Giants' Cain gets nod to start All-Star Game

National League manager Tony La Russa has chosen Giants right-hander Matt Cain to start Tuesday night's All Star Game.

The starters werer announced at a Monday afternoon news conference.

Detroit's Justin Verlander will oppose Cain.

Cain was chosen over New York Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who had said he coveted the start after being selected to his first All-Star team.

Dickey reasoned his knuckleball could help dictate his place as a starter.

"If I'm brought into the game -- because you only have two catchers now, and Buster Posey hasn't seen me at all -- and all of a sudden here he is with seven warm-up pitches, that's a whole different animal," Dickey said Sunday of the Giants' All-Star catcher.

Dickey followed an offseason climb of Mount Kilimanjaro to rise to the top of NL pitchers, going 12-1 with a 2.40 ERA. Cain pitched a perfect game against Houston on June 13. Cain is 9-3 with a 2.62 ERA.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.