Mookie, J.D. maintain starting spots on ASB

BOSTON -- Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez have been powering the Red Sox to victories all season. In July, they could again be a dual force as American League All-Stars.
• VOTE: 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot
Betts and Martinez were still holding commanding leads at their respective positions when the latest round of balloting was released on Tuesday.
An All-Star the last two years, Betts looks primed to make it three straight appearances. He has 2,337,514 votes to lead all outfielders across both leagues. Only Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (2,460,967) has more votes at any position.
Then there is Martinez, who has 1,675,492 votes at DH for a whopping lead over his next closest competitor in Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton (738,878).
Betts and Martinez rank second and third in the Majors, respectively, in OPS, trailing only Mike Trout.

Martinez and Trout entered the day in a three-way tie with José Ramírez for the most homers in MLB with 23. Despite spending two weeks on the disabled list, Betts has bashed 19 homers, tying him with several players for the third-highest total in the Majors, entering play Tuesday.
Backed by the performance of the two star hitters, the Red Sox have been in first or second place the entire season in a back-and-forth race with the Yankees.
Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot until Thursday, July 5, at 11:59 p.m. ET. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB At Bat and MLB Ballpark mobile apps. Each fan can vote up to five times in any 24-hour period, for a maximum of 35 ballots cast.
Following the announcement of this year's All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Final Vote for the final player on each league's roster. Then on Tuesday, July 17, while watching the 2018 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2018 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.

The 89th Midsummer Classic, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.
Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland, who started the season as a reserve and has been a steady force in Boston's lineup, is third at his position with 644,728 votes. He needs to climb over José Abreu and Yuli Gurriel to secure a starting spot in the All-Star Game.