Hurtado are not the answer

NEW YORK -- The trade that put Jeff Samardzija on a post-season contender cost him a chance to pitch in his first All-Star game. Cheap Giants Jerseys . A day after Samardzija was dealt from the Chicago Cubs to Oakland, a big league-high six Athletics were picked Sunday for the game at Target Field in Minnesota on July 15. That doesnt include Samardzija, selected as a National League All-Star. Major League Baseball said he is ineligible to play because of the league switch. The 29-year-old right-hander, who was 2-7 with a 2.83 ERA and 103 strikeouts for the Cubs, won his American League debut Sunday when he allowed one run in seven innings for a 4-2 victory over Toronto. He will be introduced with the NL players before the All-Star game; still to be decided is whether he wears a Cubs or As uniform -- or a generic NL jersey. "I wont get to pitch, which is a bummer, but thats all right," Samardzija said. "Ill just go through whatever ceremonies they have and just jump over to the AL dugout with an NL jersey on and have some fun with the six other dudes we have over there, which is exciting." Oakland, with the best record in the majors, has its most All-Stars since 1975: left-handers Sean Doolittle and Scott Kazmir; catcher Derek Norris; first baseman Brandon Moss; third baseman Josh Donaldson; and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. "Its really cool," As manager Bob Melvin said. "We were hoping for something like this." Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, playing his 20th and final season, was chosen for his 14th All-Star team and will start for the ninth time. He gets reunited with Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano, his former double-play partner in New York. Mariano Rivera, the retiring Yankees reliever, was the centre of attention at last years All-Star game when the Mets hosted in Citi Field. Jeter could be in the spotlight this year. "All-Star game was in New York last year. Its a little bit different," Jeter said. "I dont go into it with any expectations. Just trying to enjoy myself and have fun with whoever is here." Among the big names bypassed entirely were slugger David Ortiz and closer Koji Uehara from World Series champion Boston, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, and Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett. "I had a chance to talk with David, and he felt the four days of rest might be more advantageous to him," said Boston skipper John Farrell, the AL manager. "He was a pro about it. He spoke his mind and had a lot of input in the decisions." Also elected by fans to start for the AL were Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, Donaldson, and outfielders Jose Bautista of Toronto, Adam Jones of Baltimore and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Baltimores Matt Wieters, sidelined by season-ending elbow surgery on June 17, was elected to start at catcher and will be replaced by Kansas Citys Salvador Perez. Orioles bopper Nelson Cruz, tied for the major league home run lead with 27, was voted in by fans at designated hitter after serving a 50-game suspension last year for violating baseballs drug agreement. The big year could lead to a large contract for Cruz, who left Texas for an $8 million, one-year deal with Baltimore. "Its always a blessing when you make the All-Star game," Cruz said. "Im happy because I know I made the right decision." Elected to the NL starting lineup were Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley, Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Milwaukee third baseman Aramis Ramirez and St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina along with outfielders Carlos Gomez of Milwaukee, Andrew McCutchen of Pittsburgh and Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, a pair of rookies off to superlative starts, were among 26 first-time All-Stars and 24 foreign-born players. Tanaka and setup man Dellin Betances are the first Yankees rookie pitchers to be picked as All-Stars since Spec Shea in 1947. Surprise selections included Pittsburgh utilityman Josh Harrison and left-hander Tony Watson, and St. Louis reliever Pat Neshek, who is from Minnesota and began his career with the hometown Twins. "I shook head my head for a while. I couldnt believe it," Neshek said, his voice cracking with emotion. "Its awesome to be rewarded like that and to get the chance to play against the best." Milwaukee closer Francisco Rodriguez made his fifth All-Star team, his first since 2009. Bautista, at 5.68 million, received the most votes for the second time in four years. Tulowitzki topped the NL at 5.35 million. Other players omitted despite strong credentials were Cincinnati pitcher Alfredo Simon, Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager and San Diego closer Huston Street, who had converted 23 consecutive save chances before allowing a tying home run in the ninth Saturday. Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun and Toronto outfielder Melky Cabrera, who like Cruz served lengthy drug-related suspensions, also were left out. The candidates in online voting for the final AL spot are all pitchers: Houstons Dallas Keuchel, Clevelands Corey Kluber, Los Angeles Garrett Richards, Detroits Rick Porcello and Chicagos Chris Sale. Vying for the NL spot are Miami third baseman Casey McGehee, Colorado first baseman Justin Morneau, Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Atlanta outfielder Justin Upton. ------ AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen and AP freelance writers Mike Cranston, Brian Hall, Michael Wagaman and Jeff Melnick contributed to this report. Jeff Samardzija Jersey . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Cheap San Francisco Giants Jerseys .com) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quickly found themselves a new offensive coordinator, and one thats quite familiar with the NFC South.The Vancouver Whitecaps continued to struggle in front of goal on Saturday, as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home against DC United. It was the fourth consecutive game in which the Whitecaps have failed to find the back of the net. THE FORMATIONS In an effort to boost his teams attack, Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson opted for a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield. Sebastian Fernandez moved up front to partner Darren Mattocks, while Ethen Sampson made his debut at right-back in place of the injured Steven Beitashour. DC United made one change to the 4-4-1-1 formation they employed to beat the New York Red Bulls 2-0 last week. David Estrada came in on the left of midfield for the injured Chris Rolfe. THE GAME The words of my former manager at Ipswich, Joe Royle, rang true on Saturday night at BC Place. He once told me, “A team is only ever as good as its strikers.” Little did he know, he could have been speaking about the 2014 version of the Vancouver Whitecaps. If Vancouver misses out on the playoffs this year, it will be because they have failed to address their greatest need – they do not have a reliable goal scorer in their squad. Camilo scored 22 goals for the Whitecaps last season before leaving for Mexican side Queretaro in the offseason. He felt underappreciated (and underpaid) by the Whitecaps and, regardless of what one thinks about how he engineered his move out of Vancouver, it is a black mark on the clubs front office that they allowed their star player to become so disenfranchised. Vancouver is paying for that mistake right now. The team is creating plenty of chances for its front men to convert, they just lack a goal scorer to finish them. Darren Mattocks had a number of chances - including the best of the game in the first half - but failed to put the ball in the back of the net. One shudders to think where the Whitecaps would be right now if they had Camilo leading the line rather than Mattocks or Erik Hurtado, the only Whitecaps strikers to find the back of the net with any regularity this season. Mattocks and Hurtado have each played in 22 games this season, but have only managed to score six and four goals respectively. The opening half saw a concerted effort from the Whitecaps to play a high-tempo game. The front five – including Russell Teibert and Mauro Rosales flanking Pedro Morales in midfield – were quick in transition and relentless in their pressure on the DC United back line. But for all their territorial possession and prressure, the Whitecaps were toothless where it mattered most, in front of goal. Mel Ott Jersey. Kendall Waston should have scored after he got on the end of a Morales free kick in the first half, but Wastons header glanced wide of the post. Likewise, Jordan Harvey had a header in the second half fly past the near post after good work down the left side from the Whitecaps. The visitors made life difficult for Vancouver and, while it wasnt DCs most attractive performance of the season, they did what they had to do to pick up another point on their march to the playoffs. It has been a remarkable turnaround for head coach Ben Olsens side, as they have already picked up 31 more points than they did in all of last season. Olsens primary front men – Fabian Espindola, Luis Silva and Eddie Johnson – have scored 22 goals among them, which is quite a contrast to the production from the Whitecaps strikers. THE GOOD The Whitecaps kept another clean sheet, their eighth of the season. The back four looked in control for most of the game and Ethen Sampson did some excellent one-on-one defending before being replaced in the second half with cramp. Teibert, Morales and Rosales dictated the tempo of the game in the first half before fading in the second. This can be put down, in part, to DCs approach to the second half. The visitors were happy to slow the game down at every opportunity, as they knew that it would only take one chance for their front men, Espindola and Silva, to win them the game. Fortunately for Vancouver, DC were restricted to speculative efforts from distance. THE BAD There is a simple explanation for Vancouvers inability to score in the last four games: their strikers are not good enough. Mattocks and Hurtado are not the answer if the club is going to compete for a playoff place in the Western Conference on a yearly basis. They are too inconsistent and fail to do too much of the work that is required from the strikers in Carl Robinsons team. Vancouver must address this shortcoming in the transfer window at the end of the season. If they dont, Whitecaps fans will be biting their fingernails every year when it comes down to the playoff race. THE STAR MAN Kendall Waston was excellent for Vancouver. He won every challenge he made, both in the air and on the ground. He was tidy in possession of the ball, and nearly scored for the Whitecaps in the first half. More performances like this one from the Costa Rican, and Whitecaps fans can expect more clean sheets to come. ' ' '