Braves
First half highlight: B.J. and Justin Upton tied a major league record when they homered on June 24 in Houston. It was the fourth time they had homered in the same game as teammates. The other brothers to achieve that feat were Vladimir and Wilton Guerrero and Jason and Jeremy Giambi.
Marlins
Rookie of the Year jinx: The 2013 National League winner, Jose Fernandez was off to a solid start, with 70 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings, an ERA of 2.44 and a 4-2 record. But he complained about a sore elbow during his start on May 9 and had season-ending Tommy John surgery on May 16.
Mets
Before this season, the last time the Mets had only one All-Star was in 2003, when Armando Benitez represented the team. The Mets spent that night working on a trade that would send Benitez to the Yankees the next day. Daniel Murphy, the Mets’ lone representative this time, is probably staying put. The Mets won seven of their last eight games before the break, and Murphy arrived in Minneapolis feeling proud to show his colors. “I can kind of walk around with my feathers up a little bit right now,” said Murphy, the Mets’ second baseman. “The Metropolitans are playing well, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Nationals
Reliever Tyler Clippard was the Nationals’ lone representative at the All-Star Game, a last-minute replacement for injured teammate Jordan Zimmermann. “The thing I’ve noticed with our club is that, while we should have more than one guy here, we have a lot of guys who are having really good seasons, but not great seasons,” he said. “It’s a lot of really consistent play out of our hitters on the team, like [Jayson Werth] hitting around .270, right on the cusp of being an All-Star. [Adam] LaRoche should be here, too, but is right on the cusp. [Anthony] Rendon should definitely be here, but is on the cusp.”
Phillies
Chase Utley would prefer to remain with the Phillies, the team that drafted him 14 years ago. With the Phillies last in the NL East, it’s possible the team might try to deal veterans for prospects before the July 31 deadline for trades without waivers. A six-time All-Star, Utley is owed $15 million next season as part of a deal that contains options for $15 million in each of three additional years that could become guaranteed if he has 500 plate appearances in the previous season and doesn’t finish the season hurt. “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side,” he said. “I’ve picked some brains over the course of the last few years. I really enjoy Philadelphia. I love playing baseball in Citizens Bank Park. I love playing in front of Philly fans. There’s no better place to play in my opinion. Obviously winning is important and you want to do that, and I would like to do that in Philadelphia.”
Compiled by Rick Crotts from wire reports.
