Official: Tyler Clippard added to NL All-Star Game roster (Nats win 10-3)

Looks like Tyler Clippard will need to book an airplane ticket to Minneapolis. The Nationals reliever has been added to the All-Star Game roster for the National League, according to a tweet from Ken Rosenthal.

Source: #Nationals' Clippard being added to NL All-Star team.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 13, 2014

Clippard has a 2.03 ERA in 40 innings this season with the Nationals. This is the second All-Star invite for Clippard, who pitched in the 2011 Midsummer Classic and earned the victory, after throwing 1/3 of an inning. He allowed one hit and no runs. The Nationals have not confirmed the Clippard invitation. This is big news for the Nationals after Jordan Zimmermann had to decline due to a biceps strain suffered in Friday's loss to the Phillies. The Nationals had several other worthy candidates, including Anthony Rendon, Doug Fister, Drew Storen and Rafael Soriano. If Clippard had not been invited, the Nationals would have been shut out as a possible participants in the All-Star Game. Update: The Nationals wasted no time getting things started in the first against the Phillies' Kyle Kendrick. Denard Span hit a leadoff single and took second on a wild pitch. The next batter, Anthony Rendon, singled, which moved Span to third. Jayson Werth then launched a three-run homer to left field on an 0-1 count. Update II: Since Werth's home run, Kendrick has retired the Nats in order. Tanner Roark has looked strong and shows no signs of working on three day's extra rest. Roark has allowed just one hit. He has struck out one and has thrown 57 pitches through four innings. Nats still lead 3-0 as we head to the fifth inning. Update III: The Nats' bats erupted for four runs in the sixth inning. Rendon started the inning with a single. One batter later, Werth was hit by a pitch. One out later Rendon scored on a Ryan Zimmerman sac fly. After Zimmerman's sac fly, the Phillies opted to replace Kendrick on the mound for Mario Hollands. Hollands allowed a single to Bryce Harper and an two-run double to Ian Desmond. Jose Lobaton then singled to score Desmond. Roark struck out to end the inning, but the damage was done. The Nats lead 7-0 as we head to the bottom of the sixth. Update IV: The Nationals confirmed that Clippard has been officially invited to his second All-Star Game. He will be replacing Julio Teheran. Clippard has appeared in 43 games and pitched in 40 innings with a 6-2 record and a 2.03 ERA. He is the lone Nationals representative. Roark lost the shutout in the sixth. After a pair of base hits from Grady Sizemore and Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard brought Sizemore home on a groundout and cut Nationals' lead to 7-1. Update V: A very nice bounce back start for Roark. He went seven innings, allowed four hits, one earned run, walked none and struck out six. He tossed 104 pitches, 65 for strikes. He had lost two in a row and had given up a combined 19 hits and eight earned runs. Ryan Zimmerman crushed his fourth homer in the eighth, a solo shot, deep to left-center field to give the Nationals an 8-1 lead. Update VI: Rendon's RBI double in the ninth scored Span to extend the Nats' lead to 9-1. Werth picked up his fourth RBI of the day when he singled to score Rendon and push the Nats' lead over the Phillies to 10-1. Update VII: Aaron Barrett ran into some trouble in the ninth. Kevin Frandsen, who took over for Zimmerman at third base, made a throwing error trying to throw out Cesar Hernandez at first. Barrett then walked Howard. One out later, Cody Asche doubled home Hernandez and the Phillies cut the Nats' lead to 10-2. With one out, Cameron Rupp grounded out to score Howard and the Nat's lead was down to 10-3. The Nationals closed out the first half of the season with a series win over the Phillies. The Nats improved to 51-42 as Roark picked up his eighth win of the season.