Tazewell's Wagner Selected To National League All-Star Team

The good news for Billy Wagner on Sunday afternoon was that he was selected to the National League All-Star team for the sixth time in his big league career.

The bad news was that the former Tazewell High School star blew a save against his former team, the Philadelphia Phillies. Still, the Mets came back to collect a 4-2 victory in 12 innings.

“I’ve blown enough of them and been an All-Star,” Wagner told the New York Times after the game. “So I think the biggest thing to be excited about is we came back and the guys picked me up and we won.”

Wagner has blown six saves this season, but has otherwise dominated opposing hitters. He is 0-1 with 19 saves and a 2.40 ERA.

This is the second consecutive year he has been selected to the All-Star game. He has pitched in four of his five previous All-Star appearances and has a collective 9.00 ERA.

This year’s game will be held at Yankee Stadium, which is in its final year of existence.

“We have highs and we have lows. Today, I got some of both,” Wagner told MLB.com. “How cool would it be to throw the last pitch in an All-Star Game in that place, with all that history? It’s something you’d never forget.”

Gobble watch

Former John Battle High School star Jimmy Gobble tossed a shutout inning of relief on Sunday for the Kansas City Royals in their loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

It’s been a rough season for the left-hander, who is 0-2 with one save and a 7.61 ERA in 29 appearances.

Allen earns first win

Former Sullivan Central High School and King College standout Eric Allen earned his first professional win on Monday for the Arizona League Cubs in their 17-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants’ rookie-league affiliate.

Allen (1-0, 3.60 ERA) entered in the fifth inning out of the bullpen. In two innings, he allowed two runs on three hits and was credited with the victory.

“I was in the fortunate enough position to come in during the right inning and to get a W,” Allen said.

Allen has made four relief appearances for the Cubs. He actually allowed his first earned run in Monday’s winning effort.

“Pretty much,” Allen said, when asked if he was pleased with how he’s pitched. “You always want to improve on what you do and I’ve just been trying to get a little better each time.”

More on Mobley

Chris Mobley’s string of dominant outings came to an end Monday as he suffered the loss in relief for the Class AA Carolina Mudcats.

However, it doesn’t overshadow the success the former Dobyns-Bennett High School star has had this season. He is 3-2 with 15 saves and a 2.89 ERA in 33 appearances for Carolina and has converted eight straight save opportunities. He entered a tie game on Monday against the Tennessee Smokies, before suffering the defeat in the 10th inning.

“There’s definitely two different grooves,” Mobley said last week. “There’s a bad groove that makes things go by pretty slow and you’re waiting for that break to catch. And then there’s a good groove, where your confidence is up, you start throwing strike one and the days go by pretty fast.”

Louisville legend

Virginia High graduate Kevin Barker became the Louisville Bats’ career leader in RBIs recently as he surpassed the previous record of 228 set by Brandon Larson.

Barker has spent parts of three seasons in Louisville and played with the organization though three incarnations as the Redbirds, RiverBats and Bats.

Barker is hitting .246 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs this season for Louisville, a Cincinnati Reds affiliate.

In a minor league career that has spanned 1,396 games, Barker has 216 homers and 885 RBIs. He also spent parts of four seasons in the major leagues, hitting .245 with six homers and 33 RBIs in stints with the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays.

Return of Nick Hill

Plenty of people from Bluff City will likely make the trip to Kodak, Tenn., this week as former Sullivan East High School star Nick Hill returns to the area.

Hill is currently with the Class AA West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx and his team will play the Tennessee Smokies in a five-game series that begins tonight.

Hill is 0-1 with an 11.12 ERA in six relief appearances for West Tennessee. Hill began the season with the High-Class A High Desert Mavericks. He was a seventh-round pick by the Seattle Mariners in last year’s MLB Amateur Draft.

C.J. Lee in Asheville

Several friends and family members of Atlanta Braves minor leaguer C.J. Lee (Virginia High) made the trip to Asheville, N.C., over the weekend to see Lee play for the South Atlantic League’s Rome (Ga.) Braves.

Lee played in three games against the Asheville Tourists and was a combined 2-for-12 with a double, RBI, run and walk. Lee is hitting .234 with one home run and 20 RBIs in 58 games for Rome this season.

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