The backlash over John Schneider's All-Star starter decision found its loudest voice yet, and it's coming from American media.
Adam Schein went after the Toronto Blue Jays manager directly, arguing Cam Schlittler deserved the nod over Dylan Cease.
"You know what Americans want to see?" Schein said. "Cam Schlittler."
That's a pointed shot at Schneider, and the numbers give Schein some real ammunition to work with.
Schlittler enters the break with a 2.05 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP across 20 starts, striking out 137 batters over 118 and two thirds innings for the Yankees.
Cease's own numbers are excellent too, sitting at 2.56 ERA with 148 strikeouts over 98 and one third innings, but Schlittler's rate stats edge him out across the board.
Schneider already made clear this wasn't a close call in his own mind, saying flatly that his decision was going to be Cease regardless of Schlittler's availability.
Why the debate isn't going away before the game
Schlittler himself has stayed above the noise, telling reporters there are "no hard feelings" and that he's more focused on his own second half than relitigating the decision.
That graciousness from Schlittler hasn't stopped outside voices like Schein from framing this as a legitimate snub of the league's best first-half arm.
It's a bit like a coach benching the higher-rated player and getting second-guessed by everyone watching from the sidelines, even if the coach still believes he made the right call.
Is this really about Schneider favoring his own pitcher, or does Cease's overall body of work simply hold up fine against the scrutiny?
Whatever the answer, Schein's comments guarantee this conversation follows both pitchers right into the game itself.
Cease takes the ball regardless, and how he performs in that spotlight will likely settle the argument far better than any media debate leading up to it.
Do you agree with Adam Schein that Cam Schlittler should have started over Dylan Cease?
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