Rosario builds strong campaign with 20th HR
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KANSAS CITY -- Eddie Rosario's fourth-inning drive to right field on Sunday afternoon settled into the seats just inside the foul pole at Kauffman Stadium. It was his 20th homer in less than half a season and it provided another example of why Rosario made the cut in early voting for a possible starting outfield spot in the All-Star Game.
The top nine American League vote getters among outfielders will be in the Starter's Election, which is open until Thursday. The Twins' cleanup hitter finished sixth among AL outfielders in the Primary election with 1,172,657 votes.
Rosario's homer against the Royals on Sunday accounted for all of Minnesota's offense in a 6-1 loss. He also battled through a 14-pitch at-bat in the sixth that ran up Kansas City starter Homer Bailey's pitch count to a point where manager Ned Yost felt compelled to go to his bullpen, even though Rosario eventually struck out.
Besides Rosario, the Twins have shortstop Jorge Polanco, designated hitter Nelson Cruz and first baseman C.J. Cron in the Starter's Election.
Rosario, who hit 27 and 24 homers the previous two seasons, is on pace to go well beyond those numbers.
"He's a good, aggressive Major League hitter," manager Rocco Baldelli said of Rosario. "There's no one way to get him out. He's a guy who is dangerous on every swing that he takes, and has come up big for us several times. You can point to a lot of games where we've come back and won, and he's the one stepping up and getting the big hit."
Rosario's homer on Sunday was his first since June 9 and it snapped Bailey's 16 2/3-innings scoreless streak.
The 2019 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard will be played on Tuesday, July 9, at Progressive Field in Cleveland. It will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. During the game, fans may visit MLB.com and the 30 club sites to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.