Phillips, Mesoraco seek support in balloting

The second National League All-Star balloting update was released on Tuesday afternoon, and the two Reds who were represented among the top five at their respective positions in the first update remain in the top five.

Brandon Phillips is currently fourth among NL second basemen with 304,541 votes, while teammate Devin Mesoraco is fifth among catchers with 258,528 votes.

Phillips, making a bid for his fourth All-Star selection, entered Tuesday hitting .270 with 15 doubles, four home runs and 20 RBIs. Defensively, he's been stellar, tied for the best fielding percentage among the league's second basemen (.996) and ranking second among all MLB second basemen with a 4.6 ultimate zone rating, an advanced metric that measures how many runs a player has saved with his defense.

Phillips trails Chase Utley of the Phillies (974,196), Dee Gordon of the Dodgers (530,289) and Neil Walker of the Pirates (365,050). The Mets' Daniel Murphy is currently in fifth place among NL second basemen with 298,611 votes.

Mesoraco, who has boosted a Cincinnati offense that has struggled for much of the season, is seeking his first All-Star selection. Despite missing 16 games due to a strained left hamstring, the 25-year-old Mesoraco entered Tuesday having posted a .351 batting average with eight home runs and 25 RBIs. He hit two homers, including a grand slam, and drove in five runs against the D-backs on Friday.

Mesoraco trails Yadier Molina of the Cardinals (1,210,579), Buster Posey of the Giants (766,356), Jonathan Lucroy of the Brewers (522,310) and Evan Gattis of the Braves (388,548).

Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or on a mobile device -- using the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by Experian until Thursday, July 3, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The 2014 All-Star Game will be played at Target Field on Tuesday, July 15.

Fans may submit up to 25 online ballots, but they can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, you must be logged into your MLB.com account when you submit any online ballot. If you do not have an MLB.com account, register on the site in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.

Fans this year once again can participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league who they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2014 Home Run Derby will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 14.

The 2014 American League and National League All-Star teams will be unveiled on the 2014 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show during the weekend of July 5-6, with further details to follow on MLB.com. Immediately following the announcement of the AL and NL All-Star rosters, fans can begin voting to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Experian. Fans will cast their votes from a list of five players from each league over the balloting period.

And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote Sponsored by Pepsi, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities.

The 85th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.