SAN FRANCISCO -- Though he likely won't be healthy enough to play in the All-Star Game, Alfonso Soriano seemingly is a lock to be named a National League starting outfielder.

Fully healthy and excited to play in the Midsummer Classic is rookie catcher Geovany Soto, who, according to the most recent ballot update, owned a 650,000 vote lead over Atlanta's Brian McCann.

Those aren't the players Cubs manager Lou Piniella worries about. Piniella, one of the National League coaches in the game at Yankee Stadium on July 15, recently called Clint Hurdle, the NL squad's manager, to pitch a trio of his deserving players.

Right-hander Ryan Dempster, a nine-game winner with a 3.26 ERA, has "pitched very well, as well as anybody we have here," Piniella said.

In the infield, there's Ryan Theriot, a too-often overlooked shortstop who's quietly batting .311 with a .389 on-base percentage. But "shortstop's a tough position," with Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Tejada and Jose Reyes in the mix, Piniella said. Theriot, though, is "one of the kids that deserves consideration."

The closest All-Star battle involving a Cub is for the final starting outfield spot. In the most recent ballot update, Kosuke Fukudome led Ryan Braun by just 32,295 votes. Voting ends Wednesday night.

Fukudome owns a .292 average this year along with 52 walks, but he's hit just .267 in his past 20 games. Piniella said Fukudome hasn't been taking pitches as well as he did earlier in the year. The skipper plans to give Fukudome more rest when Soriano returns to the lineup.

"He's not staying on the ball like he was earlier in the year," Piniella said. "He's struggling a little bit."