The clock is ticking on a potential Jonathan Papelbon trade and, therefore, a season in which no Philadelphia Phillies make the NL All-Star team.

Although a case, albeit weak, can be made for both Cole Hamels and Maikel  Franco to make the team, the facts are that Hamels is a losing pitcher on a losing team and Franco’s 38 days in Triple-A gave other third basemen too much of a head start. In reality, Papelbon is the only guy who has performed like an All-Star. He has a 1-1 record with a 1.60 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 33.2 innings. He has 14 saves in 32 games and, more importantly, no blown saves.

Hamels, while pitching well, has a 5-6 record with a 3.02 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 113 innings. Those are not All-Star numbers despite having woeful hitting support. Steve Carlton, pitching for the 59-win Phillies in 1972, found a way to win 27 games. Hamels is being paid handsomely to win games and he has not done that.

Franco comes closer to deserving a spot, with 10 homers, 34 RBIs and a .296 average, but there are three third basemen ahead of him in home runs and one of them, Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies, has the most RBIs in MLB play. It would be hard winning an argument for Franco over Arenado this season.

That leaves Papelbon, who is as likely to be traded before the game as he is not. If he is, he will represent the team in another uniform and leave the Phillies without representation, which would be fitting. The Phillies are likely headed to a 100-plus loss season and no team with that record of futility deserves any kind of recognition on All-Star night.

Mike Gibson is a MLB Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @papreps , “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.