SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -Chin-Lung Hu showed off a skill that is sure to please the Los Angeles Dodgers: the ability to perform in San Francisco.
Hu had a pair of RBI hits and stole a base in the home ballpark of the Dodgers’ biggest rival, leading the World team to a 7-2 victory over the U.S. team in the All-Star Futures game on Sunday.
The Double-A shortstop from Taiwan still has more to prove before he can make it to the big leagues for the Dodgers but showed off some of his talents for former Giants great Juan Marichal’s World team that featured players from 11 countries and territories.
He hit an RBI double off Tampa Bay’s Jeff Niemann in the first inning, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Seattle’s Wladimir Balentien to give the World team a 2-0 lead. Hu added an RBI single in the third off Yankees prospect Joba Chamberlain to make it 3-0.
Cincinnati’s Joey Votto hit a solo homer against Boston’s Clay Buchholz in the sixth inning and Houston’s James Van Ostrand added one in the seventh against the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw to make it 6-2.
Arizona’s Justin Upton, whose older brother B.J. played in this game in 2004 and ’05, hit a solo homer in the third off Fautino De Los Santos of the White Sox for the first run for Dave Winfield’s U.S. team.
Texas’ John Whittleman added a solo shot in the fifth against Deolis Guerra of the New York Mets. Guerra, who turned 18 in April, was the youngest player in the game.
Rick Vanden Hurk allowed one hit and struck out one batter in the first inning to get the win. Unlike most of the other players who are still waiting for their call to the majors, Vanden Hurk has already been there, going 2-2 with an 8.38 ERA in seven appearances with the Florida Marlins before being sent back to the minors last month.
Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury was another player in this game with major league experience, playing six games with the Red Sox before being sent back to the minors on Friday. With Detroit’s Cameron Maybin sidelined with an injury, Ellsbury got his chance to play in the Futures game after all.
“It’s been a crazy week,” Ellsbury said. “It means a lot to me to play with these guys. There are a lot of guys who will be in the big leagues in the near future.”
If history is an indication, the future really should be bright for many of these players as 22 of the All-Stars are Futures alums even though the game was first played in 1999. In all, 39 players have gone from the Futures game to the All-Star game.
Thirteen players from last year’s game have played in the majors this season, including Houston’s Hunter Pence, Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun and Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki.
Florida’s Chris Coghlan had a difficult first inning at second base, booting Michael Saunders’ grounder for an error to lead off the game and then dropping a fly ball by Max Ramirez. But right fielder Jay Bruce saved Coghlan from a second error when he alertly caught the ball after it deflected off Coghlan’s glove but before it hit the ground for the third out.
Cleveland’s Chuck Lofgren, a Bay Area product who went to the same high school as Giants star Barry Bonds, pitched a scoreless second inning for the U.S. team. Lofgren also was an accomplished hitter at Serra High School, hitting 10 homers as a junior to tie Bonds for fourth most in a season at the school.
The World team scored its fourth run in the fourth when Ramirez doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Arizona’s Carlos Gonzalez. Balentien had an RBI double in the seventh.
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