Royals’ Moustakas, Cardinals’ Martinez win final fan vote

Moustakas has 87 hits on the season, trailing Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar by just one hit to lead the club. 301 with seven home runs and 31 runs batted in. It’s tough to let yourself get hit with a ball and not make it look natural, unnatural, whatever you say. He was tagged for five runs and nine hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

“In that fifth inning, I didn’t execute my pitches”, Locke said.

Cardinals: Wong stayed in the game to play the final four innings at second base in his first action since sustaining a mild concussion Tuesday….RF Matt Holliday, who has been on the disabled list since June 9 with a strained right quadriceps, might be activated Friday.

“It doesn’t bother me”, he said.

Cole (13-3) allowed two runs – both on third baseman Matt Carpenter’s third-inning homer – and six hits while striking out three and walking two.

13-0. Cole’s record this season in his 15 starts in which the Pirates have scored at least two runs.

Burnett has a 1.66 ERA in his last six starts. “This is a good team we’re playing”. Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless ninth for his National League-leading 29th save in 30 opportunities.

Carpenter and Molina finished with two hits each.

The Cardinals’ Jhonny Peralta and rookie Tommy Pham had two hits apiece.

Moustakas beat out Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, Detroit Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, and Minnesota Twins second baseaman Brian Dozier with the hashtag #VoteMoose to become an All-Star.

“I voted. But I kind of do the traditional vote, one time”, Royals general manager Dayton Moore said before Wednesday night’s game against Tampa Bay.

The Pirates took advantage Friday in ways they failed to Thursday night and beat the Cardinals, 5-2.

Moustakas had been away from the team for the previous four games to be with his ailing mother, missing out on much of the campaigning for the final spot.

“All that matters to him is winning”, Royals pitcher Danny Duffy said, “but I think it would be extremely gratifying for him to get what he deserves, in my opinion”. If they thought I really tried to get in the way of it, both guys are out. “It really puts everything else in perspective”. After all, the game is in Cincinnati and Reds fans may have pushed Johnny Cueto to the top spot. Minnesota parked a bulldozer outside Target Field and the second baseman got support from fellow athletes such as Brett Favre, the Wild’s Zach Parise and Ryan Carter and the Vikings’ Chad Greenway. “It’s kind of insane in the fact of how that’s the voting process, but we had a lot of fun with it”.