Shane Victorino is an All-Star.
So why am I not thrilled?
Victorino easily won the fan write-in vote for the last spot on the National League squad. He will join teammates Placido Polanco, and the pitching triumvirate of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.
It’s good that all these Phillies are All-Stars. It likely would be even better if none of them actually played in the game.
That’s especially true for Victorino and Polanco. Both are nursing nagging injuries.
The center-fielder jammed his hand when he stumbled and fell while running down a liner. He’s been out of the lineup the last two games with a sprained thumb.
Likewise Polanco has been on the shelf, battling a bad back. It’s likely that he will be back on the hot corner tonight when the Phils open a huge three-game set with the Braves, who now reside just two and a half games back after winning again yesterday.
Instead of flying all the way to Phoenix, these two key cogs could be resting up for five days and getting ready for the stretch run.
We’ll see if one or both is in uniform tonight. If they’re not, I see no reason why they should be playing in the All-Star game.
They made the team. They are “All-Stars.” Now they need to star for the Phillies. They could best do that by resting.
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