Stringer: This could be the NL's year

I can’t imagine what Bob Gibson, Pete Rose, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and the past National League All-Stars are thinking these days.

Once the stomping grounds for the senior circuit to promote its dominance over the junior circuit, the Midsummer Classic has turned into a showcase of American League brute talent and NL deficiency.

The sanctuary for light-hitting pitchers and aging, designated- hitting superstars hasn’t lost a game since 1996, and the 7-7 tie in Milwaukee in 2002 provided little solace for the frustrated NL.

The AL’s 13-year undefeated streak, including seven straight wins, is unprecedented in the 80 years of All-Star Games.  Not even the overpowering NL teams of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s –– who between a span of 1963-82 went 19-1 in the Midsummer Classic –– showcased such dominance.

It’s a streak that has everyone, including AL fans, scratching their heads and asking, “Is the AL really that superior?” The numbers would argue yes.

Since 1997 –– the year Bud Selig introduced America’s pastime to interleague play –– the AL has won eight of the past 13 World Series and amassed an 1,808-1,652 record against the senior circuit. That mark includes a winning record for seven straight seasons and 10 out of 14, including this year’s 134-118 record.

But while the statistics can be worked to illustrate the AL’s dominance, those same numbers work against the AL in the 81st All-Star Game.

As Democrat Sports Editor Kyle Smith and the entire country have pointed out, the two perfect games, the Armando Galarraga gem and the pair of no-hitters have made this the “Year of the Pitcher.”

No doubt, Oakland Athletics’ ace Dallas Braden and the Detroit Tigers’ Galarraga have helped hype that epithet. But outside of their gems, the scales on the mound have tipped to the NL’s favor.

Let’s take a look a look at NL’s dream-team staff.

Ubaldo Jimenez, the first pitcher to reach 15 wins by the All-Star break since David Wells, gets the nod at starter, while Mr. Perfecto Roy Halladay, hottest-pitcher-in-the-game Josh Johnson, two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum and the powerful St. Louis duo of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter headline an impressive bullpen.

The NL –– which boasts eight of the top 10 MLB leaders in ERA –– is so loaded with quality arms that rookie Jaime Garcia and his MLB third-best 2.17 ERA and Mat Latos, whose 2.45 ERA is ninth in the league and better than all but two of the AL hurlers, were left off the roster.

Also, out of the eight starters on the roster, Carpenter’s 3.29 ERA –– just one of the three 3-plus ERAs on the team ––  is the most inflated.

The numbers in the AL pen aren’t nearly as flashy in comparison.

While the ERAs are likely to be a bit bloated considering the extra offensive weapon in AL lineups, the numbers don’t scream All-Star caliber.

David Price, coming off a rocky 4.42 ERA sophomore campaign, gets the starting nod after finishing the first half with MLB’s seventh-best but AL-leading 2.42 ERA. Cliff Lee, Jon Lester and CC Sabathia, and to a lesser extent Justin Verlander and Andy Pettite, add some pop to the equation, but after that, things get a little dicey. One bad start away from reaching the 4-plus ERA range, Fausto Carmona, Phil Hughes and Jered Weaver round out the starting arms.

But the biggest hole lies in a bullpen that’s without Jonathan Papelbon and it’s fearless leader, Mariano Rivera.

Rivera –– who will be sitting out due to inflammation in his right knee and a sore oblique –– hasn’t allowed an earned run in eight appearances and has three saves in the past five years in the Midsummer Classic.

Without Papelbon and Rivera, not to mention Joe Nathan, who elected to have Tommy John surgery before the season started, the leads are no longer safe as the AL will turn to second-year All-Star Andrew Bailey, rookies Neftali Perez (3.82 ERA) and Matt Thornton (2.70 ERA) and veteran closers Jose Valverde and Joakim Soria. With the AL’s last four wins coming by just one run, the bullpen’s performance will loom large.

But a look at the lineups begs the question, can the AL scratch across enough runs to give their bullpen the lead?

Despite boasting seven starters with an average north of .300, compared to five starters from the NL, the pop in the AL bats doesn’t quite measure up to the NL.

The NL’s starting lineup leads the AL’s in home runs (126-119) and RBIs (492-487), and the benches are pretty similar. For every Alex Rodriguez, Paul Konerko and David Ortiz on the AL, the NL counters with guys like Joey Votto, Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Holliday.

The big difference, though, may be defense. In a game that keeps scorekeepers busy with constant tinkering of the lineups, the NL has Gold Glove winners Michael Bourn, Scott Rolen and Brandon Phillips available on the bench. And if we’ve learned anything from Dan Uggla’s three-error All-Star game two years ago, defense matters.

The statistics and analysis, though, mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. While streaks are unpredictable and fickle, they’re also there for a reason. Some believe the AL to be lucky, while others believe you make your own luck.

The only thing left is to play the game. I just hope the NL plays it a little better.�