"RHP James Shields was honored to get a share of a second American League player of the week award after his pair of complete games, but it's become clear the true reward he's seeking for his stellar start is a spot on the AL All-Star team.

"If I get picked it would be a really, really big honor for me," Shields said. "That's one of the things that I've strived for, is to be able to make an All-Star team in my career. And if that happens I would definitely be happy about it."

The next issue, though, would be whether he'd be available to pitch.

The Rays are again tweaking their rotation, and there is a decent possibility Shields will pitch the final game before the break, July 10 at New York. That would make him ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game, though he would still be considered part of the team and participate in the festivities in Phoenix.

After the latest change, Shields will pitch Friday, staying on a five-day cycle, with RHP Wade Davis pushed back to Saturday.

Shields, with a 7-4 record, 2.40 ERA (that ranks second in the AL) and a major league-most five complete games, has a good case to be either voted in by the players or selected by AL manager Ron Washington, of Texas."