Is Andy Pettitte an All-Star?

Andy Pettitte, tonight's start for the Yankees, is 7-1 with a 2.47 ERA heading into the game against the Houston Astros, which doesn't have a very strong hitting lineup.

Pettitte has been consistently good throughout the season:

April -- 3-0, 2.12 ERA in five starts (two wins against the L.A. Angels)
May -- 4-1, 2.87 ERA in five starts (two wins against the Minnesota Twins)

A win tonight would tie Pettitte with Phil Hughes for the team lead in wins. And Pettitte's numbers in the AL are equally strong (check below). With eight or nine wins and a continued good ERA, Pettitte should end up in Anaheim in July. Period. End of story.

To take a measure of who the AL All-Star pitchers (in terms of starters) could be, here are some of the candidates:

1. David Price, Tampa Bay -- 9-2, 2.23 ERA
2. Clay Buchholz, Boston -- 8-4, 2.52 ERA
3. Phil Hughes, Yankees -- 8-1, 2.71 ERA
4. Brett Cecil, Toronto -- 7-2, 3.22 ERA
5. Jon Lester, Boston -- 7-2, 3.18 ERA
6. Andy Pettitte, Yankees -- 7-1, 2.47 ERA
7. Kevin Slowey, Minnesota -- 7-3, 3.45 ERA
8. Mitch Talbot, Cleveland -- 7.4, 3.59 ERA

And two pitchers to keep an eye on when the teams are selected: Oakland will have to have a representative. Trevor Cahill is 5-2 with a 2.91 ERA. Also, Cliff Lee of Seattle was hurt to start the season, but is 4-2 with a 2.77 ERA in eight starts. He has 57 strikeouts with just four walks.