Trumbo on All-Star support: "It makes you feel pretty special"

The Orioles are in first place by four games in the American League East and trying to distance themselves from the rest of the field and win their second division crown in three seasons.

Mark Trumbo currently is fourth among American League outfielders in All-Star voting.

Guess where his attention and focus are fixed?

Anyone who knows Trumbo or has been around him for any length of time can figure out that he's more concerned about getting to the playoffs, about winning the games that count. The only standings that occupy his mind involve his team.

Trumbo began last week trailing the Red Sox's Mookie Betts by only 27,023 votes for third place in All-Star balloting, which will be updated again today before teams are announced on July 5 at 7 p.m. on ESPN. He's batting .279/.330/.554 with 22 home runs that lead the majors and match his 2015 total. His 55 RBIs lead the Orioles.

"I don't actively check it," Trumbo said. "I have updates that come in from time to time. I guess it's a nice situation to be in, but it's also kind of a distraction, too. It's inevitable you're going to think about it a little bit, but there's more important stuff going on out there."

Team stuff. First-place stuff.

Trumbo can receive the updates without trying.

"Easy. Family, friends, whatever," he said. "They probably get a much bigger kick out of following it than I do."

Don't mistake Trumbo's responses as total indifference to being elected or selected as a reserve. He holds fond memories of the 2012 game in Kansas City during his second full season with the Angels. Trumbo participated in the Home Run Derby, hitting 13 out to finish in third place, and went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in the game.

The result didn't really matter as much as the experience of being there.

"It was incredible," he said. "I remember having a blast doing the Home Run Derby. Just being a part of everything was pretty surreal."

The Orioles are making a strong social media push to get him into the game as a starter, using the hashtag #VoteTrumbo at every opportunity. Support from local fans already has been significant, another way that he's been embraced in his first season in Baltimore.

"That's tremendous, sure," he said. "You're not going to see or hear me say too much about it on my own behalf, but to see all the effort the fans have put in, the team has put in, it's really humbling. It makes you feel pretty special and it's definitely motivational."

Trumbo can weigh the pros and cons of spending the break in uniform. He also knows which way it tips for him.

"To be a major league All-Star, if you have that opportunity, you can rest down the road," he said. "I mean, realistically it would be nice to get off your feet for a couple days, but these are the types of things you can't take for granted. It's an incredibly special opportunity, so the other stuff will work itself out. It's an honor."

I'm flying to San Diego later this afternoon, my first visit to Petco Park since June 2007. Someone had to follow around Dave Trembley after he replaced fired manager Sam Perlozzo.