Salvador Perez

The home run was Perez' 18th of the season. His two-run shot put the Royals up 4-3 in the third inning and he made the score 10-3 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. Perez is hitting .279 with an .816 OPS and 66 RBI on the year.

Perez started the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning before coming around to score on a triple by Michael Massey later in the frame. He has a hit in nine of his last 10 games and is 13-for-37 (.351) with three home runs and nine RBI in that time. Perez is hitting .283 with an .820 OPS and 63 RBI on the season.

In an All-Star Game and a league littered with young stars, the presence of the veteran catcher cannot be overlooked.

Perez slumped in June, but he's bounced back nicely of late and will enter the All-Star break with an eight-game hitting streak. The homer today was his third during the streak and sixth in his last 18 games.

Perez is back at designated hitter and batting cleanup on Saturday afternoon following an early departure from Friday's series opener due to a hamstring cramp. It doesn't sound like a serious concern moving forward as he should benefit from an extended layoff during next week's All-Star break.