Ultra-tight AL race rages on; Votto tops NL  —  Swisher barely ahead of Youkilis as Final Vote heads to finish  —  With fewer than seven hours remaining, Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher held the slimmest of leads over Kevin Youkilis of the rival Red Sox in a race that is shaping …

Ozzie not big on Twitter anymore  —  CHICAGO — Remember the hoopla surrounding Ozzie Guillen's entrance into the world of Twitter?  Well, the White Sox manager doesn't seem to have the same affection for the resource as he did in Spring Training.  —  “I'm tired of Twitter.

Mets Sign Two From Venezuela  —  The Mets made their first foray into this season's post-July 2 international prospect market yesterday, signing Venezuelan outfielder Vicente Lupo and infielder Leon Jackson Canelon, reports Miguel Bastidas at El Informador de Barquisimeto (link in Spanish).

Cardinals bullpen stumbles again  —  • Given an immediate and eerily similar opportunity to save themselves after Tuesday's nightmare ninth inning, the Cardinals and their bullpen couldn't tame the rallying Rockies and the unstable nature of their home, Coors Field.

Nats' future rotation offers multiple choices, elusive answers  —  The Washington Nationals' pitching rotation of the future is about to arrive.  It's coming in a hurry and in waves, one crashing on top of the other, over the next two to five weeks.  In all, the Nats have 11 pitchers …

Rangers, Mariners discussing deal for Lee  —  ARLINGTON — Trade discussions between the Rangers and the Seattle Mariners appear to be heating up over pitcher Cliff Lee, according to industry sources.  —  There is nothing imminent, there are plenty of other teams still involved and Lee …

Jays To Sign Thon For $1.5MM, Cenas For $700K  —  The Blue Jays have agreed to sign fifth-round pick Dickie Thon for $1.5MM, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law.  Now that the Blue Jays have pried Thon away from his commitment to Rice, they have agreed to sign six of their top ten selections …

Same youth team produced Strasburg, Leake  —  During a national youth tournament a decade ago in suffocating August heat, hard-throwing 11-year-old Stephen Strasburg melted down.  A couple of hits, an error and a wild pitch caused emotions to well up and explode.

Phillies Discussing Werth Trades  —  As they search for a proven starter, the Phillies are discussing Jayson Werth trades with “a lot of teams,” according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links).  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Phillies would likely consider trading Werth if they fall from contention.

New York Mets catching prospect Josh Thole not bothered by trade rumors involving lefty Cliff Lee  —  A friend of Josh Thole's sent the Mets' catcher a text message recently wondering if the 22-year-old knew anything about the Mets' trade talks about Seattle ace Cliff Lee.

Powerful gift at tough time  —  A couple of hours before the Red Sox played the Giants June 26 in San Francisco, Darnell McDonald came in from shagging flies to say hello to a small group gathered by the first base dugout at AT&T Park.  The Sox outfielder shook hands with Sam Callahan …

Sluggers launch season-high 47 homers  —  A first half marked by dominant pitching performances — to the extent that 2010 has been dubbed the second installment of the Year of the Pitcher — took a notable turn in favor of hitters on Wednesday.  —  Led by Adam Dunn's three blasts …

Sources: Cano pulls out of Home Run Derby  —  Robinson Cano won't have to worry about Home Run Derby hangover after all.  —  A source told the Daily News that the Yankees' All-Star second baseman has decided not to take part in the event next Monday.  —  The decision comes …