ANAHEIM -- In Tuesday's All-Star Game presented by T-Mobile, American League manager Ned Yost did something that hadn't been done in 272 Major League games: He split Mike Trout and Albert Pujols apart in a batting order. The last time they weren't back-to-back was June 18, 2013.
The Angels linked Trout to Pujols to maximize run-creation. But it also raises the question of lineup protection: Does Pujols change how pitchers approach Trout, or is "protection" illusory, even for the Angels' potent duo?
Trout recently said he sees more fastballs when Pujols is hot.