MLB All-Star Game 2012: NL Shuts Out AL 8-0; Mauer Singles In Only At Bat

The National League wasted little time taking control of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night, lighting up American League starter Justin Verlander for five runs in the first inning and going on to earn the win, 8-0. The W also secured home field advantage for the National League team in the World Series.

Verlander gave up a double and a bases-loaded triple in his first All-Star Game start and was tagged with the loss. San Francisco Giants center fielder Melky Cabrera had a big offensive night for the National League, scoring twice and breaking things open with a 2-run home run in the fourth inning which earned him the MVP award. Cabrera's Giants teammate Matt Cain earned the win after throwing two scoreless innings to start the game.

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer was used sparingly off the bench, playing just the final two innings at first base. In his only at bat, Mauer led off the ninth inning with a sharp single up the middle but was put out at second on a fielder's choice.

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MLB All-Star Game 2012: NL Takes Early Lead Fueled By Melky Cabrera

San Francisco Giants center fielder Melky Cabrera is shining the brightest among the stars in Kansas City for the 2012 All-Star Game. Cabrera showed up National League wearing bright orange shoes which appear to be working.

Cabrera singled in the first and scored the first of five runs against Detroit Tigers' ace Justin Verlander. Then in the fourth inning, Cabrera took an offering from Texas Rangers' left-hander Matt Harrison and put it in the seats for a two-run homer, to give the National League an 8-0 lead through four and a half innings of play.

The NL scored their runs against Verlander and Harrison, belting eight hits to score their eight runs. Matt Cain, Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg to shut out the American League, allowing just two hits through four innings.

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer has yet to play for the American League.

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MLB All-Star Game 2012: Joe Mauer Helps Out With David Letterman's 'Top 10'

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, the Twins' lone All-Star Game representative, made a cameo on David Letterman Monday night.

For his nightly "Top 10" list, Letterman enlisted 10 American League All-Stars to help with the "Top 10 facts about the All-Star Game." Justin Verlander kicked things off with No. 10 -- "This year, they've added an extra base" -- before Mauer chimed in with No. 9:

Catcher may be replaced by a designated squatter.

MLive.com transcribed the Top 10, and included video, here.

The rest of the list reads:

8. After the Home Run Derby, there's now a Weak Grounder to Third Derby (Chris Sale)

7. During the 1937 All-Star Game, Dizzy Dean's the first player to to yell "Go sit in the truck!" (Jered Weaver)

6. All-Star etiquette requires players to spit discreetly into a handkerchief (David Price)

5. The game's tomorrow and I still don't know what the All-Star ambassador does (George Brett)

4. Players need notes from two different doctors to get out of doing lame top ten lists (Adam Jones)

3. This year's game is cup-optional (Josh Hamilton)

2. Earlier today, we all bonded at a matinee of "Magic Mike" (C.J. Wilson)

1. Oh crap, the game's tomorrow?! (Derek Jeter)

Mike Napoli of the Texas Rangers will start at catcher instead of Mauer, who is making his fifth All-Star game appearance.

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MLB All-Star Game 2012: Lineup, TV Schedule, Streaming And More

The 2012 MLB All-Star Game will be held Tuesday evening at Kansas City' Kauffman Stadium.

The game will be televised on Fox and streamed on MLB.com starting at 6:30 Central. ESPN Radio will provide radio coverage.

The lineups for Tuesday's game are:

American League

1 - Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

2 - Robinson Cano, New York Yankees

3 - Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers

4 - Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays

5 - Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers

6 - Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers

7 - David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

8 - Mike Napoli, Texas Rangers

9 - Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees

National League

1 - Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies

2 - Melky Cabrera, San Francisco Giants

3 - Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

4 - Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds

5 - Carlos Beltran, St. Louis Cardinals

6 - Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants

7 - Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants

8 - Dan Uggla, Atlanta Braves

9 - Rafael Furcal, St .Louis Cardinals

The starters will be Justin Verlander for the AL and Matt Cain for the NL.

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MLB Home Run Derby: Prince Fielder Beats Jose Bautista In Final Round

The 2012 MLB Home Run Derby is over and The Detroit Tigers' Prince Fielder is the champ. He hit 12 home runs to best the Toronto Blue Jays' Jose Bautista in the final round on Monday night.

It's Fielder's second Home Run Derby win, as he won as a Milwaukee Brewer in 2009. The only other player to win the competition more than once is Ken Griffey Jr. (1994, 1998 and 1999).

Bautista's seven home runs in the final round were not enough. He hit 11 in the first round but only two in the second, needing to beat the Los Angeles Angels' Mark Trumbo in a swing-off to squeak into the final.

The other participants were the Cardinals' Carlos Beltran, the Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez, the Pirates' Andrew McCutchen, the Dodgers' Matt Kemp and the Yankees' Robinson Cano.

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Home Run Derby 2012: Prince Fielder And Jose Bautista Advance To Final Round

Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays and Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers are headed to the finals of the Home Run Derby.

Bautista led the first round with 11 home runs and hit two in the second round. He defeated the Los Angeles Angels' Mark Trumbo in a swing-off to advance to the final round.

Fielder had five in the first round and 11 in the second.

Carlos Beltran (St. Louis Cardinals) was been eliminated with 12. He hit seven in the first round and five in the second.

Carlos Gonzalez (Colorado Rockies), Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh Pirates), Matt Kemp (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Robinson Cano (New York Yankees) didn't make it out of the first round. Cano failed to hit a single home run and was booed by the Kansas City crowd throughout.

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Home Run Derby 2012: Lineup, TV Schedule, Start Time And More

Monday evening will bring the Home Run Derby to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City as the All-Star break begins for Major League Baseball. There won't be any Minnesota players on the squad but it's still filled with big hitters and should provide a good show.

The American League will send out a team with Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees as captain. Cano's team will feature Prince Fielder of the Tigers, Mark Trumbo of the Angels and Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays.

The National League will counter with a team led by Matt Kemp. His team will feature Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies, Carlos Beltran of the Cardinals and Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates. McCutchen was not originally on the squad, but was brought in to replace Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanto, who was recently injured.

The derby will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. It will be televised on ESPN.

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All-Star Futures Game 2012: Twins' Prospect Oswaldo Arcia Drives In Run In Loss

The U.S. team dominated the World team in Major League Baseball's Futures Game to kick off All-Star week at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium. The U.S. cruised to an easy 17-5 victory, but one Twins prospect helped get the World on the board.

Oswaldo Arcia, a native of Venezuela who plays this season for the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats of the Eastern League drove in a run with a double in the top of the sixth inning. His RBI double cut the U.S. lead to 6-5, but the American team scored nine times in the bottom of the inning to blow the game open.

Arcia hit .309 with seven home runs in 55 games for the High-A Fort Myers Miracle before earning a promotion. He's hit .286 in 18 games thus far at Double-A.

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2012 MLB Futures Game: Rosters, TV Schedule, Start Time And More

The best U.S.-born Major League Baseball prospects will square off against a 'World' prospects team as the 2012 All-Star Game festivities get underway in Kansas City Sunday. It's a chance to see the game's future stars and an opportunity for young players to get a taste of a Major League environment.

The Minnesota Twins will send outfielder Oswaldo Arcia to the game. The 6-foot, 210-pound Venezuelan turned 21 in May and is currently playing for the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats of the Eastern League.

Arcia hit .309 with seven home runs in 55 games for the High-A Fort Myers Miracle before earning a promotion. He's hit .286 in 18 games thus far at Double-A.

First pitch is scheduled for 4 pm CT from Kansas City's Kaufman Stadium and will be televised live to a national audience on ESPN2 and on MLB.TV.

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2012 MLB All-Star Game: National League Home Run Derby Participants Announced

The home run derby is the highlight and most exciting event of the All-Star Game festivities. On Sunday night, Home Run Derby captain Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers announced the field for the National League:

1. Giancarlo Stanton - Miami Marlins
2. Carlos Beltran - St. Louis Cardinals
3. Carlos Gonzalez - Colorado Rockies

Despite Kemp being sidelined since May 30 with a strained left hamstring, he does plan on participating in the home run derby. Kemp has registered 12 home runs so far this season.

Stanton of the Marlins has 19 home runs so far this season, Beltran has 20 and Gonzalez has 17.

The 2012 State Farm Home Run Derby will take place on July 9 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

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MLB All-Star Game Voting Results: Scott Diamond, Josh Willingham Passed Over Despite Strong Seasons

There are only a finite number of spots in the All-Star Game and there was only enough room this season for one Minnesota Twins player, catcher and occasional DH Joe Mauer, who finished second in the voting for catchers.

Two more players from the Twins were considered possibilities for the remaining spots, starting pitcher Scott Diamond and left fielder Josh Willingham. Neither made it into the final cut, despite strong seasons from both of them:

Willingham entered Sunday's game against Kansas City leading the Twins with 16 homers and 52 RBIs. He increased both numbers with a three-run homer in the sixth inning off Kansas City starter Bruce Chen.

Diamond's performance drew particular praise from Gardenhire. Since Diamond was called up from Triple-A Rochester on May 7, he is 7-3 and has posted the team's second-lowest earned run average at 2.63.

Impressive numbers aren't the full equation for getting an All-Star appearance, you also have to get a good number of votes or be voted in by your peers. The votes weren't there for Twins who weren't Mauer this season and on a losing team like the Twins, All-Stars rarely emerge in numbers.

For that reason, it's hard to say that either player being left out is a snub of any sort. Perhaps next year if they can keep numbers like they've had in 2012 up -- Diamond in particular will be an interesting watch if he can keep his recent form coming up from Triple-A going for a while -- one of them make the cut.

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2012 MLB All-Star Game: Joe Mauer Happy To Be Invited To 5th All-Star Appearance

Joe Mauer won't be starting in the 2012 All-Star Game after losing out in the voting contest, but after having such a lackluster (by his standards, at least) season in 2011 he's just happy to have been invited.

"After the season we had last year, and the year I had, it's nice to be able to go," Mauer said of his all-star honor before Sunday's game against Kansas City at Target Field. "It's still special. If they want me there, I'll keep going. It's a huge honor."

Mauer's performance in 2012 wasn't enough to earn him the win in the voting -- he lost by well over a million votes to Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli -- but he came in second and will be getting a reserves appearance, which likely will translate to a few innings and an at-bat or two for the Twins star.

No other Twins made the roster for the AL, but Mauer's .324 average and decent stats across the board were good enough to keep him from being overlooked. It's going to be Mauer's fifth ASG appearance after 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010 looks.

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MLB All-Star Game 2012 Rosters: Minnesota Catcher Joe Mauer Named To American League Roster

A three-time batting champ, Twins catcher Joe Mauer has been selected to represent Minnesota's organization at the 2012 MLB All-Star game later this month in Kansas City.

Although he was beaten out in the starting lineup by Texas catcher Mike Napoli in a bit of a surprise, Mauer will be making his fifth career All-Star appearance, and first since 2010. He is one of three catchers (including Baltimore's Matt Wieters) on the AL roster, and will join a clubhouse that features a whopping seven players from the defending AL champion Rangers.

Here are the full AL rosters:

Starters
Mike Napoli - C
Prince Fielder - 1B
Robinson Cano - 2B
Derek Jeter - SS
Adrian Beltre - 3B
Josh Hamilton - LF
Curtis Granderson - CF
Jose Bautista - RF
David Ortiz - DH

Reserves
Adam Jones - OF
Matt Wieters - C
Adam Dunn - 1B
Paul Konerko - 1B
Asdrubal Cabrera - SS
Miguel Cabrera - 3B
Billy Butler - DH
Mike Trout - OF
Mark Trumbo - 1B
Joe Mauer - C
Elvis Andrus - SS
Ian Kinsler - 2B

Pitchers
Matt Harrison - SP
Joe Nathan - RP
Felix Hernandez - SP
Ryan Cook - RP
Justin Verlander - SP
C.C. Sabathia - SP (Replaced by C.J. Wilson - SP)
Jered Weaver - SP
Jim Johnson - RP
Chris Sale - SP
Chris Perez - RP
Fernando Rodney - RP
David Price - SP

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Joe Mauer In 2nd Place For AL All-Star Voting

The American League All-Star voting is underway, and the Minnesota Twins are only represented by one player on the leaderboard: catcher Joe Mauer. Despite a somewhat tumultous and injury-laced season, Mauer has been solid, as always. In the first week, Mauer was trailing both Mike Napoli of the Texas Rangers and Matt Wieters of the Orioles, good for third place in the voting.

As of week three, Mauer is now in second place and gaining every day, but he does have a long way to go. Mauer currently has 1,283,804 votes, which is only a fraction better than Wieters, who now resides in third place. Wieters has 1,283,804 votes, for a difference of 41,557 votes.

First place belongs to Napoli, and he has a sizable lead at this point. He's got 2,239,047 votes, which is a difference of 955,243. You can find the full results here, but below we'll list the top five vote-getters for catcher:

Mike Napoli, Rangers: 2,239,047
Joe Mauer, Twins: 1,283,804
Matt Wieters, Orioles: 1,242,247
A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox: 1,048,603
Russell Martin, Yankees: 867,495

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Joe Mauer Ranked Third Among AL Catchers In All-Star Game Voting