Clayton Kershaw 'no pride' when it comes to making ASG roster

LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw didn't care how he got there or how long he had to wait. The reigning National League MVP and three-time Cy Young winner is just happy to be an All-Star for a fifth straight season.

Kershaw (6-6, 2.85 ERA) was added to the NL squad on Sunday as a replacement for previously scheduled starter Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals, who is unavailable to pitch in Tuesday's game in Cincinnati after starting Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles in the final game before the All-Star break.

"I have no pride in how I get there," Kershaw said about an hour before Sunday's game against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. "You get to the go to All-Star Game, so I don't care if I was the bat boy, as long as I get to make it there."

Kershaw would have seemed a lock to make the All-Star Game coming into this season, but won just one of his first seven starts as his ERA swelled to 4.26, a category he led the previous four seasons throughout the majors. Even as recently as last month, Kershaw lost three consecutive outings for the first time in his eight-year career.

He seems to have found his groove this month, however, allowing one earned run in 16 innings with 20 strikeouts and two walks. Still, he wasn't named to the NL pitching staff that was announced Monday and finished fourth in the fan voting that determined the final roster spot for both teams.

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto also finished ahead of Kershaw in the fan vote and likely would have earned the nod over Kershaw, but he also started Sunday, leaving him unavailable.

"You look back on all this and nobody will remember that you're the replacement of the replacement that didn't win the fan vote," he said. "You get to go and spend time, enjoy it and they treat your family great and it's a great time for everybody."

Kershaw should be well rested. He hasn't pitched since Wednesday when he threw eight shutout innings in a 5-0 win against the Philadelphia Phillies.

He'll join teammates Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez, Joc Pederson and Yasmani Grandal in Cincinnati, the first time the Dodgers fielded five All-Stars since 1995.

In other All-Star roster shuffling, Los Angeles Angels lefty Hector Santiago will replace Oakland Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray on the AL squad. Gray pitched a two-hit shutout Sunday against the Cleveland Indians and would be unavailable to pitch for Tuesday's All-Star Game.