AL CLIPS NL IN 2014 ALL-STAR GAME
McCutchen's 3 Extra Base Hits Earns MVP

MINNEAPOLIS, July 15 (AP) - The American League won a tense, hard-fought 2014 All-Star Game, nipping the National League 5-4 before a sellout crowd at Target Field. Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates won the MVP for the game despite playing for the losing team. McCutchen led off the game with a home run off AL Starter Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox and banged out a pair of doubles in subsequent plate appearances before being lifted in the fifth inning.

Every member of both squads appeared in the contest--an All-Star Game rarity. Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners was awarded the win. Madison Bumgarner, the NL starter absorbed the defeat. Zach Britton, the major league save leader entering the All-Star break, earned a four-out save.

After McCutchen opened the contest with a long ball, giving the NL a 1-0 advantage, Victor Martinez answered with a solo shot of his own off Bumgarner in the bottom of the second to knot the score. But the NL regained the advantage in the top of the third. McCutchen greeted Hernandez with a two-bagger and, after Daniel Murphy flied out, Troy Tulowitzki's base hit to right-center put the NL back on top 2-1.

Alcides Escobar led off the bottom of the third with another home run off Bumgarner, drawing the AL even again and, after Bumgarner walked Jose Altuve on four pitches, NL manager Mike Matheny replaced the left-hadner with Adam Wainwright. Wainwright fanned Mike Trout--the first of tree times that Trout would strike out in the game--but Altuve stole second base and Adrian Beltre drilled a double off the wall in right-center, easily scoring Altuve to give the AL the lead for the first time. Nelson Cruz struck out but Martinez lined a single to right, advancing Beltre to third. Wainwright avoided further damage, however, when he induced Jose Abreu to ground out to second.

The score remained 3-2 until the sixth when the AL appeared to break the game open in the bottom of the inning. Jordan Zimmerman was on the mound for the NL and appeared headed for an easy frame when Martinez and Melky Cabrera were retired without incident. But Ian Kinsler singled to right and Carlos Santana drew a walk, putting runners on first and second with two outs. With lefty swinging Bret Gardner due up, Matheny called on Hyun-Jin Ryu to keep the one-run deficit intact, but it wasn't to be. Gardner reached on an infield single, loading the bases, and on the first pitch he saw from Ryu Ben Zobrist lined a single to right-center, scoring two runs and putting the AL on top 5-2. Jonathan Papelbon came on and recorded the third out, but the lead was now up to three runs with just three innings remaining.

If the AL thought it would cruise to the end, it was wishful thinking. Andrew Miller started the top of the eighth on the mound and struck out Anthony Rizzo but he hit Yasiel Puig with a pitch and then walked Buster Posey, bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of Christian Yelich. AL manager John Farrell summoned David Price to the mound to relieve Miller but Yelich greeted him by blooping a base hit into left, loading the bases. Price struck out Freddie Freeman for the second out but Anthony Rendon came up with a base hit to left-center, scoring Puig and Posey and advancing Yelich to third. Farrell came out of the dugout again and brought Britton into the game. Wtih the go-ahead runs on base and Josh Harrison--who was hitting .361 entering the break--at the plate, Britton pitched carefully, running the count to 3-2 before finally getting Harrison on a routine fly ball to Gardner in right.

Charlie Morton held the AL scoreless in the top of the ninth and Britton returned to the mound to close out the game. That he did, retiring Denard Span, Jhonny Peralta and Rizzo to seal the win for the American League.

7/15/2014, NL14-AL14, Target Field

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2014 NL Stars 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 8 1 9 0
2014 AL Stars 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 x 5 10 0 10 0

NL Stars AB R H BI AVG AL Stars AB R H BI AVG
McCutchen,A cf 3 2 3 1 1.000 Altuve 2b 2 1 0 0 .000
Harrison,J 2b 2 0 0 0 .000 Zobrist ss 1 0 1 2 1.000
Murphy,Dan 2b 3 0 1 0 .333 Trout cf 3 0 0 0 .000
Span cf 2 0 0 0 .000 Donaldson 3b 1 0 0 0 .000
Tulowitzki ss 2 0 1 1 .500 Seager 3b 1 0 0 0 .000
Peralta,Jh ss 2 0 0 0 .000 Beltre 3b 3 0 1 1 .333
Goldschmidt 1b 2 0 0 0 .000 Jones,A cf 2 0 1 0 .500
Rizzo 1b 2 0 0 0 .000 Cruz,N lf 2 0 0 0 .000
Stanton lf 2 0 0 0 .000 Cabrera,Mi 1b 2 0 0 0 .000
Puig rf 1 1 0 0 .000 Martinez,V dh 4 1 2 1 .500
Lucroy c 2 0 0 0 .000 Abreu,J 1b 2 0 0 0 .000
Posey c 0 1 0 0 .000 Cabrera,Me lf 2 0 1 0 .500
Werth rf 2 0 0 0 .000 Brantley rf 1 0 0 0 .000
Yelich lf 2 0 1 0 .500 Kinsler 2b 2 1 1 0 .500
Freeman,F dh 4 0 0 0 .000 Santana,C c 2 1 0 0 .000
Frazier 3b 2 0 0 0 .000 Norris,De c 1 0 0 0 .000
Rendon 3b 2 0 2 2 1.000 Escobar,A ss 2 1 2 1 1.000
35 4 8 4 Gardner rf 2 0 1 0 .500
35 5 10 5

NL Stars INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Bumgarner L 2.0 2 3 3 1 4 37 23 13.50
Wainwright 2.0 3 0 0 0 3 29 22 0.00
Kershaw 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 16 11 0.00
Zimmermann,J 0.2 1 2 2 1 0 15 9 27.00
Ryu 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 5 5 0.00
Papelbon 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0.00
Street 0.2 2 0 0 0 1 12 10 0.00
Kimbrel 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 0.00
Morton 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 24 14 0.00
8.0 10 5 5 3 10 145 98

AL Stars INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Sale 2.0 2 1 1 1 2 44 25 4.50
Hernandez,F W 2.0 2 1 1 0 3 36 21 4.50
Richards H 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 20 11 0.00
Kluber H 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 19 11 0.00
Davis,W H 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 18 12 0.00
Miller,A H 0.1 0 2 2 1 1 18 7 54.00
Price,D H 0.1 2 0 0 0 1 11 8 0.00
Britton,Z S 1.1 0 0 0 0 0 17 9 0.00
9.0 8 4 4 4 11 183 104

NL : Puig inserted at rf in the 4th
Yelich inserted at lf in the 4th
Harrison,J inserted at 2b in the 5th
Span inserted at cf in the 5th
Peralta,Jh inserted at ss in the 5th
Rizzo inserted at 1b in the 5th
Rendon inserted at 3b in the 5th
Posey inserted at c in the 7th
AL : Cabrera,Mi inserted at 1b in the 4th
Cabrera,Me inserted at lf in the 4th
Zobrist inserted at ss in the 5th
Kinsler inserted at 2b in the 5th
Gardner inserted at rf in the 5th
Donaldson inserted at 3b in the 6th
Jones,A inserted at cf in the 6th
Norris,De inserted at c in the 7th
Seager inserted at 3b in the 8th

E-Span. 2B-McCutchen,A 2, Beltre. HR-McCutchen,A, Martinez,V,
Escobar,A. RBI-McCutchen,A, Tulowitzki, Rendon 2, Beltre,
Martinez,V, Escobar,A, Zobrist 2. SB-Altuve, Zobrist.
K-Stanton 2, Lucroy, Werth, Freeman,F 2, Puig, Yelich, Harrison,J,
Peralta,Jh, Rizzo, Trout 3, Cruz,N 2, Abreu,J, Santana,C 2, Cabrera,Mi 2.
BB-Tulowitzki, Goldschmidt, Lucroy, Posey, Altuve, Santana,C, Zobrist.
HBP-Puig, Brantley. HB-Bumgarner, Miller,A.
GWRBI: Beltre
Temperature: 104, Sky: clear, Wind: none.
Attendance: 39,329
Game Time: 3:32
All-Star Game MVP: McCutchen,A