http://0rz.net/1d1yy 06/21/2006 12:03 AM ET Notes: D-Backs seek late All-Star push Players need boost from fans as voting comes to a close By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com ST. PETERSBURG -- Time is running short for Diamondbacks fans to vote their favorite Arizona players onto the National League All-Star team. The most recent vote totals do not show a D-Backs player in the top five at any position, and with in-stadium voting over in Phoenix, fans will have to cast their ballots online. Monster online balloting concludes on MLB.com and the 30 club Web sites on Thursday, June 29th at 8:59 p.m. MST. The D-Backs have several candidates worthy of consideration, including catcher Johnny Estrada, who entered Tuesday night's game with a .312 batting average to go with 13 doubles, five homers and 39 RBIs. Outfielder Luis Gonzalez was Arizona's lone representative to last year's Midsummer Classic and he was also the last position player to be voted as a starter when a late online voting surge pushed him ahead of Larry Walker in 2001. Crossed fingers: An MRI of outfielder Scott Hairston's right shoulder showed no structural damage. Hairston injured the shoulder on Monday night when he crashed into the wall in left while attempting to make a catch. He was not in the lineup on Tuesday night and Hairston said he was told that the biceps tendon was swollen. "It looks like everything is good," manager Bob Melvin said. "We're literally day-to-day with him right now." Hairston, who had surgery last season on his left shoulder, had been recalled prior to Monday's game from Triple-A Tucson. "It was a very emotional day," Hairston said. "I went from being really excited to being scared. I didn't know what to think. Obviously, I hurt my left shoulder last year so a lot of things went through my mind. I was confused, wondering why it happened the first day back. I was just hoping the MRI was going to go well. So far, so good." It's Edgar: Edgar Gonzalez will start Thursday's game against the Rays in place of Kevin Jarvis, who was designated for assignment after being hit hard by the Rangers on Saturday night. Gonzalez was 2-4 with a 3.76 ERA in Tucson and was among the leaders in the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts (78) and innings pitched (88 2/3). The 23-year-old has appeared in 20 games for the D-Backs during parts of the 2003-2005 seasons. This will be his first big-league action this year. Melvin said the D-Backs chose Gonzalez over fellow Tucson starter Dustin Nippert because of the pair's recent performances. Nippert allowed eight runs on nine hits over 3 2/3 innings on Saturday. "He's another guy we want to take a look at that has some big-league experience, yet very, very little last year," Melvin said of Gonzalez. "He's getting a little further along to where he's doing some things a little bit better and we feel like he's ready for the big leagues." Homecoming: The Devil Rays attendance will get a boost over the next few days thanks to Luis Gonzalez, as the Tampa native secured tickets for 100 family and friends to attend Tuesday night's game. interleague 2006 Complete coverage > Gonzalez was a member of the Tigers, who were the Rays' first opponent here in 1998. In fact, Gonzalez hit the first home run in Tropicana Field history when he hit a fifth-inning blast off Dan Carlson. "You want to see them succeed," Gonzalez said of the Rays franchise. "Baseball has always been a passion for a lot of Latin people, especially in this area. These guys [the new ownership group] are doing a good job here and starting to make some progress." Partial rest: Melvin likes to give his regulars a turn to serve as the designated hitter as sort of a partial day off. Tuesday night it was third baseman Chad Tracy's turn to DH. "Sometimes you can get caught not feeling like you're into the game," Tracy said. "As long as you keep your head on every pitch and watch everybody's at-bats you should be fine staying in the game." Damion Easley started at third in Tracy's place. He'll be back: After a season-high three hits and a pair of RBIs on Monday, and with another opposition southpaw on the mound, Chris Snyder got his second straight start behind the plate in place of Estrada on Tuesday. Melvin cautioned against reading too much into Snyder getting back-to-back starts. "Johnny's our starting guy, and he will be in there tomorrow night no matter what," Melvin said. Up next: The D-Backs and D-Rays square off in the second game of this three-game set Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. MST. Brandon Webb (8-2, 2.37) will get the start for Arizona and he will be looking for his first win since May 26. The right-hander has dropped his past two starts. Rookie James Shields (3-0, 3.13) goes for the Rays. --

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