BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
Ortiz leads all star voting

July 1, 2013 ... No game scheduled ... It seems safe to say that the Red Sox' David Ortiz will be the designated hitter for the American League.  Ortiz has received 4,398,197 votes and is well ahead of Lance Berkman, who has 2,004,388.  It would be the ninth All-Star selection for Ortiz and seventh time voted in as a starter.   Ortiz ranks fourth in the majors with 57 RBIs since his season debut April 20. He is hitting .317 with a 1.008 OPS.

Dustin Pedroia is second at second base. He has 2,838,129 votes, well behind Robinson Cano of the Yankees (3,974,322).  Pedroia (.322/.401/.443) is having a very comparable season to Cano (.287/.364/.502.).  Mike Napoli is fourth at first base, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is fifth among the catchers, and Jacoby Ellsbury is eighth in the outfield.

When the Padres made the mid-June deal with the Red Sox for Pedro Ciriaco, they were just looking for infield depth.

They had no idea how badly they would end up needing it.

The San Diego Padres made a deal with the Red Sox for Pedro Ciriaco.  The trade was swung June 14 for a player to be named or cash not long after they put second baseman Jedd Gyorko on the disabled list with a groin strain. Two days later they lost shortstop Everth Cabrera to a hamstring strain. Just that quickly Ciriaco went from being insurance to essential.  Ciriaco has played in all of the Padres' 16 games since the trade, making 13 starts at shortstop and one at second base. After struggling to find consistency as Boston's utilityman, he's found a level of stability in San Diego, hitting .255 (13 of 51) with a homer and four RBIs.