ATLANTA -- First baseman Nomar Garciaparra and second baseman Jeff Kent are the top vote-getters among the Dodgers in early voting returns for this year's National League All-Star Team.

Garciaparra has received 129,034 votes at first base, nearly a half-million behind leader Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kent has received 140,691 votes at second base, about 160,000 behind leader Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros.

Garciaparra, in his first year as a first baseman, was a five-time All-Star shortstop with the Boston Red Sox. Kent is a five-time All-Star second baseman, including the last year representing the Dodgers.

No other Dodgers ranked among the leaders at his position in the first round of voting, announced Tuesday.

Penny/Little: Manager Grady Little and pitcher Brad Penny met after batting practice Tuesday to clear the air over Penny's angry outburst after being removed from Monday's game in the fifth inning.

"I think he learned a lesson," said Little, who added that no action would be taken against Penny.

Penny was angry when yanked two outs short of qualifying for a win and after the game said he has been pitching with a sore shoulder and felt he deserved a chance to pitch for a decision.

"To tell you the truth, I've never had a situation like this before, where a person reacted to a situation in that manner," Little told the media before he met with Penny. "It came in the heat of battle and with a lot of emotion there. Sometimes it takes a little longer for things to sink in."

As for a shoulder injury, Little said he won't use a pitcher who says he can't pitch and added that Penny took the ball in three previous starts despite a stiff lower back and pitched well.

Penny spoke briefly with the media and said his shoulder felt better than it did Monday.

Kent out again: Second baseman Jeff Kent missed a fourth start with a bruised left hand, but Little said he was hopeful Kent would return to the lineup Wednesday night.

No Hochevar: The deadline passed for the Dodgers to sign last year's first pick, Luke Hochevar, who will re-enter the draft next week. There was no late contact between the club and Hochevar, who could go as high as No. 1 overall to the Kansas City Royals.

The Dodgers at one time thought they had a deal with Hochevar for a $2.98 million signing bonus, but the player backed away in the midst of a dispute over agents.

The Dodgers will have three of the first 31 picks in next week's draft, including their primary pick, No. 7 overall.

They also signed a pair of draft-and-follows from last year -- left-handed pitcher Skylar Tripp (20th round) and third baseman Brian Matthews (45th).

Coming up: Brett Tomko (5-2, 3.86 ERA) opposes Atlanta's Tim Hudson (4-3, 4.12 ERA) in Wednesday night's series finale.