For the past few days, there's been a lot of outrage over Matt Cain getting the nod to start the 2012 MLB All-Star Game for the National League team.
It's really not that big a deal, but the outrage from Mets fans and people pushing for R.A. Dickey to get more love is pretty intense. As it turns out, there's a pretty good reason why Cain is starting: Buster Posey.
You know, his Giants teammate who's starting behind the plate for the National League. For starters, this makes sense from a competitive standpoint. Posey and Cain work together. They'll be a better pairing to help the National League win the game and gain homefield advantage.
And LaRussa acknowledged that Posey was a factor in starting Cain. He also said that he'd likely bring in the Phillies Carlos Ruiz whenever Dickey entered the game (one would think it might happen after two innings).
Additionally, Peter Gammons reported on Monday that "the Giants did not want Posey catching Dickey." This backs up LaRussa's move, and it kind of makes sense too.
The Giants are a half game out of first place, Posey's playing really well and there's really no need for him to blow out his reconstructed knee chasing after a wild knuckleball from Dickey.
Is that likely to happen? No, probably not. But is it worth chancing a Posey injury during the freaking All-Star Game? Absolutely not.
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Add in that Cain's going to pitch better when he's matched up with Posey, and it really only makes sense to roll the Giants new ace out there to start the game.
