Cubs in the All-Star Game?

The MLB All-Star Selection Show will be on TBS on July 4. At that time, at least one of our Cubbies will become an All-Star. The team is nine game under .500, but there are still several players on the club having great years.

If one of the top hitters in the league is not an All-Star, something is wrong. Marlon Byrd is hitting .326, which ranks second in the National League (only behind Atlanta's Martin Prado). Somehow (as of Tuesday) Byrd was not even in the top 15 NL outfielders in the fan voting. Even teammate Alfonso Soriano (.283 AVG, 10 HR) is in front of Byrd. Sori is 11th in the outfield voting with 725,614 tallies. Voting on Cubs.com is over next week, so if you haven't given Marlon your 25 votes (per email address) yet, do so! It is not likely that Byrd will finish in the top three outfielders to start in the game, but he needs to at least be pushed into the top 15.

Marlon still does have a chance at being selected as a reserve by either player voting or as a manager's pick.

There are two guys named Carlos on the Cubs who deserve to play in the game at Angel Stadium on July 13, but neither one has a last named that starts with the letter Z. Carlos Marmol has been fantastic as the closer, although his save chances have been limited because the Cubs are not winning. Marmol still has saved 13 games, notched two wins, has an ERA of 1.71, and has struck out 58 in just 31.2 innings. Marmol was an All-Star in the 2008 game at Yankee Stadium and deserves a return trip to the Mid-Summer Classic.

The other Cubs hurler who is among the game's elite is starter Carlos Silva. Silva is 8-2 on the year, and started the season by winning his first eight decisions. Carlos, who came to the Cubs in the Milton Bradley trade with Seattle, has posted a 3.01 ERA in his bounce back season so far.

Likely, the Cubs will have only one or two guys on the NL roster of the three mentioned. Last year their lone representative was Ted Lilly, but Ted did not get a chance to pitch in the game. Lilly most likely will not return, as he's 2-6 with a 3.42 ERA in 2010. Each National League team must have at least one All-Star on the squad.

With just over a week left until the selections are announced, Byrd, Silva, and Marmol must continue to perform in order to earn their spot in the 2010 Major League Baseball All Star Game.

Vote on the poll on our right sidebar to tell us which Cub you would most like to see in the Mid-Summer Classic!