Desmond seeking support in Final Vote balloting
Nationals shortstop trails Freeman, Puig, Pence in battle for All-Star spot
While chasing a last-minute All-Star berth, Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond had a tough night at the plate Monday.
Desmond -- who is vying for a spot through the 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote sponsored by freecreditscore.com -- went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against the Phillies in a 3-2 loss. The final punchout caused Desmond to slam his helmet in frustration at the end of the eighth inning.
The shortstop remained in fourth place as new voting totals were revealed Tuesday morning. Desmond was behind the Braves' Freddie Freeman, rookie phenom Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers and the Giants' Hunter Pence. The Dodgers' Adrian Gonzalez sat in fifth place, and more than 33 million votes had been cast.
Desmond did make a diving stop and threw out Jimmy Rollins in the second inning of Monday's contest, but that was the only highlight for the 27-year-old who is looking for his second All-Star appearance. He is 2-for-11 since the Final Vote nominations were announced on Saturday.
Now in its 12th year, the 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote sponsored by freecreditscore.com gives baseball fans around the world the opportunity to select the final player on each All-Star team. Balloting began immediately following Saturday's Major League All-Star Selection Show presented by Taco Bell and ends Thursday at 4 p.m. ET. The winners will be announced on MLB.com shortly thereafter.
There will be an extra treat for fans who participate in the Final Vote online. If you are not a current MLB.TV subscriber (MLB.TV or MLB.TV Premium), you are eligible to receive a 14-day free trial of MLB.TV from July 12-26. If you are a current MLB.TV subscriber (MLB.TV or MLB.TV Premium), you will receive a 15-percent discount to the MLB.com Shop. MLB.com will send an email on July 12 to all Final Vote voters with instructions on how to redeem the applicable offer.
Mobile voting in the U.S. and Canada is open to everyone. In the U.S., to receive the 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote sponsored by freecreditscore.com mobile ballot, text the word "VOTE" to 89269. To vote for Desmond, simply text message N1 to 89269. In Canada, fans should text N1 to 101010. Standard message and data rates may apply.
For the second consecutive year, the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by freecreditscore.com (#FinalVote) will include a social balloting element as Twitter support from the candidates' fans over the last six hours of balloting will count toward their final vote totals. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, any tweet that includes a designated player hashtag will be tabulated as part of the overall vote total used to determine the American League and National League winners. Fans may follow @MLB on the popular social networking service for the latest standings updates in advance of the 4 p.m. ET balloting deadline.