McCann only Brave named to All-Star team

Washington — Brian McCann is the only Brave headed to the All-Star game.

Chipper Jones didn’t have the .400 batting average flirtation that got him there last year, and the mediocre won-loss records of both Javier Vazquez and Jair Jurrjens kept them at home.

Despite a 3.75 ERA from their starters, third-best in the National League, the Braves didn’t have one selected Sunday.

“It’s frustrating,” McCann said. “They all deserved better. A lot of them could easily have 10, 12 wins already.”

Amazingly, of the Braves’ five starters, only Tommy Hanson (4-0) has a winning record. Vazquez shook his head no when asked if he was surprised not to make it.

“Not with 5-7,” Vazquez said of the record that took the luster off being in the National League top 10 in strikeouts (second with 130), innings pitched (seventh with 112), ERA (eighth at 3.05) and opponents’ batting average (ninth at .232).

“What can I say,” said Vazquez, who like Jurrjens has been a victim of poor run support. “I’ve told JJ, just control what we can control, and hopefully things will change later on.”

Vazquez went to the All-Star game in 2004 with the Yankees. But Jurrjens is still looking for that first opportunity.

“Everybody plays to be an All-Star someday and to win a ring,” Jurrjens said. “It stinks. I’ve got to take it that I’ve not been doing my job in the first half. It’s something for me to keep improving, get better next year.”

That’s saying something for a pitcher who’s fifth in the National League with a 2.73 ERA.

“I’m not doing something,” said Jurrjens, whose record is 6-6. “But there’s always next year, and the year after that. I’m going to have a chance to make it.”

Despite going 7-6 with a 3.35 ERA, Ted Lilly made the NL team as one of manager Charlie Manuel’s choices. But he was the Cubs’ only representative on the team.

This is only the second time since 1992 the Braves have had only one All-Star; the other was Johnny Estrada in 2004.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t get some more guys on there, but that’s fine,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “We had some guys having real nice, solid years that could have been picked. I’ve been there. I know how hard it is to get everyone on there you’d like.”

Reliever Rafael Soriano was also left off despite a 1.63 ERA and a .159 opponents’ batting average, probably because he’s been a setup man to Mike Gonzalez for much of the first half. Of the five relievers on the NL team, all are closers.

For McCann, making the All-Star team is just what he does.

He’s the first catcher since Mike Piazza to make it in each of his first four seasons. Piazza made 10 in a row from 1993-2002.

What makes this one special to McCann is getting there after having problems with his vision early in the year.

McCann missed 13 of the Braves’ first 28 games because of blurred vision and dryness in his left eye. He was hitting only .195 at the time. But since his return from the disabled list on May 8 with new glasses, he has hit .329 (57-for-173) with six home runs and 29 RBIs.

“This is probably the happiest I’ve been as far as that goes, because I didn’t know what was going on with my eye early in the season,” McCann said. “Found a solution and I was able to bounce back.”

McCann was voted in on the players’ ballot as a reserve after losing out in the fan voting to hometown catcher Yadier Molina of the Cardinals, despite leading him in every major offensive category. The game will be played in St. Louis on July 14.