Kazmir won’t pitch in All-Star Game

Posted Jul 13, 2008 by Marc Lancaster

Updated Jul 13, 2008 at 11:12 AM

CLEVELAND—Scott Kazmir is still going to New York to soak in the All-Star festivities following his start today, but he won’t be on the mound in Yankee Stadium Tuesday night.

“We’re probably going to have him not pitch in the All-Star Game,” Joe Maddon said this morning. “We would prefer that he would not.”

Maddon already has asked American League manager Terry Francona not to use Kazmir in the game. Maddon had seemed wary all along about the possibility of Kazmir pitching in such a high-intensity environment two days after a regular start. And no doubt Kazmir’s experience in his previous All-Star trip in 2006, when he warmed up forever in Pittsburgh and ended up missing most of the second half with shoulder inflammation, was at the back of some people’s minds.

Elsewhere, Maddon said there’s a “good chance” Al Reyes will be ready for activation Friday, but it probably will be at least a few more days for Troy Percival and Jason Bartlett. He did say it’s reasonable to expect all will come off the DL during the Rays’ six-game homestand coming out of the break.

As expected, Carl Crawford is out of the lineup today for a rest in the midst of an 0-for-25 slump at the plate. B.J. Upton is back in there, though:

Rays
Iwamura 2B
Aybar DH
Upton CF
Pena 1B
Longoria 3B
Gomes LF
Riggans C
Zobrist SS
Gross RF
Kazmir P

Indians
Sizemore CF
Carroll 2B
Francisco LF
Peralta SS
Blake 1B
Garko DH
Marte 3B
Fasano C
Gutierrez RF
Sowers P