CLEVELAND – Though he may have benefited from an injury to one of his teammates, Fausto Carmona is going to his first All-Star Game.
Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo appeared to be the obvious choice as the Indians’ lone representative to the Midsummer Classic on July 13 in Anaheim, Calif., but Choo won’t be available after being placed on the disabled list Sunday with a right thumb sprain.
That may have factored into American League manager Joe Girardi’s decision to pick Carmona, but Choo was not among the nine names selected via the player vote, nor was he among the five players selected for fan Internet voting that will determine the final member of the AL’s 34-man roster.
Outfielders Josh Hamilton (Texas), Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle) and Carl Crawford (Tampa Bay) were voted into the starting lineup by fans, with Toronto’s Vernon Wells and Jose Bautista and Los Angeles’ Torii Hunter named as reserves by the player vote. Nick Swisher (New York) and Delmon Young (Minnesota) are two of the five players with the opportunity to grab the final roster spot.
That’s eight outfielders picked ahead of Choo, who is batting .286 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs and possesses one of the strongest arms in the game.
“Nothing surprises me in this game,” said Cleveland manager Manny Acta. “There are a lot of outfielders having good seasons. You have to respect the other outfielders.
“He’s our all-star. We know he’s been our all-star, but not everyone is going to get in. Someone is snubbed every year.”
Some would say Carmona was snubbed in 2007, when he went 10-4 with a 3.85 ERA before the break but was left off the AL All-Star roster. He finished that season at 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA, good for fourth place in Cy Young voting.
The right-hander has certainly reversed his fortunes from the past two years, when he posted a combined record of 13-19 and pitched his way out of the rotation and into the Arizona Rookie League in 2009.
Carmona, who took the loss Sunday despite pitching well, is 7-7 with a 3.69 ERA, producing 13 quality starts in his 17 outings.
“I’m excited for Fausto,” Acta said. “I think it’s been a tremendous turnaround. He deserves all the credit. He’s given us a chance to win every five days.
“I’m just thrilled that he could go from those down years in 2008 and 2009 to being an All-Star.”
A move on the pitching rubber to the first base side is just one of the things Carmona points to in helping him bounce back this year.
“I went to the Dominican (in the offseason) and worked hard,” Carmona said. “I worked on my mechanics. That gave me a lot of trouble last year.”
Carmona got a hand from the Progressive Field crowd when it was announced in the second inning of a 3-1 loss to Oakland that he had been named an All-Star.
Acta informed the pitcher of the news before he took the mound.
“I’m happy for that, very, very happy,” Carmona said. “It’s my first time going. I’m surprised.”
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.
