Brian Joseph of Baseball Digest Daily (oh wait, that's me) was invited on to "The Big Show with Matt Perrault" on Big Sports 590 AM in Omaha, Nebraska earlier today.  Matt and I discussed the first half of the season, why the American League is better than the National League, Josh Hamilton, the NL East and the Wild Card race now that Rich Harden and CC Sabathia have joined the race and a few other things during a 10-15 minute segment on the show.  Thanks to Matt and Big Sports 590 for having me on as a guest (even though he forced me to admit the American League is better than the National League).

If you want to take a listen, the Podcast of the segment is up on their website and here is a link to their current Podcast list where you can download the segment.

The players to watch and what to watch for this weekend:

Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (7/11-7/13)

The last time the Phillies played the Diamondbacks, Ryan Howard started the series with a .167 average and was benched when the team faced lefty Randy Johnson.  While things did not turn around right away for the left-handed slugger, Howard has had an impressive last 25 games.  Since June 13, Howard is 31-for-101 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI with three multi-home run games.  Unfortunately, the rest of the Phillies' bats have gone cold during that time and the team is 10-15 during the stretch including three shutouts.  Now, the race in the NL East has tightened with the Mets and Marlins stalking the Phillies -- just 1 1/2 games behind in the standings.  The Phillies carry a two-game winning streak into their series with the slumping Diamondbacks as Howard tries to build on his National League leading 27 home runs and 83 RBI and extend his 13-game hitting streak.

Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers vs. Chicago White Sox (7/11-7/13)

Sure, most of the talk about the Texas Rangers this season has been about Josh Hamilton's amazing comeback to baseball or Milton Bradley's breakthrough season but there's no need to lose sight of Ian Kinsler's impressive third season.  This weekend Kinsler attempts to pass fellow All-Star and teammate Michael Young for the longest hitting streak in baseball this season.  Earlier this season, Young registered a 23 game hitting streak and Kinsler goes into this weekend's series with a 22 game hitting streak -- his second hitting streak of at least 19 games in 2008.  With Hamilton, Bradley, Kinsler and Young all headed to the All-Star Game with averages over .300 (along with Ramon Vazquez) there is a strong likelihood that someone on the Rangers will win this year's batting title.  Right now, it's Kinsler on top of the AL with a .333 average and is showing no signs of cooling down.  Now, if they could only get some pitching...

Scott Hairston, San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves (7/11-7/13)

Most of the news this season in the Hairston family has come from brother Jerry but July belongs to Scott Hairston.  In six games this month, Hairston is hitting .550 with five home runs and eight RBI in six games.  Hairston's OPS is a staggering 2.021 and he has hit safely in six games and seven starts.  Hairston has little experience against the Atlanta Braves pitching staff but is an impressive 3-for-5 in his limited opportunities.  While PETCO Park is never mistaken for a hitter's park, don't tell Scott that -- he is a lifetime .304 hitter with a .952 OPS in 225 plate appearances at San Diego's home field.  The Padres have been waiting for Hairston to break out since he teased them last season with a .287 average and eight home runs in 31 games after they acquired him from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a trade deadline deal.

Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins (7/10-7/13)

Are they or aren't they for real?  That's the question anyone who watches the Detroit Tigers play this season keeps asking themselves.  A big part of whether or not they are, indeed, for real has to do with the performance of Miguel Cabrera.  Take a look at the team's performance depending on whether or not Cabrera gets a hit.  In the 67 games where Cabrera came through with at least one hit, the Tigers are 41-26.  Compare that to the 22 games where the team is 5-17.  The good news for the Tigers -- Cabrera is one of the few players to avoid missing considerable time due to injury playing in 89 of the team's 91 games.  While Cabrera's numbers -- .292 with 16 home runs and 56 RBI -- are below his career averages, his recent boost has given the team hope that trading away some of the future to acquire Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Florida Marlins was not a complete disaster.  This weekend's series with the Twins is especially important and the Tigers already dropped the first of the four-game set to the Twins in extra innings on Thursday where Cabrera went 0-for-4.

Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays (7/11-7/13)

While A-Rod ducks Madonna questions and chases history -- he needs one home run to pass Mickey Mantle for 13th on the All-Time Home Runs list -- he is on the verge of his lowest offensive production since 1997 when he hit 23 homers and 84 RBI when he was 21 with Seattle.  Typically, Rodriguez struggles in July before catching fire in August.  He has a career .296 average in July -- the only month other than September where his average dips below .300.  Whether or not Rodriguez is on track to deliver the way he has in his three-time MVP career, the Yankees are considerably better with A-Rod in the starting lineup than without.  The Yankees are 41-31 with him in the starting lineup this season and 8-12 without.  With the Yankees trailing the Red Sox for the Wild Card spot by five games and the division leading Rays by 6 1/2 games, they need A-Rod to stay healthy and I'm sure the team wouldn't mind him resuming his perennial All-Star caliber production -- they are trying to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

Chris Volstad, Florida Marlins at Los Angeles Dodgers (Friday, 7/11)

A first round pick in 2005, the 21-year-old right-handed Chris Volstad made the jump from Double-A Carolina directly to the Majors last Sunday and already has his first Major League win.  In his Major League debut, Volstad threw two scoreless innings as the Marlins defeated the Rockies 10-5 and soon after was placed into the starting rotation.  On Friday, one of the team's top prospects will face off Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Eric Stults.  The 6' 7" Florida native is flying his parents, brother and sister in to see him make his starting debut and has had some Hall of Fame help along the way.  When Volstad was nine, while playing with the Palm Beach Gardens Little League Marlins, he received some valuable advice from Hall of Famer Jim Palmer in three one-on-one sessions with the youngster as a favor to Volstad's Little League coach Mike Adams who was giving Palmer golf lessons.  Coincidentally, Volstad followed in Palmer's footsteps -- Palmer's first Major League appearance came in relief of Hall of Famer Robin Roberts against the Red Sox on April 17, 1965.  The Marlins hope he continues to follow Palmer's lead -- the Orioles won the first three games Palmer started although Palmer was only able to pick up one of those three wins. 

Rich Harden, Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants (Saturday, 7/12)

Can the Rich Harden deal be compared to the deal that brought Rick Sutcliffe to Chicago in 1984?  Up 1 1/2 games on the Mets in the NL East, the Cubs sent Mel Hall, Joe Carter, Don Schulze and Darryl Banks to the Indians in exchange for Sutcliffe, Ron Hassey and George Frazier.  After joining the Cubs, Sutcliffe went 16-1, earned a Cy Young and helped Chicago score their first Division title since 1945.  If Harden turns out to be anything like Sutcliffe, the Cubs got a steal from Oakland.  Cubs' fans old enough to remember the Broglio-for-Brock deal of 1964 might worry that with Harden's history of injury, the deal could turn out being more like that one.  The good news for the Cubs -- Harden has made 13 consecutive starts this season.  The bad news -- Harden has only made 20 starts or more once in his previous five seasons.  One thing that might have made Harden extra appealing to the Cubs is his dominating record against National League opponents.  He is 5-1 with a 1.81 ERA in 10 games.  The Giants are not looking forward to facing Harden, either.  He is 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA in four games and already beat them this season in six innings of one-hit ball on June 14.

Justin Duchscherer, Oakland Athletics vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Sunday, 7/13)

Any other General Manager in baseball who trades their ace while their team is eight games over .500 and five games out of the playoffs would be under the microscope but when we're talking about Billy Beane, it's business as usual.  With Harden gone from the rotation, the American League's best ERA and the title of Athletics' ace now belongs to Justin Duchscherer.  Formerly a reliever, Duchscherer was thrust into the starting role he longed for this season and has delivered every step of the way.  Duchscherer is 10-5 with a 1.78 ERA -- the lowest in the Majors.  He has made nine consecutive quality starts including his last start -- a two-hit complete game shutout of the Seattle Mariners.  Teams are batting just .186 against Duchscherer and is looking to avenge his toughest outing of the season against the Angels back on May 1.  While he gave up just one earned run that day, Duchscherer gave up two home runs and six unearned runs in five innings but picked up the win thanks to 15 runs from his teammates.  There's no chance of a return to the bullpen for Duchscherer which pleases closer Huston Street who grew tired of hearing Justin talk about how he was a much better starter than reliever last year while sitting out in the 'pen.

Sean Green, Seattle Mariners at Kansas City Royals (7/11-7/13)

Take a look at this year's All-Star rosters and it is easy to see how little respect any reliever outside of a closer receives.  If Ichiro didn't pick up the Mariners' spot for this year's All-Star Game, would Sean Green have received any consideration to be the team's representative instead?  With 46 appearances, Green has made more appearances than any other reliever in the American League.  He has not given up a run since June 23 and has 12 holds.  If you remove one horrible outing on May 23 against the Yankees where he gave up four runs in 1/3 of an inning, Green's ERA drops from a respectable 2.90 to 2.13.  On a team full of disappointment, Green's performance is lost.  If the Mariners continue to showcase Green, a team in the race might take a run at the 29-year-old reliever who has consistently eaten up innings and developed into a reliable option in late inning situations.

On the eve of the scheduled announcement of the 2008 All-Star teams, Joe Hamrahi, Gordon Berger, Bill Baer and Brian Joseph of the Baseball Digest Daily team weigh in on who they think should be selected to play in the 79th All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium on July 15, 2008.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

BDD Founder Joe Hamrahi's Picks

STARTERS

C - Joe Mauer, MIN
1B - Kevin Youkilis, BOS 
2B - Ian Kinsler, TEX
3B - Alex Rodriguez, NYY
SS - Michael Young, TEX
OF - Josh Hamilton, TEX
OF - Jermaine Dye, CHI
OF - J.D. Drew, BOS
DH - Milton Bradley, TEX
P - Cliff Lee, CLE

RESERVES

A.J. Pierzinski, CHI (C); Jason Giambi, NYY (1B/DH); Brian Roberts, BAL (2B); Evan Longoria, TB (3B); Mike Lowell, BOS (3B); Aubrey Huff, BAL (3B/DH); Derek Jeter, NYY (SS); Grady Sizemore, CLE (OF); Carlos Quentin, CHI (OF); Magglio Ordonez, DET (OF)

PITCHERS

Joe Saunders, LAA; Justin Duchscherer, OAK; Roy Halladay, TOR; John Danks, CHI; Matt Garza, TB; Felix Hernandez, SEA; Mariano Rivera, NYY; Joakim Soria, KC; Scott Linebrink, CHI; Joe Nathan, MIN; Jonathan Papelbon, BOS; Francisco Rodriguez, LAA

BDD Reporter/Writer Gordon Berger's Picks

STARTERS

C - Joe Mauer, MIN
1B - Kevin Youkilis, BOS
2B - Ian Kinsler, TEX
3B - Alex Rodriguez, NYY
SS - Michael Young, TEX
OF - Josh Hamilton, TEX
OF - Carlos Quentin, CHI
OF - Bob Abreu, NYY
DH - Milton Bradley, TEX
P - Roy Halladay, TOR

RESERVES

A.J. Pierzinski, CHI (C); Jason Giambi, NYY (1B/DH); Placido Polanco, DET (2B); Dustin Pedroia, BOS (2B); Brian Roberts, BAL (2B); Derek Jeter, NYY (SS); Mike Lowell, BOS (3B); Jermaine Dye, CHI (OF); B.J. Upton, TB (OF); J.D. Drew, BOS (OF); Ichiro Suzuki, SEA (OF)

PITCHERS

C.C. Sabathia, CLE; James Shields, TB; Joe Saunders, LAA; Cliff Lee, CLE; Justin Duchscherer, OAK; John Danks, CHI; Francisco Rodriguez, LAA; Jonathan Papelbon, BOS; Joe Nathan, MIN; Mariano Rivera, NYY; Joakim Soria, KC

BDD Writer Bill Baer's Picks

STARTERS

C - Joe Mauer, MIN
1B - Jason Giambi, NYY
2B - Ian Kinsler, TEX
3B - Alex Rodriguez, NYY
SS - Michael Young, TEX
OF - Josh Hamilton, TEX
OF - J.D. Drew, BOS
OF - Grady Sizemore, CLE
DH - Milton Bradley, TEX
P - Cliff Lee, CLE

RESERVES

A.J. Pierzinski, CHI (C); Justin Morneau, MIN (1B); Brian Roberts, BAL (2B); Dustin Pedroia, BOS (2B); Evan Longoria, TB (3B); Joe Crede, CHI (3B); Jhonny Peralta, CLE (SS); Manny Ramirez, BOS (OF); David DeJesus, KC (OF); Carlos Quentin, CHI (OF); Johnny Damon, NYY (OF); Magglio Ordonez, DET (OF)

PITCHERS

Justin Duchscherer, OAK; Felix Hernandez, SEA; Roy Halladay, TOR; Joe Saunders, LAA; John Danks, CHI; Francisco Rodriguez, LAA; Joe Nathan, MIN; Joakim Soria, KC; George Sherrill, BAL; Mariano Rivera, NYY

BDD Reporter Brian Joseph's Picks

STARTERS

C - Joe Mauer, MIN
1B - Kevin Youkilis, BOS
2B - Ian Kinsler, TEX
3B - Alex Rodriguez, NYY
SS - Derek Jeter, NYY
OF - Josh Hamilton, TEX
OF - Carlos Quentin, CHI
OF - J.D. Drew, BOS
DH - Milton Bradley, TEX
P - Cliff Lee, CLE

RESERVES

A.J. Pierzinski, CHI (C); Justin Morneau, MIN (1B); B.J. Upton, TB (2B); Brian Roberts, BAL (2B); Mike Lowell, BOS (3B); Evan Longoria, TB (3B); Michael Young, TEX (SS); Manny Ramirez, BOS (OF); Jermaine Dye, CHI (OF); Jose Guillen, KC (OF); Ichiro Suzuki, SEA (OF)

PITCHERS

Justin Duchscherer, OAK; Joe Saunders, LAA; Mike Mussina, NYY; Vincente Padilla, TEX; Roy Halladay, TOR; Ervin Santana, LAA; Scott Linebrink, CHI; Joe Nathan, MIN; Jonathan Papelbon, BOS: Francisco Rodriguez, LAA; Mariano Rivera, NYY

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Joe Hamrahi's Picks

STARTERS

C - Brian McCann, ATL
1B - Lance Berkman, HOU
2B - Chase Utley, PHI
3B - Chipper Jones, ATL
SS - Hanley Ramirez, FLA
OF - Pat Burrell, PHI
OF - Matt Holliday, COL
OF - Xavier Nady, PIT
DH - Albert Pujols (1B), STL
P - Edinson Volquez, CIN

RESERVES

Geovany Soto, CHI (C); Russell Martin, LA (C); Adrian Gonzalez, SD (1B); Dan Uggla, FLA (2B); David Wright, NYM (3B); Jose Reyes, NYM (SS); Cristian Guzman, WSH (SS); Ryan Ludwick, STL (OF); Carlos Lee, HOU (OF); Ryan Braun, MIL (OF); Nate McLouth (OF)

PITCHERS

Tim Lincecum, SF; Ben Sheets, MIL; Dan Haren, ARI; Brandon Webb, ARI; Ryan Dempster, CHI; Cole Hamels, PHI; Aaron Cook, COL; Chad Billingsley, LA; Brad Lidge, PHI; Billy Wagner, NYM; Taylor Buchholz, COL

Gordon Berger's Picks

STARTERS

C - Russell Martin, LA
1B - Lance Berkman, HOU
2B - Chase Utley, PHI
3B - Chipper Jones, ATL
SS - Hanley Ramirez, FLA
OF - Carlos Lee, HOU
OF - Ryan Braun, MIL
OF - Pat Burrell, PHI
DH - Albert Pujols, STL
P - Ben Sheets, MIL

RESERVES

Geovany Soto, CHI (C); Ryan Doumit, PIT (C); Adrian Gonzalez, SD (1B); Mark Teixera, ATL (1B); Ryan Howard, PHI (1B); Dan Uggla, FLA (2B); David Wright, NYM (3B); Aramis Ramirez, CHI (3B); Jose Reyes, NYM (SS); Cristian Guzman, WSH (SS); Ryan Ludwick, STL (OF); Jason Bay, PIT (OF); Matt Holliday, COL (OF)

PITCHERS

Brandon Webb, ARI; Aaron Cook, COL; Edinson Volquez, CIN; Cole Hamels, PHI; Tim Lincecum, SF; Brian Wilson, SF; Brad Lidge, PHI; Kerry Wood, CHI; Billy Wagner, NYM

Bill Baer's Picks

STARTERS

C - Brian McCann, ATL
1B - Lance Berkman, HOU
2B - Chase Utley, PHI
3B - Chipper Jones, ATL
SS - Hanley Ramirez, FLA
OF - Nate McLouth, PIT
OF - Pat Burrell, PHI
OF - Jason Bay, PIT
DH - Adrian Gonzalez, SD
P - Edinson Volquez, CIN

RESERVES

The players to watch and what to watch for this weekend:

Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees (7/3-7/6)

The series started on Thursday and second baseman Dustin Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 11 games in the first inning then later scored the first run of the Red Sox 7-0 rout of the Yankees.  Pedroia caught fire in Philadelphia in the middle of June and in those 15 games since then, he is hitting .523 with 16 runs scored in 15 games.  Pedroia has 13 games of three hits or more -- tied with Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon for the league lead -- this season.  His hot streak has brought his season average up to .309 with nine homers, 39 RBI and 57 steals and might mean an All-Star nod whether the power of Red Sox Nation keeps him ahead of Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler in the voting or not.  Sure, Josh Beckett, Mike Mussina and Joba Chamberlain take the hill this weekend and A-Rod is a hot topic on and off the field but Pedroia's recent explosion is something to watch for in this battle for second place in the AL East.

Pat Burrell, Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets (7/4-7/7)

In nine seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, Pat Burrell has been called a lot of things but never All-Star.  While the votes aren't there, Burrell is having a big contract year in the shadow of Chase Utley.  This season, Burrell is on pace to have career highs in doubles, home runs, walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.  Late in close games, Burrell is 14-for-44 with five home runs, 15 RBI, 16 walks and a 1.304 OPS.  Against the Mets especially, Pat the Bat loves to go yard.  He has more home runs (41) against the Mets than any other team (the next closest is the Marlins with 24).  There is no love lost between Burrell and former teammate and current Mets closer Billy Wagner who said that Burrell called him a "rat" during a team meeting while with the team.  In his career, Burrell homered twice in 16 at bats against Wagner and is responsible for two of Wagner's blown saves.  The way this season is going, a Burrell-Wagner match-up this series could end with the fireworks Philadelphia will be looking for this weekend since the Phillies moved their usual Fourth of July fireworks display to next Wednesday and Friday against the Cardinals and Diamondbacks.

Xavier Nady, Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers (7/4-7/6)

The Pittsburgh Pirates are the owners of three outfielders with possible All-Star credentials -- Xavier Nady, Jason Bay and Nate McLouth.  Of the three, Nady owns the highest batting average and slugging percentage heading into their weekend series with the Brewers.  Against Milwaukee this season, Nady is 6-for-11 with two homers and in his career, Nady is 9-for-17 with two doubles, three home runs and nine RBI against Milwaukee's ace Ben Sheets.  Someone from the Pirates has to go to the All-Star game, Nady's recent six game hitting streak could be enough to put him ahead of Bay and McLouth for that spot.  With the team just four games under .500, the Pirates need Nady, Bay and McLouth to continue performing like they have all season.  If they do, Pittsburgh has a shot at finishing above .500 for the first time since 1992.

Nomar Garciaparra, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants (7/4-7/6)

When is the last time Nomar Garciaparra played shortstop?  Answer: August 21, 2005.  On Friday, Garciaparra returns to the Dodgers from the DL and into the only position he played from his second game in the Majors in 1996 until that date when he "temporarily" moved to third base as a Cub to fill in due to an injury.  Maybe Garciaparra can stay healthy this time around -- he has only played nine games this season -- and the Dodgers need that with four position players including shortstop Rafael Furcal still on the DL.  The last two seasons with the Dodgers, Garciaparra has put up decent numbers but in his limited playing time this season, Nomar is 7-for-31 with one homer and five RBI.  Outfielder Andruw Jones also returns on Friday and the two will try to jump start the Dodgers who are fortunate enough to be in the worst division in baseball and just one and a half games out of first place despite being three games below .500. 

Emil Brown, Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox (7/3-7/6)

One name that will not be thrown around during the All-Star selection show on Sunday is Athletics outfielder Emil Brown.  Too bad Brown does not play against the White Sox every day or else he might be All-Star material.  This season, Brown went 3-for-7 in their first two games against the Sox and has a .301 average with six homers (the most he has against any Major League team) and 20 RBI in 166 at-bats against Chicago.  He is also a perfect 11-for-11 on steal attempts against the White Sox.  Brown was not in the lineup against the White Sox on Thursday but should be against them on Friday with Mark Buehrle on the hill.  Against Buehrle, Brown is 16-for-36 with three home runs and nine RBI and has hit safely in 12 of 13 games against him.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that Brown was born and raised in Chicago.

Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs at Saint Louis Cardinals (Friday 7/4)

The Cubs have not been the same team recently dropping six of their last eight.  Now, they face a weekend series against their division rivals holding on to a two and a half game lead over the Cardinals.  On Friday, they begin their quest to keep their shrinking lead from getting smaller with the return of their ace Carlos Zambrano who has owned the Cardinals in recent history.  Since 2005, Zambrano is 7-0 with a sub-2.00 ERA in 10 starts against the Cardinals and the Cubs are 9-1 in those starts.  It looked like Zambrano was headed to an All-Star roster spot before he suffered an injury on June 18.  Now, Zambrano tries to improve on his 8-3 record and 3.13 ERA and keep the Cubs two steps ahead of the Cardinals and possibly pitching his way back into All-Star contention.  Zambrano faces Braden Looper who is 2-1 in four starts against the Cubs.

Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Saturday 7/5)

Even if he was not on the worst team in the AL East, Roy Halladay would be an All-Star contender this season.  He is 9-6 with a 2.90 ERA, leads the Majors in complete games with six and is coming off his first shutout of the season over the Mariners.  Halladay faces John Lackey who is 6-1 with a 1.44 ERA in nine starts.  The two pitchers faced each other once in 2006 but neither were around when the game was decided.  The Jays have already dropped four of six to the Angels and Halladay will be trying to keep his team from dropping their first season series to the Angels since 2002 -- the year the Angels won the World Series.  Over the past two seasons, Halladay and Lackey are an impressive 50-23 combined and both have played their entire career with the same clubs.  The Angels are one of the few teams Halladay has not done particularly well against.  He is 5-5 with a 4.80 ERA in 13 starts against the AL West leaders.  In 239 career starts, Halladay has given up 11 or more hits 15 times with three of those games coming against the Angels.

Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins (Sunday 7/6)

On Sunday at 2 PM, the All-Star teams will be announced on TBS.  It will be shocking if Cliff Lee does not occupy one of those spots on the American League roster.  With an 11-1 record and a 2.26 ERA, Lee could find out he was named the starter for the American League team by the time he takes the mound in the bottom of the first inning of their game on Sunday against the Twins scheduled to start at 2:10.  Compare Lee's 11-1 record with the rest of the Indians pitching staff who are 26-47 -- 21 games below .500!  In the his four no decision, Lee left the game tied or with the lead only to see his team blow the lead and lose three of four of those games with all three losses coming in extra innings.  A case could be made that Lee is actually better than his 11-1 record indicates.  Lee already pitched a gem against the Twins earlier this season.  On April 18, the Indians beat the Twins 4-0 behind eight innings of two-hit ball from Lee. 

Georger Sherrill, Baltimore Orioles vs. Texas Rangers (7/4-7/6)

Somehow the Orioles are two games above .500 going into their weekend series against the most potent offense in baseball.  The Orioles have mustered up 43 wins so far this season and George Sherrill has won or saved 29 of them.  Second in saves behind Francisco Rodriguez of the Angels, Sherrill has stepped up for the Orioles in a big way since joining the team in 2008 after playing with the Mariners last season.  Unfortunately, Sherrill has blown two of his last three save opportunities including last Sunday against the Nationals which led to their 12th consecutive Sunday loss and prompted the club to create a unique fan promotion this Sunday called "We Win, You Win."  If the Orioles beat the Rangers on Sunday, every fan in attendance wins a free ticket to a future Orioles game.  It is likely that Sherrill will be involved should the Orioles be in position for a win on Sunday.  Not only will his 24 teammates be counting on him, the tens of thousands of Orioles fans that turn out will be counting on Sherrill with a little more invested in the outcome than normal.  The good news for Sherrill is the Rangers are 1-37 when behind at the start of the ninth inning.