"Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are very deserving All-Stars"

  Congratulations Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain!  The Giants' pitching staff, for a second year in a row, have two representatives on the National League All-Star team.  Third Baseman Pablo Sandoval did not make the roster today, but is one of five finalists that can still be voted in by the fans.  Go to sfgiants.com or mlb.com to log your votes for Pablo, and from what I understand, there is no limit on how many times one can vote.  The deadline to cast your ballot is Thursday. Here's a look at Pablo's competition for the final roster spot:

  David Wright of the New York Mets was voted as the starting third basemen, and Ryan Zimmerman is not only deserving as Wright's back-up, but is the only representative of the Washington Nationals.  So it would be conceivable for Sandoval to be considered, especially when you see his .333 batting average in 279 at-bats, good for fourth best in the league. Sandoval, who got the day off against Roy Oswalt Sunday, went 2-for-2 with a walk, and a run batted in Saturday against old friend Russ Ortiz.

  Back to Cain and Lincecum.  Both have identical 9-and-2 records, and both feature earned run averages below 2.50  (Cain 2.48, and Lincecum down to 2.23 after Saturday's brilliant performance).  The one real difference between the two is strikeouts.  Cain has 88 k's in 108.2 innings, while Lincecum, who punched out nine Astros Saturday, boosted his league leading total to 141 in 121-innings of work.  

  Brian Wilson was also considered a candidate to make the team, but ran up against some stiff competition, including Jonathan Broxton of the Dodgers, Heath Bell of the Padres, Ryan Franklin of the Cardinals, and Francisco Rodriguez of the Mets.  Last year at Yankee Stadium, Brian Wilson worked two-thirds of an inning, striking out one, and getting credit with a hold.  He was one of eleven National League pitchers who worked the 15-inning marathon last year, eventually won by the American League 4-to-3.  Meanwhile, Lincecum never made it to the mound in last year's "Mid-Summer Classic". Instead, he landed in a New York hospital with severe flu-like symptoms which must have been a major disappointment in an otherwise brilliant Cy Young-award-winning season.  

  Next up, those pesky Florida Marlins through Wednesday, and a chance for Giants fans to enjoy the tremendously talented Hanley Ramirez.  Remember, it was Ramirez that was the key piece to the trade when the Boston Red Sox acquired starting pitcher Josh Beckett (and  3B Mike Lowell) from the Marlins several years ago.  It will be interesting to see if Florida keeps Ramirez as the center piece of its young team, or decide to deal him, and get even younger.