Pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Robbie Ray will put their All-Star arms on display when the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants close the season’s first half Sunday afternoon.
The weekend duel in San Francisco between the National League West’s longtime rivals has produced a pair of nail-biters, with the Giants holding on for an 8-7 win on Friday night before the Dodgers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 2-1 triumph on Saturday afternoon.
All-Stars Logan Webb of the Giants and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers kicked off their team’s wins on the mound in the split, setting up a rubber match in which both of Sunday’s starting pitchers also have been selected to the NL All-Star team.
In this case, however, by drawing a start just two days before the All-Star Game, both Yamamoto and Ray will be unavailable to pitch in Tuesday’s showcase.
Giants manager Bob Melvin explained during a pre-game media chat earlier this week what some might consider a controversial decision to deny a player a rare chance to shine in the midseason spotlight.
“It’s all about doing the best he can for our team,” Melvin said of Ray (9-3, 2.63 ERA), a left-hander who shares the team lead in wins with Webb. “He’s all-in on pitching.”
Ray also made the NL All-Stars while pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017. By manager’s choice, he did not get into that game, which the American League won 2-1.
His experience figures to be similar on Tuesday in that even pitchers who won’t participate are introduced to the national audience before the game.
“Ultimately, we are trying to win a World Series here,” Ray told reporters after the Giants’ rotation was announced this week. “Just being able to be named an All-Star this year and to get to go and enjoy it is great.”
The Giants have won 15 of Ray’s 19 starts this season, including both in July, when he has allowed the Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies just three runs over 14 2/3 innings. The 33-year-old has gone 9-6 with a 3.33 ERA in 22 lifetime starts against the Dodgers.
Now in his second major league season, Yamamoto (8-7, 2.77 ERA) has faced the Giants just twice, going 0-1 with a 7.84 ERA.
The right-hander went up against Webb in a 6-2 home loss in June, a game in which he served up a first-inning solo home run to Willy Adames and a grand slam to Casey Schmitt in the third.
The 26-year-old made it clear before the rosters were finalized that just getting picked to join the festivities in Atlanta would be special.
“That’s Major League Baseball’s top stage where players gather,” the five-time All-Star in Japan told reporters, “so that would be an honor for me.”
The Dodgers will be represented at the All-Star Game by Ohtani as the NL’s starting designated hitter, Yamamoto, catcher Will Smith, first baseman Freddie Freeman and pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who earned an invitation as a “legend pick.” The Giants will send Ray, Webb and reliever Randy Rodriguez.