ARLINGTON – It's too late for Ian Kinsler to hire a campaign manager for his All-Star bid, but the Rangers second baseman is keeping an eye on the voting.

With online voting for the July 14 game set to end Thursday, Kinsler holds a 6,830-vote lead over Boston's Dustin Pedroia in a bid to make his first All-Star start.

Kinsler has led throughout the voting but his lead has been dwindling in recent weeks.

I'd love to be in St. Louis instead of the lake over the All-Star break," said Kinsler, who was a backup in last year's All-Star Game. "Whether I'm starting or not, I'd love to be there."

Fans can still vote at www.texasrangers.com. Anyone voting the maximum of 25 times on the Web site can receive two tickets to a future Rangers game.

Hamilton heads to OKC: Josh Hamilton's lead over fourth-place Torii Hunter for an All-Star starting outfield spot is more than 100,000 votes. He hopes to get his All-Star notification while he's with the team in Arlington.

Hamilton flew to Iowa on Tuesday night to join Triple-A Oklahoma City. He went through pregame drills with the Rangers and took batting practice before leaving. It looks as if his return to the lineup could come Saturday against Tampa Bay.

"I'm not going to say what my plan is because I'd be playing tonight," said Hamilton, who hopes to start in the Oklahoma City outfield today.

Rotation plans: Tommy Hunter's next Rangers start is scheduled for Friday against Tampa Bay. Vicente Padilla is expected to start Saturday, and either Scott Feldman or Derek Holland is slated for Sunday.

For the upcoming Angels series in Los Angeles, the Rangers' rotation looks like this: Kevin Millwood on Monday, Feldman or Holland on Tuesday, and Hunter on Wednesday.

Slow progress for McCarthy: Brandon McCarthy's return to the Rangers still has no timetable.

McCarthy, who has a stress fracture in his throwing shoulder, hasn't thrown a ball since before the Rangers' last road trip. He's not even running yet.

"I'm not doing anything that aggravates the area," he said.

Briefly: Radio broadcaster Eric Nadel is scheduled to return to the booth today. Nadel had surgery on his right eye Monday. ... Outfielder Marlon Byrd is the honorary chairman for the team's Baseball Equipment Drive, which runs from July 6-17. Fans can drop off new or "gently used" equipment at 13 area Academy stores. On July 17, fans can drop off equipment at Rangers Ballpark from 4:30-7:30 p.m. and receive a ticket voucher for a future game.