All-Star slight of Cabrera criticized

BALTIMORE —  Just as notable as the Angels who made the American League All-Star team Sunday -- outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, pitcher John Lackey and closer Francisco Rodriguez -- were the ones who didn’t: shortstop Orlando Cabrera, pitcher Kelvim Escobar and set-up man Scot Shields.

“That’s a shame,” Shields said of Cabrera, who is batting .337 with 53 runs, 24 doubles, five home runs and 48 runs batted in, and has four errors, fewest among AL shortstops. “There’s absolutely no way he should not be on that team.... I don’t even know what to say.”

Escobar, who is 9-3 with a 3.32 earned-run average, is one of five players still eligible to earn a spot through Internet and cellphone balloting. Shields, who is 2-2 with a 1.85 ERA in 38 games, received strong consideration, but “there’s no way I should be disappointed if Cabrera and Escobar didn’t make it,” he said.

The three appeared to be victims of a system that requires that all 30 teams have at least one All-Star representative.

Detroit Manager Jim Leyland, who will lead the AL All-Stars in San Francisco on July 10, told reporters Sunday he could pick seven players for the team, but five had to come from teams that did not get a player voted onto the team by fans or players.

Those five were Texas shortstop Michael Young, Kansas City pitcher Gil Meche, Chicago closer Bobby Jenks, Toronto outfielder Alex Rios and Tampa Bay outfielder Carl Crawford. The manager also picked Minnesota pitcher Johan Santana and Cleveland catcher Victor Martinez.

So, Young, who is hitting .293 with four homers and 48 RBIs and has committed 10 errors, essentially blocked Cabrera, who finished third behind New York’s Derek Jeter and Detroit’s Carlos Guillen in both fan and player balloting. Meche (5-6, 3.28 ERA) and Jenks (2.75 ERA, 22 saves) blocked Escobar and Shields.

“There’s no doubt Orlando is having an incredible season, one you’d like to see rewarded, but he’s a victim of the system,” said Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, an opponent of the one-from-each-team requirement. “He’s not the first player to be caught in that trap, and he won’t be the last.”

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Scioscia said Garret Anderson (right hip flexor tendon tear) is “running very well” at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga; so well, in fact, that the left fielder could join the Angels in Texas on Tuesday after a brief minor league stint.

“We want to start that adjustment process to major league pitching, so after the All-Star break, he’s ready to fire,” Scioscia said. “There’s always an adjustment to major league pitching, whether you get 10 or 100 minor league at-bats.”

Scioscia added that utility infielder Maicer Izturis, who is coming back from a rib-cage injury, probably will join the Angels on Tuesday, and reliever Justin Speier, out since May 1 because of an intestinal infection, is not far behind.

Speier threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings for Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday, and the Angels may want him to throw in consecutive games before activating him this week.

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Left fielder Erick Aybar suffered a bruised right hand while diving for Kevin Millar’s ground-rule double on the warning track in the second inning Sunday. Aybar left after grounding out in the third and was replaced by Nick Gorneault. X-rays Sunday were inconclusive.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com