Yovani Gallardo was the Rangers' only shot at an All-Star Game berth other than Prince Fielder, who was basically a slam dunk.
But for the first time since 2009, the Rangers don't have a pitcher heading to the midsummer classic because Gallardo was passed up by the AL players and coaches. It's not an absolute crime, but there was a pretty solid chance he'd make the cut.
Gallardo is currently riding a 29 1/3-inning scoreless streak, and he can extend that Tuesday night against a pedestrian Diamondbacks lineup. Thanks to that streak, Gallardo is now 7-6 with a 2.56 ERA with 102 innings under his belt. There's that scoreless streak, but Gallardo has been good beyond that. In fact, since the calendar left May, Gallardo has gone 2-0 in six starts with an ERA of 0.46.
It's quite a contrast for the Fort Worth native, who had posted a 4.26 ERA through his first nine starts of the year. In his eight starts since, he hasn't allowed more than two runs and he's had four straight scoreless outings.
It's that start to the season that probably left Gallardo off the team, but the Rangers could care less about that. All they care about is how he's pitching now, and he's probably been the best pitcher this side of Max Scherzer in all of baseball for the past month-plus.
