By the time next week’s issue of the Gasconade County Republican hits area newsstands, we will have reached the halfway point of baseball season with the playing of the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley was the lone bird on the bat to be named to the MLB All-Star Game.

Setting a franchise record with 31 consecutive saves to start a season, Helsley surpassed Alex Reyes’ streak of 24 consecutive games saved.

That streak was halted Friday in Washington against the Washington Nationals when he allowed the tying run to score in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Able to stay in the game, Helsley picked up the win giving him a hand in 34 of St. Louis’ 47 wins via a save or a victory.

Sitting in the cellar earlier in the season, the Cardinals caught fire at Mother’s Day and have gone 32-18 since the May holiday vaulting them back into contention for a National League (NL) Central Division title.

Currently 4.5 games back of the division leading Milwaukee Brewers, the Cardinals currently occupy the second wild cart spot in the National League one game ahead of the San Diego Padres while also 3.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves for the first wild-card spot.

NL statistical leaders nearing the All-Star break include Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter (DH) Shohei Ohtani with 28 home runs, 72 runs scored and a .637 slugging percentage.

Ohtani also leads the NL with a 1.036 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).

Padres first baseman Luis Arraez leads the league with 118 hits while Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm leads the NL with 30 doubles.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Ella De La Cruz and Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Corbin Carroll are tied for the NL lead in triples with six.

Former Cardinal and currents Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna leads the NL 73 runs batted in (RBI) followed closely by Bohm (70) and Ohtani (65).

Previously with the Chicago Cubs, currently Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber leads the NL drawing 59 walks.

De La Cruz has also caused nightmares for opposing pitchers on the base paths leading the NL with 45 stolen bases.

Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar narrowly lead the NL with a .315 batting average followed closely by Ohtani (.314) and Arraez (.312).

Profar is also a frequent flyer on the base paths leading the NL with a .408 on-base percentage.

Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez is the stingiest hurler in the NL with a league-low 1.71 earned-run average (ERA).

Fellow Braves hurler Chris Hale leads the league with 11 wins followed closely with 10 wins apiece by the Pennsylvania trio of Mitch Keller (Pittsburgh), Aaron Nola (Philadelphia) and Ranger Suarez (Philadelphia).

Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow is currently the king of K’s in the NL with a league-leading 143 strikeouts.

Over in the American League (AL), a trio of Kansas City Royals players were selected as reserves for the MLB All-Star Game in catcher Salvador Perez, infielder Bobby Witt, Jr., and pitcher Seth Lugo.

Witt leads the AL with 119 hits and 25 doubles while also second in the league in triples with nine closely behind Boston Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran’s 10 three-baggers.

New York Yankee slugging center field Aaron Judge leads the AL with 32 home runs and 83 RBIs.

Baltimore Oriole shortstop Gunnar Henderson leads the league with 72 runs scored while Yankee outfielder Juan Soto would earn an award for patience leading the AL with 76 walks.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jose Caballero is the current king of AL larceny with a league-leading 24 stolen bases.

Cleveland Indians left fielder Steven Kwan leads the AL with a .358 batting average over 30 points ahead of Witt’s second-place batting average of .324.

In addition to his league-leading walk total, Soto also leads the AL with a .430 on-base percentage.

Adding to his league-leading home run and RBI totals, Judge also lead the AL with a .680 slugging percentage and a 1.105 OPS.

Lugo and Baltimore Oriole hurler Grayson Rodriguez are currently tied for the AL lead with 11 wins.

In addition to his 11 wins, Lugo also has a league-low 2.21 ERA.

While they may have the worst record in baseball, the Chicago White Sox do have the league leader in strikeouts with 146 from Garrett Crochet.

Snapping a nine-year losing streak to the AL with a 3-2 win in last year’s Mid-Summer Classic, the NL will look to claim consecutive all-star game victories for the first time since a string of three wins in a row from 2010-12.