Photo courtesy Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

• On Monday evening, Bryce Harper (’11) finished second in the Home Run Derby to Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes. Harper had his dad, Ron, throw to him as he blasted eight home runs in each round to fall just short of the title.

• Tuesday night’s All-Star Game featured a number of former Senators as Harper and Brandon Phillips (’01-’02) both went 0 for 2, while Cliff Lee (’02) allowed a run on two hits in one inning of work.

• Do you feel Metro Bank Park is the best ballpark in minor league baseball? Now’s your chance to vote in the @10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards. You can vote once a day for the next four weeks up until noon on August 12th.

• Catching up with Kevin Pucetas (’12) where we learn, among other things, that he has added a knuckleball to his repertoire.

Old Faces, New Places

• After 18 saves in the first-half of the season with the Sugar Land Skeeters, Jason Bergmann (’04-’05) was signed by the Kansas City Royals and assigned to the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Travelers.

• Armando Galarraga (’05) was traded from the Cincinnati organization to Colorado and was placed in the rotation for the AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

• According to Bridgeport GM Ken Shepard, Adam Carr (’07-’10) retired from baseball after spending most of the year on the disabled list for the Bluefish.

• The Newark Bears of the Can-Am League acquired two former Senators as Joe Testa (’12) came over in a trade with the Amarillo Sox and Manny Mayorson (’12) was signed after getting released from the York Revolution.

• Edgar Gonzalez (’05) has hooked on with the Cubs for the second straight season as a free agent and is currently at Triple-A Iowa.