Cruz, Wieters and Jones voted as starters for All-Star Game

BOSTON - Interest in free agent outfielder Nelson Cruz over the winter was tepid at best. Catcher Matt Wieters hasn't played since May 10 due to an elbow injury that led to season-ending ligament-reconstructive surgery.

In one of those crazy twists of baseball fate, Cruz and Wieters were voted into the 2014 All-Star Game for the first time in their careers, the announcement coming tonight from Major League Baseball. They join center fielder Adam Jones, who started last year for the American League.

The game will be played June 15 at Target Field in Minnesota.

The Orioles have three starters for the second consecutive year, though Wieters won't play due to his season-ending elbow surgery. None of their pitchers were chosen.

Cruz began today batting .286/.353/.581 with 16 doubles, 27 homers and 70 RBIs in 86 games, then collected three more hits and his 71st RBI. The 27 home runs match his total from last season with the Rangers. He had hits in seven consecutive at-bats, and eight in nine trips to the plate, during the Red Sox series that concluded today.

Cruz, who also made the AL All-Star team as a reserve in 2009 and 2013, was suspended 50 games last season for his part in the Biogenesis scandal.

Reminded how Cruz settled for a one-year, $8 million contract with the Orioles on Feb. 24, manager Buck Showalter smiled and said, "We'd all love to settle for that."

"I'd like to say how smart we are and we knew the market and all that stuff, but let's face it: It kind of fell in there a little bit," Showalter said. "Nelson's been solid. He's been a good teammate. He's taken everything that's come his way with a lot of class. I think it's a nice reward for him."

Wieters was batting .308/.339/.500 with five doubles, five homers and 18 RBIs in 26 games before being shut down and later undergoing surgery. He made the All-Star Game as a reserve in 2011 and 2012.

Oakland catcher Derek Norris made a late push for the starting berth, but Wieters finished ahead of him.

"A little shocked there, but I definitely feel very fortunate and blessed to be able to have the opportunity to make an All-Star team, even though I was only fortunate enough to play one month of the season," Wieters said today during a conference call with reporters.

"Every Monday when (the balloting) came out, we'd check it out. When you know what kind of fans the Orioles have, you can see how it can happen. When you have a fan base that's as loyal to the team as any other, it speaks a lot for them more than anything else, to be able to get multiple guys in it and get a player who only played for a month in the All-Star Game."

Wieters confirmed that he will attend the game.

"I think when the fans vote you in, it's your duty to go," he said. "It's a fun event, it's a great event. MLB does a great job of putting it on, and I'm able to go and support other teammates, which is always fun, to watch your own guys play in that game. And there's no better seat than in the dugout."

Showalter said he was "proud" of Wieters, who led in voting from the beginning.

"Quite frankly, the reputation in the game says something," Showalter said. "It tells you what people think of Matt. It tells you a few other things, but we'll take it as a (tribute) to a good player and a good person.

"I can't say it's a flaw in the system. People get to vote on who they want to."

Jones, who ranked fifth among AL outfielders in voting going into the final week, was batting .309/.332/.506 with 18 doubles, two triples, 16 homers and 53 RBIs in 87 games before today. He singled twice to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.

Jones will start for the second consecutive year. He's made four All-Star teams.

"I'm real proud of Jonesy," Showalter said. "I've said many times, nobody plays the game harder for nine innings, and expects ... doesn't want you to get anyone mad at you if you talk about him not playing. It's a very just reward for the way he goes about his business. Very well respected among other players because he does something none of them can do, which is post up and play hard every day.

"I look at the weight charts, what he comes into camp at, what he leaves at. He's in a good place in his life. He's a guy that's very easy to trust with a contract. It doesn't drive him. We were talking the other day. How much is enough? He's come a long way from our first sitdown together to be the man, the leader and the player he's become. He's in an elite area. It's a just reward for him, so we're very proud of our guys.

"And on the flip side, I'm proud that some guys are going to get some time off. I can make a case for a couple of other years. J.J. (Hardy) is having a great year. Not a good year, a great year. I don't care about the power or any of that stuff. He's playing shortstop well enough...better than many people can."

Right fielder Nick Markakis failed to make his first All-Star team.

"That's kind of disappointing, but he's an All-Star to his teammates, fans," Showalter said. "I just hope we all appreciate what we're getting a chance to be a part of every day and watch. He's just consistent.

"We're doing a T-shirt with all the words to describe Markakis and everybody had something to give to them. I hope the T-shirt is big."

What is Showalter's word for Markakis?

"Reliable," Showalter said. "It's tough to describe Nick without going into a bunch of them. He's just sincere. He's flashy in the fact that he's consistent. He's like J.J. I look at them differently. They're flashy in their ability to make plays and not draw attention to themselves that other people couldn't make in a flashy manner.

"There's other guys, too. It says something about our fans. They're doing their part. They did a good job supporting our guys, but you don't get this without national support. It's tough to keep guys like this under the radar because they're too good. It's not that we're trying to. We like the fact that other people around the country are getting something that we already knew."

Showalter joked about stuffing the ballot box for Jones.

"I voted 74 times," he said. "I flopped a few times like in soccer.

"That's pretty cool, so I don't know exactly how it happened. I don't get a chance to surprise Adam too often, but I got him a little bit. I started off by telling him the time in Atlanta when I had to tell him he hadn't made it. I can't keep a straight face with him. That's cool."

Cruz is 0-for-1 in the All-Star Game. Wieters is 0-for-3 and Jones is 1-or-5 with a double, RBI and run scored.