Ben Rice breaking home run drought breathes positive momentum into Silver Slugger chase

Though Ben Rice was initially outfoxed in his quest to start the All-Star Game by the nation of Canada, he eventually found his way into the starting lineup in Philadelphia anyhow due to a series of maladies. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. immediately bowed out of the game to nurse an "injury" (his fading ego), while Nick Kurtz went down with an unfortunately timed right thumb injury that kept him out of the showcase at his childhood stadium.

That left Rice and Red Sox mid-suspension first baseman Willson Contreras to hold it down, and the Yankees slugger laced a RBI single off Cristopher Sánchez in his starting nod.

It's an insanely crowded first base field in the American League (always is), but Rice came out ahead of the pack with the second half underway. With under two months left in the season, it seems as if the end-of-year "Best in the Game" honor, the Silver Slugger race, might look very similar to the All-Star scrum.

American League Silver Slugger race update: Ben Rice vs. Willson Contreras?

Surely, this is the only instance of the Yankees and Red Sox facing off down the stretch in meaningful competition.

Rice has scuffled since the Home Run Derby — correlated, not caused by (probably) — but he finally broke an extended home run drought with a titanic blast to dead center field on Saturday afternoon. Couple that with a two-out, game-tying smash against Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias in a Friday night thriller, and Rice has come alive a bit lately.

Meanwhile, Rice's competitors have suffered varying degrees of concurrent maladies. Guerrero Jr., the game's incumbent best, still doesn't have a home run at home this season; he won the popularity contest for the Midsummer Classic, but has zero chance at the Silver Slugger. Sorry.

Kurtz of the Transient A's is back on the Injured List again, sitting with 21 homers (alongside an impressive .396 OBP and 142 OPS+). He'll have his day, but this won't be it. Contreras has helped fuel the Red Sox's absurd surge, but hasn't quite been the same over the past week since he was horrifically beaned in Los Angeles. He's taken a few days off with a mysterious sickness and was bizarrely booed at Fenway Park for lack of hustle down four runs in the eighth. No sympathy for the face of the team amid a 32-5 run. Fold the franchise, maybe?

Still, Contreras has stolen the narrative and made a strong Silver Slugger case for himself, clubbing 23 bombs, hitting .285, and posting a 161 OPS+. He's surpassed Rice in that regard, who now sits at 147 despite his 32 bombs. The sooner Rice can get Aaron Judge back in the lineup, the better for his chances — it's now a one-on-one showdown with Contreras, who might have a 60-40 edge at the moment. Rice's best hope is that Contreras gets the breather he needs after his recent odd week, while he's able to ride that titanic tater into a turnaround (and he still qualifies at first base despite his recent run of DH reps).

Winning a Silver Slugger is hard, especially when you share a position with the league's best — just ask Ryan Howard, who had to battle Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman annually and only won one of these things (for his iconic 2006 MVP season). This might be Rice's best and only shot, and he's still got to fend off a Red Sox firebreather.

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