Girardi says Gardner worthy of All-Star nod

BALTIMORE -- Brett Gardner's name has not yet appeared on any of the All-Star balloting updates, but manager Joe Girardi is hoping that oversight will be corrected.

"I think he's worthy of being on the All-Star team," Girardi said. "I think he's had a great first half defensively, offensively. He's played every day. I believe he's an All-Star."

Gardner, 29, entered play on Saturday batting .288 with seven home runs, 29 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 79 games, bouncing back from a season in which he was limited to 16 games because of an injured right elbow.

Gardner has hit safely in 26 of 32 games since May 24, batting .331 over that stretch. He had a .347 on-base percentage and .450 slugging percentage entering Saturday.

The only Yankees outfielder to rank near the top of any balloting update was Ichiro Suzuki, who clocked in at 15th at each checkpoint. Robinson Cano has led AL second basemen at each update.