TORONTO – Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada is headed to his first all-star game after being named to the American League squad on Tuesday night.
For Estrada, the selection comes on his 33rd birthday and as he has not only repeated a breakout 2015 season, but actually made further gains, despite struggling with back issues over his past four starts.
Heading into Tuesday’s action, his 2.93 earned-run average was tied for third among American League starters with Chris Sale and Cole Hamels, while his 0.99 WHIP was a hair behind’s Sale’s 0.98 for the league lead.
No one has a lower hits-per-nine rate than his 5.52 (Danny Salazar is a distant second at 6.27) or opponents average against than his .173 (well ahead of Salazar’s .195).
The Blue Jays acquired Estrada after the 2014 season in a trade with Milwaukee for Adam Lind. The right-hander had led the National League in homers allowed that year with 29, but he bounced back in a big way last year, going 13-8 with a 3.13 ERA and 1.044 WHIP.
