The fans have voted 36-year old lefty swinging outfielder Ichiro Suzuki into the starting lineup. It will be his 10th appearance in the mid-summer classic. Ichiro has played in 80 games this season for the Mariners and he is 108 of 327 (.330 avg, .807 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 3 homers, 24 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. His run production numbers look so poor because he’s getting absolutely no help in the lineup. 31-year old lefty starting pitcher Cliff Lee was selected for the pitching staff. Lee has started 12 games for the Mariners this season and he is 7-3 with a 2.45 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. He has only given up 83 hits in 95 2/3 innings this season for the Mariners. Lee has also whiffed 78 batters while only walking 5 so far this season which is pretty remarkable when you think about it. Hopefully the Mariners will wait to trade Lee until after the all-star game so he can wear a Mariners’ uniform.

The Mariners have signed 27-year old righty reliever Mark Worrell to a minor league deal. Worrell has pitched one scoreless inning for the Mariners’ AAA-team already. He pitched in 25 games (0 starts) for the Padres’ AAA-team earlier this season and he was 1-4 with a 5.45 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Worrell got his first and only taste of the majors in 2008 with the Cardinals. He pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals in 2008 and he was 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA and a 2.12 WHIP. It never hurts to stockpile pitchers like Worrell in AAA so I like this signing for the Mariners.