McSnubbed

The all-star teams have been announced and to the chagrine of Pirate fans, James McDonald didn't make the squad.

J-Mac is 6th in the league in ERA right now. Brandon Beachy is ahead of Jim and out for the season, so in a way McDonald is 5th. He's also 4th in WHIP. His numbers are certainly deserving of a spot on the team, but it just wasn't to be this year.

The three names that made it over James that probably shouldn't have are Lance Lynn, Joel Hanrahan, and Huston Street.

Street made it because the Padres are pathetic and needed somebody to go. He's only pitched 20 innings this year, which makes his selection pretty unique. You can't argue too much about it though, how many years did the Pirates benefit from the rule that every team needs an all-star?

Joel Hanrahan was not as deserving as McDonald. Don't get me wrong, he's been very good this year. He has the pedigree because of the 2011 season he had and people know him. Also, if you think about it, the best possible team would feature a bunch of closers; they are best in the one inning situations that the all star game brings. Having closers gives you the best chance to win and this game is "important" now, remember?

Lance Lynn is the real argument. His numbers have declined a lot recently and votes were collected before his previous two bad outings. At the time of voting he was 10-3 with a 2.80 ERA. That makes it hurt a little less that he got in over McDonald. It also doesn't hurt that his former manager is selecting the pitchers.

There's also the possibility that James may not have been selected because he is scheduled to pitch on Saturday before the game and Hurdle wouldn't want him to throw on the Tuesday of the game, which would push his next start back. The regular season is much more important to the Pirates then McDonald making the all star team,so you shouldn't be too upset over all of this - it was probably better for him that he didn't make it. Enjoy the extra days rest and come back stronger in the second half.

McDonald is more deserving of any Pirate starter in a long, long time. However, it was a really tough year for a guy like him to make it. He'll probably be the first guy in if someone can't go for some reason, so there's still a chance.