Phillies club chairman Bill Giles kiddingly razzed manager Charlie Manuel before Tuesday’s All Star game telling Manuel that “his job was on the line if the NL didn’t win.”  Apparently, the razzing did the trick as NL pinch hitter catcher Brian McCann erased a 1-0 AL lead by slamming a seventh inning 1 out, bases-clearing 3 run double off of reliever Matt Thorton after the NL got 2 men on against Phil Hughes and after Thornton issued a walk to load the sacks.  3 NL pitchers held the AL scoreless on 2 hits and a walk over the final 3 innings as the Charlie Manuel-managed NL All Stars beat the AL by a 3-1 score, snapping the NL’s losing string.

By winning the 2010 All Star game, the NL is assured of the home-field advantage in the upcoming World Series in October.  Here’s hoping the Phils make it once again to the “Big Stage.”

The AP game recap provides All Star game highlights:

Cano and his fellow Yankees All-Stars wore black armbands after the death of longtime New York owner George Steinbrenner from a heart attack earlier Tuesday in Tampa, Fla., at age 80. Pictures of The Boss showed on two video screens before a pregame moment of silence, and flags hung at half-staff.

…Young starters David Price and Ubaldo Jimenez set the tone - and got even more help from the tricky shadows.

Jimenez, Colorado’s 15-game winner and first-time All-Star, came out of the gate with two scoreless innings. Price… matched that. Then came Marlins ace Josh Johnson, two more.

Robinson Cano’s fifth-inning sacrifice fly stood as the lone run in a game expected to be decided by the loaded pitching staffs on each side…

The NL squandered its best early opportunity with runners on the corners and one out in the fifth. Justin Verlander struck out Corey Hart and got McCann on the long fly to right.

McCann’s deep fly ball to the warning track in right gave the NL hope in the fifth. When he made good with that bases-loaded double off Matt Thornton, Atlanta’s steady catcher hit second base and pumped his right fist. The three guys who scored headed to the dugout with a renewed swagger.

Lefthander Cliff Lee, with his 4th team in a year having been traded a from Seattle to the Texas Rangers in the week before All Star break, threw a scoreless inning.  Phils ace Roy Halladay gave up 2 hits while pitching 2/3rds of the sixth inning before Washington reliever Matt Capps came on to get David Ortiz on strikes to end the sixth.  One of the hits Halladay gave up was rubbed out on an attempted steal of 2nd base.  As the NL scored their 3 runs in the seventh, Capps emerged as the winning pitcher.   L.A. Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning allowing 1 hit, notched the save.

The AL’s Phil Hughes, who was charged with 2 of the 3 NL runs on McCann’s bases-clearing double off of Thornton, was charged with the loss.  Thornton picked up a blown save.  AL rightfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who has terorized the NL in several previous All Star games, was set down in his 2 ABs on a pop out to leftfield by Jimenez and a strikeout by Johnson.

McCann won the All Star game MVP award for his seventh inning game-winning 3 run double.

The season now continues on Thursday with the Phillies opening a 4 game series in Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs have slated Ryan Dempster to open the 2nd half of the season.  The Phils have yet to name their starter.

To view all of Thursday’s games, click here.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 at 10:04 am and is filed under All Time Baseball Highlights
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