Bautista top vote-getter; Brewers land three on All-Star team

NEW YORK (AP) — Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Roy Halladay led the usual slew of Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies picked for the All-Star game. Joining in this year, a Brew Crew.

Outfielder Ryan Braun, first baseman Prince Fielder and second baseman Rickie Weeks made up a Milwaukee trio elected by fans to start July 12 in Phoenix. Quite a haul, the largest ever for a small-market team better known for sausage races than pennant races.

“It means the Milwaukee Brewers have arrived on the national scene,” Braun, the top NL vote-getter, said Sunday before the Central co-leaders visited Minnesota.

Fielder and Weeks were among several players who overcame voting deficits in the final week. Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp and Detroit catcher Alex Avila also rallied late to earn starting spots.

Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista, the reigning home run champion, drew a record 7.4 million votes. He became the first Blue Jays player elected to start since Carlos Delgado in 2003.

Bautista homered Saturday off Halladay, then hit his major league-leading 27th homer Sunday against Philadelphia’s Cliff Lee.

“People are recognizing that you’re doing well and for me it’s been in three different territories — the United States and Canada and the Dominican,” Bautista said. “I can’t even describe how good that feels.”

The AL starting lineup: Adrian Gonzalez at first base, Robinson Cano at second, Jeter at shortstop, Alex Rodriguez at third base, with Bautista, Josh Hamilton and Curtis Granderson in the outfield, Avila behind the plate and Ortiz at designated hitter.

The NL starters: Fielder at first, Weeks at second, Reyes at short, Placido Polanco at third, with Braun, Kemp and Lance Berkman in the outfielder and Brian McCann catching. San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy will choose the DH.

Fans can vote on MLB.com through Thursday for the 34th player on each side. Injuries are sure to impact the final rosters, too — three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols was left off while recovering from a broken left wrist and Reyes is nursing a hamstring problem.

Once again, the league that wins will get home-field advantage in the World Series. Led by McCann, the NL won last year for the first time since 1996.

Phillies aces Cole Hamels, Halladay and Lee were part of the 13-man NL staff, showing why Philadelphia has the best record in the majors.

The World Series champion San Francisco Giants put four pitchers on the squad: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Brian Wilson and Ryan Vogelsong.

Vogelsong will certainly be among the feel-good stories in Arizona. At 33, he’d spent the previous four years in Japan and the minors before getting called up early this season.

Jeter, a 12-time All-Star set to come off the disabled list Monday, will be among six New York Yankees heading to the desert. Also going are 14-time All-Star Rodriguez, Cano, Granderson, closer Mariano Rivera and backup catcher Russell Martin.

The 37-year-old Jeter always seems to be a lightning rod when it comes to awards and honors, ratcheting up the debate of popularity vs. production. He’s in the midst of another down year and has been hurt — Cleveland shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is having a breakout season and made the AL team as a backup, deserving Jhonny Peralta of Detroit was left off.

The Yankees own the best record in the AL, although two of their stars were among the notable omissions: CC Sabathia, tied for the major league high in wins, and first baseman Mark Teixeira, among the leaders in homers and RBIs.

The rival Red Sox put four players on the team: Gonzalez, Ortiz, pitcher Josh Beckett and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury.

“Seems like the Yankees always take care of all the All-Star voting every year, so it’s just disappointing to not see more Red Sox on that team,” Boston ace Jon Lester said.