Sox See Duel Turn Cruel  —  Take Lead In 12th, Then Lose On Slam  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Johan Santana was piling up strikeouts at a rapid pace, using his dazzling array of pitches to baffle the Red Sox hitters.  It almost seemed too easy, even though sweat was dripping down his face.

Tom's bad location: Over the fences  —  PHILADELPHIA — Tom Glavine made his shortest outing of the season feel like the longest in last night's 9-7 win over the Phillies.  He gave up four solo home runs, including two to Jimmy Rollins, and seemed to labor through every one of the 110 pitches that he needed for only 4 1/3 innings.

RANGERS NOTES  —  Daniels still patient on trade front  —  ARLINGTON - It's still a month-and-a-half before the July 31 trade deadline.  But with the draft over, trade discussions do begin to heat up.  —  "Things are still in the feeling-out mode," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said.

Dodgers-Padres Preview  —  Brad Penny looks to win his sixth straight decision for the Los Angeles Dodgers when they continue a three-game series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Wednesday.  —  Penny (7-1, 2.34 ERA) is 5-0 with a 2.03 ERA over seven starts since his lone loss of the season at Arizona on May 1.

Alex the not -so-great hears it  —  Alex Rodriguez uses a performance enhancer every day.  His dealer is on the other end of the phone lines, peddling designer stuff that gives A-Rod a needed boost.  —  It's not what you might think.  This elixir is legal, created for captains of industry …

Mets vs. Phils: The unrivalry  —  PHILADELPHIA — For 44 years, ever since the inception of the Metropolitan Baseball Club, the two franchises have shared the same league and/or the same division.  A mere 100 miles apart, they remain the closest of neighbors, separated by half the geography …

Signing Top Draft Pick Will Be Much Easier  —  There will be no lengthy holdout for the Angels' first-round pick this year.  Hank Conger, the Huntington Beach High catcher who was the 25th overall pick in last week's draft, has agreed in principle to a bonus of about $1.35 million and is expected …

Notes: Patterson's return delayed  —  Right-hander will start for Class A Potomac on Saturday  —  WASHINGTON — Right-hander John Patterson was hoping to be activated from the disabled list and pitch against the Yankees on Saturday, but after talking to general manager Jim Bowden …

Away from game, Manny connects  —  MINNEAPOLIS — These days, not many people get up-close-and-personal time with Manny Ramirez, outside of his family, friends and teammates.  That's simply how the Red Sox slugger prefers it.  —  A small glimpse inside his life yesterday morning, however …

Bartlett's back; Batista's out  —  The Twins gave their roster a jolt late Tuesday night, designating third baseman Tony Batista for assignment and promoting Jason Bartlett from Class AAA Rochester.  —  Bartlett will join the team tonight and replace Juan Castro as the team's starting shortstop.

Tigers against teams above .500  —  Of course, the Tigers aren't alone in beating up on the bad teams.  That's mainly how flags are won since, by definition, it's awfully hard to beat up on the good teams.  But the Tigers are just more egregious about it this year than other teams.

Search continues for leadoff hitter  —  Devil Rays' Crawford among possibilities  —  Washington - The Rockies' problems start at the top.  General manager Dan O'Dowd knew this past winter, this spring and this season that the leadoff spot could become an issue.

Gagne supplants Kent on disabled list  —  Closer's return date uncertain; second baseman hits lineup  —  SAN DIEGO — Eric Gagne replaced Jeff Kent on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday.  —  Kent recovered in 15 days from a bruised hand and was back in the lineup on Tuesday night …

Benitez has Giant issues to resolve Closer unhappy with negativity on team, comment by Miller  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Armando Benitez is unhappy with the Giants and fed up with what he perceives as excessive criticism from the club's broadcasters.  —  In an animated conversation with this newspaper …

Marmol to get another start; Santo in booth  —  Rookie Carlos Marmol's strong performance in his first major-league start Sunday will keep him in the Cubs' rotation for now, with left-hander Glendon Rusch getting skipped after Monday's day off.  —  Skipping Rusch will keep Greg Maddux …

Enough is enough  —  D'backs designate struggling Ortiz for assignment  —  PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks decided Tuesday they would rather eat the remaining $22 million of Russ Ortiz' contract than keep him on their roster.  —  The club designated the struggling right-hander for assignment …