million votes.
Jose Reyes of the New York Mets, Placido Polanco of the Philadelphia Phillies, Lance Berkman of the St. Louis Cardinals and Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves — the game’s most valuable player last year — rounded out the starting lineup.
Six New York Yankees made the AL All-Star team, including starters Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson. Catcher Russell Martin, a former Dodger, made the team as a reserve, as did closer Mariano Rivera.
The other AL starters are Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz (designated hitter) of the Boston Red Sox, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers, Alex Avila of the Detroit Tigers and Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, who led all players with 7.45 million votes.
Times staff writer Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this report.
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