make that five

The luster is off the Philadelphia Phillies this season, but that didn’t keep Jonathan Papelbon from making the All-Star Game for the fifth time in his young MLB career. The Mississippi State product, in his seventh full year and first with the Phillies, has 18 saves for a last-place club (36-45) that may be in real trouble in the competitive National League East. Papelbon, who came up with Boston, signed a $50 million free agent contract with Philadelphia in the off-season. Philly fans can be nasty, but they’d be hard-pressed to find fault with Papelbon’s results. He has blown only one save while posting a 3.03 ERA with 37 strikeouts and just seven walks in 29 2/3 innings. Those are star-worthy stats. Former Mississippi Braves closer Craig Kimbrel (23 saves, 1.50 ERA for Atlanta) was an obvious choice for his second All-Star berth, and Ole Miss product Lance Lynn (10-4, 3.62 for St. Louis) and M-Braves alum Matt Harrison (11-3, 3.16 for Texas) are deserving first-timers. P.S. Props to ex-M-Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who was named the NL rookie of the month for June after batting .333 with three home runs and 14 RBIs while also shining on defense.