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India's start and finish raise questions of gameplan

Published in Cricket
Sunday, 30 June 2019 18:05

Chasing a total as steep as 338, India made just 28 runs in the first Powerplay. Then in the final five overs of the innings MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav managed to hit just three fours and a six while picking up 20 singles and playing out six dots. It might be difficult to prove that India lost the match in these two crucial segments of play, but what can be definitively said is India lacked intent upfront and at the death.

Let us first look at the slow beginning in the first Powerplay. Indian openers, especially Rohit Sharma, believe in following the routine of settling down without taking any undue risk. However, 28 for 1 is the slowest start in the World Cup after the first Powerplay.

Partly that pressure was built after KL Rahul rushed into a premeditated shot - a flick - off a straight delivery from Chris Woakes, who took a lovely return catch. This after Woakes had bowled a maiden to Rahul in the first over of the innings.

WATCH on Hotstar (India only) - Rohit Sharma's century

Even Rohit was lucky to get away with an error after Joe Root dropped a regulation catch at second slip in the second over. Against a fuller ball on the fourth stump that was moving away Rohit attempted a flamboyant cover drive away from his body. The thick outside edge flew to the right of Root who failed to pouch it neatly leaving Jofra Archer in agony.

In fact, it was India that were in agony. Woakes bowled three consecutive maidens. The England fast bowlers were highly disciplined as they kept mixing up the deliveries on a pitch that was flat, but slow. Rohit played and missed on several occasions. To his dismay, Virat Kohli was playing much more fluently. However, England's bowlers cleverly controlled the pace of play, never giving India's best two batsmen freedom.

There were 42 dot balls in the first 10 overs with just five fours.

Although Kohli and Rohit played cautiously to cobble an alliance, you could see the strain on their faces as they constantly monitored the scoreboard with the asking rate mounting. As soon as Kohli left ESPNcricinfo's Forecaster had dropped from 32.62% to 25.93%. By the time Jadhav joined Dhoni, India needed 71 runs from 31 balls. By the time Woakes lined up to bowl the final over of the match, India needed an impossible 44 runs. In the previous 25 deliveries, Dhoni and Kedar had played out five dots, 18 singles and just two fours.

This lack of intent from the lower-order pair was highly intriguing. The hopelessness of the situation had dawned upon the Indian fans who swiftly emptied the stadium with a couple of overs to go. Those remaining even booed to exercise their frustration and annoyance.

Kohli and Rohit analysed the lack of intent differently. Kohli was clear a good beginning might have set the tone. "We should have been more clinical with the bat I suppose because the wicket was flat," Kohli told the host broadcaster. "Even we could have accelerated and got closer to the score, but their bowlers bowled well and executed their plans. Three-hundred-and-thirty-odd, we were very happy at the halfway stage that the wicket's flat and if we get off to a good start then we are pretty much in the chase which didn't happen."

WATCH on Hotstar (US only) - Full highlights

Rohit disagreed about the start, saying India had to be cautious. "Losing an early wicket always puts you under pressure," he said. "We lost KL [Rahul] right at the start and they bowled pretty well in the first 10 overs, good channels."

According to Rohit, for India to stay in the reckoning, the key was a big partnership with Kohli. "We knew the longer we batted the closer we will get to the target. That was the idea, we took our time, yes. But the conditions were such that it didn't allow us to just come and bat and put pressure on the bowlers. They bowled in the right channel."

As for the Dhoni-Jadhav combination failing to make a statement, Rohit felt the slowness of the pitch together with the England bowlers denying the batsmen any space to make use of the short 59-metre boundary were the key factors. "When Mahi [Dhoni] and Kedar were batting they were trying to hit, but they were not able to because of the slowness of pitch. Towards the end it got pretty slow. And, yes, you have got to give credit to the English team because they used the conditions really well, they used the longer boundary really well, they mixed up their variations quite nicely all through the game."

Kohli agreed with Rohit this time, but said there would be conversations over how the batting played out. "It is up to discussions with the two guys that were in there. I think MS was trying really hard, trying to get that boundary. It was just not coming off because they were bowling good areas and it wasn't easy to get those boundaries away when it got to 15 an over. Yeah, we will have to sit down and assess and improve on things in the next game."

Australia A 247 for 5 (Handscomb 57, Marsh 53*, Liddle 3-59) beat Gloucestershire 246 for 8 (Bracey 83, Hankins 74, Marsh 3-43) by five wickets

A classy all-round display from Mitchell Marsh helped Australia A to a comfortable win over Gloucestershire to remain undefeated on their tour of England.

Marsh took three wickets and peeled off an unbeaten half-century as Australia A cruised to Gloucestershire's underwhelming target with 47 balls to spare.

Marsh has been working on his bowling with Western Australia and Australia A bowling coach Kade Harvey and it has been paid dividends. "At times when I try and bowl a little bit too fast, I jump in and have to bowl around myself, and I lose my control which certainly in one-day cricket it's what I'm in the team for at any level," he said. "I'm continually working on stuff. I feel like the ball is coming out of my hand really well at the moment. So hopefully that can continue."

Australia A's chase got off to another rollicking start thanks once again to Matthew Wade. Following back-to-back centuries against Northamptonshire and Derbyshire, Wade clubbed 41 from 20 balls including three fours and four sixes. Will Pucovski was promoted to open alongside Wade and the pair's 50-run stand came up inside six overs before Wade fell to Chris Liddle.

Pucovski made a composed 51 and shared a 101-run third-wicket partnership with Peter Handscomb who top scored with 57. Liddle also picked up both Handscomb and Travis Head.

Marsh entered with 92 runs still required and finished the job with ease. He hit five sixes in his unbeaten 51-ball 53 to help guide the side home.

This followed his three-wicket haul earlier in the day. Marsh took the opening wicket of the morning and then returned to make the key breakthrough picking George Hankins after a 142-run stand with James Bracey.

Hankins made 74 while Bracey top-scored with 83, but the innings fell away dramatically after Bracey's dismissal in the 39th over. Gloucestershire scored just 52 runs in the last 12 overs. Marsh also nabbed skipper Jack Taylor and ran out Tom Price on the last ball of the innings.

Josh Hazlewood bowled a impressively miserly spell taking 1 for 24 from 10 overs which included four maidens.

The mystery team is unwrapped: Five-time All-Star center Al Horford has agreed to a four-year, $109 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, agent Jason Glushon told ESPN.

Horford, 33, is leaving the Boston Celtics to join the Atlantic Division rival and fortify the Sixers as one of the NBA's best defensive teams. The Sixers imagine a lineup with Horford at the power forward alongside center Joel Embiid.

The commitment of Horford spells the end of Jimmy Butler's six-month run with the Sixers, league sources said. The Miami Heat are finalizing a sign-and-trade with Philadelphia to acquire Butler, league sources tell ESPN.

The deal includes $97 million in guaranteed money, and $12 million in bonuses tied to championships. The Celtics' final offer did cover four years but was less in guaranteed money, league sources said.

Horford, whose suitors in free agency remained largely unknown until Sunday night, spent the past three years with the Celtics, where he declined his $30 million option for next season to become a free agent.

He is one of 10 players in the past 40 years with at least five All-Star appearances and 12 consecutive seasons in the playoffs, including Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, Kevin McHale, Scottie Pippen and Tony Parker.

Horford spent the first nine years of his career with the Atlanta Hawks before signing with the Boston Celtics in 2016. Last season, he averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Horford started in all 68 games in which he appeared for Boston during the 2018-19 season.

Horford has been one of the East's best two-way players with a unique ability to stretch the floor with his shooting. Horford shot 36 percent on three's last season, and averaged 1.3 blocks a game.

Source: Knicks didn't want to offer KD max deal

Published in Basketball
Sunday, 30 June 2019 18:07

The New York Knicks were not prepared to offer Kevin Durant the four-year, $164 million contract he eventually committed to with the Brooklyn Nets because of concerns about his recovery from his Achilles injury, league sources told ESPN.

Coming off such a catastrophic injury, Durant was interested in only maximum contract offers. With New York unwilling to take that risk, the Knicks front office instead flew to Los Angeles to meet with and secure a commitment from Julius Randle on a three-year, $63 million deal.

Durant had long been a focus for the Knicks, who made several trades this year to secure the requisite salary-cap space to sign him and another superstar. However, their thinking changed after Durant's injury, which is likely to keep him out all of next season.

The parties never discussed financial terms of a possible deal, but Durant wouldn't have considered an offer below the full max, which Brooklyn, the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers offered, league sources said.

Knicks president Steve Mills addressed fans in the aftermath of Durant's commitment to the Nets in a statement released Sunday night.

"While we understand that some Knicks fans could be disappointed with tonight's news, we continue to be upbeat and confident in our plans to rebuild the Knicks to compete for championships in the future, through both the draft and targeted free agents," Mills wrote.

The Miami Heat are finalizing a sign-and-trade deal with the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire star guard Jimmy Butler, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Miami is sending guard Josh Richardson to Philadelphia as part of the deal, sources said Sunday. The Heat will also move guard Goran Dragic to the Dallas Mavericks, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported.

It has been an eventful two years for Butler. The No. 30 pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls developed into a three-time All-Star in the Windy City -- only eventually to be traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves and reunited with his former coach, Tom Thibodeau, two summers ago.

Then, after getting Minnesota to its first playoff appearance without Kevin Garnett on the roster, Butler requested a trade last fall. After a chaotic few weeks, he eventually landed in Philadelphia in exchange for forwards Robert Covington and Dario Saric in November. He was later joined by Tobias Harris, whom the Sixers acquired just before February's trade deadline, to create arguably the NBA's most star-studded lineup.

play
1:58

Heat find Wade's replacement in Butler

Ramona Shelburne reports that Jimmy Butler is going to the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade with the 76ers, Rachel Nichols, Matt Barnes and Chiney Ogwumike discuss

Butler's time in Philadelphia was rocky but, ultimately, he proved exactly what the Sixers hoped he would be in the playoffs: the kind of closer the team believed it was lacking after a disappointing loss in five games to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2018. Ultimately, though, Philadelphia fell just short of beating the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in the 2019 East semifinals thanks to Kawhi Leonard's insane four-bounce buzzer-beater in Game 7.

Butler, who turns 30 in September, averaged 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.9 steals in 65 combined games in Minnesota and Philadelphia this past season.

Information from ESPN's Tim Bontemps was used in this report.

Sources: Nets to sign Durant, Kyrie and DeAndre

Published in Basketball
Sunday, 30 June 2019 18:55

Free-agent All-NBA star Kevin Durant plans to sign a four-year, $164 million contract to play for the Brooklyn Nets, he confirmed Sunday.

Durant will join free agents Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, who also plan to sign with the franchise. Players can officially sign their contracts starting Saturday.

Irving will sign for four years and $141 million, league sources said, while Jordan has agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal, Excel Sports agent Jeff Schwartz told ESPN.

Veteran guard Garrett Temple has also agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with Brooklyn, agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPN.

The deals mark a remarkable chain of events for a franchise that general manager Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson found in disrepair less than four years ago.

Across town, the New York Knicks and owner Jim Dolan were not prepared to offer Durant a full max contract because of concerns over his recovery from the Achilles tendon injury that is likely to sideline him for all of next season, league sources told ESPN.

After ESPN reported the planned deals, Caesars Sportsbook shortened the Nets' odds to win the 2019-20 title to 18-1 from 25-1 on Sunday afternoon, following some bets on Brooklyn placed at the company's New Jersey shops, a sportsbook manager said.

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1:36

Perkins: Nets are the 'perfect situation' for KD

Kendrick Perkins reacts to Kevin Durant's decision to sign with the Brooklyn Nets alongside Kyrie Irving.

Kevin Durant

Durant declined his $31.5 million player option in June, officially setting him up for unrestricted free agency. He was eligible to remain with the Golden State Warriors on a five-year, $221 million deal, or sign a four-year, $164 million deal with another team.

Leading up to free agency, Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman had been in New York, where they mulled the star forward's free-agency options. Durant had been considering a number of scenarios, including a return to Golden State, while the LA Clippers also were believed to be a consideration beyond Brooklyn and the Knicks, sources had told ESPN.

Durant and Kleiman met with Warriors general manager Bob Myers on Sunday in New York and delivered him the news on the decision to leave Golden State, league sources told ESPN. The other teams were informed later in the day.

The Nets and all the teams who were in the Durant sweepstakes knew they likely would be without his services for the entire 2019-20 season. Durant ruptured his right Achilles on June 10, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, a devastating injury that changed the entire dynamic of the NBA offseason. He underwent surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York on June 12.

The Achilles tear, suffered as he tried to drive past Toronto Raptors big man Serge Ibaka in the second quarter of Game 5 in Toronto, came after Durant had missed a month-plus of the playoffs with a right calf injury suffered May 8 against the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals. The Raptors game had marked his return to the court, but it proved short-lived, and Toronto won the Finals in Game 6 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

Durant, who turns 31 in September, finished the postseason averaging 32.3 points per game on 51% shooting from the field, 44% shooting from 3-point range and 90% shooting from the free throw line. He's the first player in NBA history to average 30 points per game on 50-40-90 shooting in a single postseason (minimum five games).

The second overall pick in the 2007 draft, Durant spent his first nine NBA seasons with Seattle/Oklahoma City, then signed with the Warriors in 2016 to give them a superteam that included fellow All-Stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Durant helped lead Golden State to NBA titles in 2017 and '18, winning Finals MVP both times. He's a 10-time All-Star (and was named All-Star Game MVP in 2012 and '19) and six-time first-team All-NBA honoree, and also won Rookie of the Year in 2007-08 and league MVP in 2013-14. He has led the NBA in scoring four times, and his current 27 points per game average ranks sixth all time.

Durant is one of five players to win at least one Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star Game MVP and scoring title, joining LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.

Kyrie Irving

A year ago, it seemed as though Irving would be in Boston for the long term.

In a season-ticket holder meeting in October, he declared: "If you'll have me, I'll re-sign." Around the same time, he made a commercial with his father, Drederick, inside an empty TD Garden, and spoke of ensuring no one else ever would wear No. 11 for the Celtics.

After a disappointing season for the Celtics, though, things are much different now. Individually, Irving had one of the best seasons of his career, and was a deserving second-team All-NBA selection. Boston, however, was not nearly as good as the lofty preseason expectations for the franchise, and flamed out in five games in the second round of the playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks -- with Irving going a combined 21-for-65 in the final three games of that series (all losses).

Along the way, he got into repeated public back-and-forths with the team's younger players, and also announced after a victory over the Raptors in January that he'd made up with James -- a relationship that wasn't in a good place when Irving requested a trade away from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017. And his free agency officially became a hot-button topic Feb. 1 at Madison Square Garden, when he announced, "Ask me July 1," when asked whether he'd stay in Boston, later adding, "I don't owe anybody s---."

In 67 games last season for Boston, Irving, 27, averaged 23.8 points, along with career highs of 5.0 rebounds and 6.9 assists.

DeAndre Jordan

After 10 seasons with the Clippers, Jordan signed a one-year, $22.9 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks last offseason. The center made 50 starts for Dallas, averaging 11.0 points and 13.7 rebounds before being dealt to the Knicks in late January as part of the Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster.

New York convinced Jordan not to seek a buyout after the trade, hoping he could mentor some of the team's younger big men, notably Mitchell Robinson. Jordan saw his playing time dwindle as the Knicks went with younger lineups, and he was a DNP-coach's decision in the team's final seven games.

Jordan, who turns 31 on July 21, acknowledged it was "strange" not to be a regular but called the decision mutual. And while New York endured another playoff-less season, going a league-worst 17-65, the unrestricted free agent said he liked the franchise's direction.

"I love it here," Jordan told the New York Post late in the season. "I love what [first-year coach David Fizdale] is doing here. Obviously there's a lot of things that these guys want to do to get better, to better the organization. We'll see what happens."

An 11-year veteran and three-time All-NBA player, Jordan holds career averages of 9.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. His 66.9 field goal percentage ranks first in the NBA among active players.

Information from ESPN's Tim Bontemps was used in this report.

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Braves reliever Swarzak on IL with inflammation

Published in Baseball
Sunday, 30 June 2019 17:14

NEW YORK -- Atlanta Braves reliever Anthony Swarzak has been placed on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his pitching shoulder, a significant blow to the bullpen for the National League East leaders.

The team hopes the right-hander will be ready to return July 12, immediately after the All-Star break.

The move was made Sunday, retroactive to Saturday. Right-hander Chad Sobotka was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett before Atlanta's series finale against the Mets.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said Swarzak mentioned some discomfort when he came off the mound Friday night after escaping a bases-loaded jam to preserve a one-run lead in the seventh inning of a 6-2 victory over New York.

"It's nothing structural, nothing bad, so hopefully this little time off, he'll be good to go in San Diego after the break,'' Snitker said. "Just hope it's nothing more than what it is. But he checked out and everything and they don't feel like it's anything that's going to be a problem.''

The 33-year-old Swarzak, pitching for his eighth big league team, has provided a major boost to the Braves since arriving from Seattle in a May 20 trade. He has allowed only one run and eight hits in 17⅓ innings, striking out 21.

Swarzak has thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings over his past 13 appearances, and his success earned him a late-inning role in high-leverage situations.

Sobotka had a 7.07 ERA in 14 relief outings with Atlanta this year. He had given up 13 hits, nine walks and three home runs in 14 innings.

In other injury news, second baseman Ozzie Albies was out of the starting lineup. Albies exited Saturday's game after getting hit by a pitch on the inside of his left elbow. He wore a protective sleeve on the elbow Sunday afternoon but was available off the bench, Snitker said.

Controversial fan-interference decision costs Cubs

Published in Baseball
Sunday, 30 June 2019 20:12

CINCINNATI -- The Chicago Cubs must feel like when it rains, it pours on them, especially on the road, as they saw everything go against them in an 8-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Most damaging was a fan-interference call in the top of the third inning that turned a foul ball into the final out, while runners were standing on second and third base.

"You know what I would like you to do? Call New York," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said after the game, referencing Major League Baseball headquarters. "Because I'm tired of getting fined, quite frankly. I want my grandkids to go to college. Every time I make a comment on umpires, I get fined. I prefer that you call New York and ask them. Please do. Please do. Because I want to hear what they have to say. It was just way too ambiguous to be overturned for me."

With his team down 3-0, first baseman Anthony Rizzo hit a 1-0 pitch down the left field line, where Reds outfielder Phillip Ervin began tracking it. As he and the ball converged near the wall in foul territory, a young fan reached out to try to catch it.

The initial call was just a foul ball, but a video review determined the fan interfered and Rizzo was declared out. It was the fifth time a fan-interference call went to video replay this season, according to the league.

"The Replay Official definitively determined that the spectator reached over the field of play and interfered with the fielder's attempt to catch the ball," a league spokesperson said. "Because the spectator interference clearly prevented the fielder from catching the ball, the call was ruled spectator interference, it was overturned, and the batter was out."

Rizzo and Maddon immediately argued the reversal with the umpires, to no avail. Rizzo could be seen asking, "How do you know?" -- referencing the notion that there is no way to know if the ball would have been caught without the interference.

"In real time, the guy is going at a wall," Rizzo said later. "He could make the catch, right? Our left fielder just missed a routine fly ball, though. Could he have made the catch? Yes. Could he have run into the wall first? Real time, they call no fan interference. They go to replay, slow-motion replay, it gets overturned.

"It's a weird play and sucks."

The play contributed to the Cubs' 15th loss in June, marking the first time they've had a losing month since May 2017 -- and just the third losing month (excluding March and October) under Maddon since he took over in 2015. The Cubs were 14-15 in June.

"That's below .500," Sunday's losing pitcher, Jon Lester, said. "That's not good. That's not a high standard. We'll be better."

Maddon didn't disagree with his pitcher nor try to spin it. In fact, he said he thinks the Cubs were fortunate not to have lost more games in the month. As is, they dropped into a tie with the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central, with just 5½ games separating the top of the division from the bottom.

"It could have been a lot worse," Maddon said. "That's the kind of the team we've been the entire month. We've been a .500 team, so it's reflected in our record. We haven't played well enough to be better than that."

3 Dodgers aces make All-Star team; Ryu to start

Published in Baseball
Sunday, 30 June 2019 16:01

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is expected to start for the National League in the All-Star Game, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday. Ryu has a league-best ERA of 1.83 and is second in wins with nine.

The news comes on the same day it was revealed that two other Dodgers starters -- Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler -- had been added to the All-Star squad. They join teammate Cody Bellinger, the MVP-candidate outfielder who was voted in as a starter.

It was the eighth All-Star selection for Kershaw, tied for most in this season's game with Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, who was voted in to his eighth last week.

Three Houston pitchers -- Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and reliever Ryan Pressly -- were also added to the All-Star team Sunday, giving the Astros six All-Stars, the most in the majors. Houston third baseman Alex Bregman and outfielders George Springer and Michael Brantley had already been voted in as American League starters.

Manager Alex Cora's AL squad also added New York Yankees flamethrower Aroldis Chapman to the pitching staff, as well as starters Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox and Jake Odorizzi of the Minnesota Twins, who are in a tie for the AL lead in wins with 10; and Mike Minor of the Texas Rangers and Charlie Morton of the Tampa Bay Rays, who are 1-2 in the league in ERA. The Toronto Blue Jays' Marcus Stroman, the Detroit Tigers' Shane Greene, the Cleveland Indians' Brad Hand and the Baltimore Orioles' John Means round out the pitchers.

Cora also gets two players from his Red Sox team, outfielder Mookie Betts and designated hitter J.D. Martinez, as well as Indians fan favorite Francisco Lindor. The game will be played at Cleveland's Progressive Field on July 9.

White Sox catcher James McCann and first baseman Jose Abreu were also named to the AL team, as were Rangers slugger Joey Gallo, Matt Chapman of the Oakland Athletics, Tommy La Stella of the Angels, Daniel Vogelbach of the Seattle Mariners, Austin Meadows of the Rays and Whit Merrifield of the Kansas City Royals

In the National League, the Washington Nationals' Max Scherzer was named to his seventh All-Star team and the Arizona Diamondbacks' Zack Greinke to his sixth, but most of the rest of the pitching staff features players making their first All-Star appearances: Mike Soroka of the Atlanta Braves, Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins, Luis Castillo of the Cincinnati Reds, Will Smith of the San Francisco Giants and Kirby Yates of the San Diego Padres. The Mets' Jacob deGrom, making his third appearance, and the Milwaukee Brewers' Josh Hader, making his second, round out the NL pitchers.

Mets rookie Pete Alonso and Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Josh Bell -- who will both compete in the Home Run Derby -- were added to the NL squad, along with Alonso's teammate, outfielder Jeff McNeil, also making his first appearance on the team.

Roberts' team will have three catchers, with the Brewers' Yasmani Grandal and the Philadelphia Phillies' J.T. Realmuto joining starter Willson Contreras of the Chicago Cubs.

Two Colorado sluggers, outfielders Charlie Blackmon and shortstop Trevor Story, were named to the NL squad along with teammate David Dahl. The Cubs' Kris Bryant, the St. Louis Cardinals' Paul DeJong, the Brewers' Mike Moustakas and the Nationals' Anthony Rendon round out the squad.

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