(Sports Network) - Mark Reynolds will be a spectator like many others for Tuesday's 80th All-Star Game in St. Louis, but he should be one of the reserves on the National League roster.

Reynolds ended third on the ballot for the final roster spot, finishing behind Philadelphia center fielder Shane Victorino and Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval. The third-year pro has better overall numbers than the other two candidates and is hitting .259 with 24 homers, 54 runs and 62 RBI. Victorino and Sandoval both have better batting averages, but Reynolds was more than worthy of the nod.

"I voted for him. I did it multiple times," Arizona manager A.J. Hinch said on the team's site. "I had my whole family going at it. I had the state of Oklahoma where I grew up. I had my whole neighborhood behind him. It became the fastest political campaign in sports, I guess."

Even U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ.) got into the voting hype by endorsing Reynolds as his candidate. While Reynolds won't be joining teammates Dan Haren and Justin Upton in St. Louis, he'll be resting and thinking of ways to help the Diamondbacks improve in the second half.

The Diamondbacks (36-50) had a five-game winning streak come to an end with a loss versus Florida on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series. They are 3-1 on a seven-game homestand and will open a six-game road trip next week after the All-Star festivities.

GONZALEZ, BELL SET FOR MIDSUMMER CLASSIC

There's not much to discuss right now in San Diego (35-50) besides the struggles of injured starters Jake Peavy and Chris Young, the last-place tag in the NL West standings and slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

One could add the strong season from closer Heath Bell, who will join Gonzalez as the only Padres on the National League All-Star roster. Gonzalez's achievements and longevity have been well documented, and he is slated to put his home run hitting skills on display in the Home Run Derby Monday night. He has averaged 30 home runs in each of his first three seasons in San Diego.

Bell is 3-1 with a 1.49 ERA and an NL-leading 23 saves in 34 games this season. The burly right-hander and first-time All-Star planned on taking his kids on a quick vacation to Disneyland, but those arrangements took a back seat when he was named to the NL All-Star team.

"You know, honestly, I keep things simple. My biggest job here was to win over the fans. I knew in my heart I could do it," Bell said on the team's site. "I thought I was going to be a stud, not necessarily an All-Star."

San Diego could use a few more All-Stars on its roster and is caught in a five-game losing streak. The Padres, who have also lost eight of nine games, are 2-2 on a seven-game road trip to close out the first half. They will kick off a seven-game homestand following the All-Star break.

ROCKIES ALIVE AND KICKING IN WILD CARD

The hottest team in the National League West division is not Los Angeles. That distinction goes to the Colorado Rockies, who have won four in a row and sit just a game behind division-rival San Francisco for the wild card.

Colorado (46-39) is also eight games behind the Dodgers for the division lead, but will most likely depend on capturing the final NL playoff spot via wild card much like it did in the run to the World Series in 2007. The Rockies have been relying on their starting rotation and are getting great results from Jason Marquis, Aaron Cook and Jorge De La Rosa. Ubaldo Jimenez could be in the mix too, but hasn't been consistent as of late.

De La Rosa helped complete a sweep of the Washington Nationals with 6 1/3 strong innings in a 10-4 victory on July 8. He gave up three runs to win his fourth straight start and the sixth in seven tries. Colorado has scored at least five runs in each of De La Rosa's last four trips to the mound. He tossed eight shutout innings in a win over Arizona before besting Washington.

"I'm throwing better," De La Rosa said on the Rockies' official site. "The key is throwing first-pitch strikes, and I've got much better command."

The Rockies are currently 5-2 on a 10-game homestand before the All-Star break, and will hit the road for four games at San Diego following Tuesday's Midsummer Classic.

SAN FRAN'S SANCHEZ GETS ANOTHER SHOT

While future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson nurses a shoulder injury, the San Francisco Giants decided to send Jonathan Sanchez to the mound in Friday's second test of a four-game series versus the San Diego Padres.

Sanchez compiled an 0-4 record with a 7.45 ERA in his past four starts before being sent to the bullpen in late June in favor of rookie Ryan Sadowski. Sanchez then tossed three scoreless innings in two relief appearances and also worked with pitching coach Dave Righetti to fix his mechanics.

The left-hander, who is 2-8 with a 5.30 ERA in 16 games (13 starts) this season, has a temporary chance to prove to Giants manager Bruce Bochy that he belongs in the rotation much like he did earlier this season. Now that Johnson is on the disabled list, the Giants are looking for more firepower to go along with aces Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Barry Zito is no slouch and Sadowski has a bright future ahead of him, but now the time belongs to Sanchez.

"This is my second chance," Sanchez told the team's site Thursday. "Hopefully, I go out there and prove what I can do."

He will face a Padres team he is 0-2 against in two starts this season. The NL Wild Card-leading Giants (47-38) are one game ahead of Colorado and own a 5-2 mark on a 10-game homestand. They will start a 10-game road trip after the All-Star break.

DODGERS RESUME ROAD TRIP BEFORE BREAK

The National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers are on the last leg of their nine-game road trip before the All-Star break, and will open a three- game series at Milwaukee tonight.

Los Angeles is seven games ahead of San Francisco in the standings and 4-2 on the current road swing -- the same mark with Manny Ramirez back in the lineup. Ramirez returned from his suspension on July 3, when the NL West-leading Dodgers kicked off this nine-game road trip against the Padres, Mets and Brewers. He is batting .333 with two homers and seven RBI on the road swing. LA took two of three meetings from the Mets and is coming off Thursday's 11-2 drubbing of New York thanks to Ramirez, who went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, two RBI and a pair of walks.

"I am feeling better. Everybody swung the bats great and we took advantage of that," Ramirez said after the game.

Ramirez is one home run shy of tying the great Mickey Mantle for 15th on the all-time list. His 535 career home runs are one better than Jimmie Foxx.

Meanwhile, Dodgers starting pitcher Jason Schmidt is still recovering from two right shoulder procedures and earning money off of his huge three-year contract he signed with the Dodgers prior to the 2007 season. He went 1-4 with a 6.31 ERA in six starts that year before missing all of last season with the shoulder injury. The righty is expected to make one more start at the minor league level before Los Angeles decides on what to do with him. Schmidt is 3-1 with a 3.43 ERA in seven appearances at the minors, and will be a free agent after the 2009 season.

After the All-Star break, the Dodgers will return to Chavez Ravine for a 10- game homestand versus the Astros, Reds and Marlins. Ramirez will surely receive a boisterous applause when he makes his return to Dodger Stadium versus Houston on July 16. LA is second in the majors with a .275 batting average, first in the NL with a .354 OBS and third in the Senior Circuit with 421 runs scored.