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 …

DANKS' GEM GIVES WHITE SOX SWEEP OF ANGELS  —  The Sports Network  —  Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - John Danks took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Paul Konerko knocked in the lone run as the Chicago White Sox bested the Angels, 1-0, in the finale of a four-game set from U.S. Cellular Field.

M's target big-time prospects for Lee  —  The Rays, Twins, Rangers, Phillies, Yankees, Reds and Mets are among the 12 to 15 teams that have inquired about star Mariners left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee, and Seattle is said to be targeting big-time prospects in return, such as Yankees' catching …

No panic yet from Phillies, but should there be?  —  LAST NIGHT, on “Daily News Live,” on Comcast SportsNet, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. twice mentioned a lack of “urgency” in the DNA of this year's club, saying the healthy regulars who still inhabit the first five spots of the team's lineup need to find some, and fast.

OSWALT STRONG, BERKMAN HOMERS TWICE AS ASTROS SWEEP BUCS  —  The Sports Network  —  Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Lance Berkman belted two solo home runs to support Roy Oswalt's complete-game one-hitter in Houston's 2-0 blanking of Pittsburgh that completed a three-game sweep at Minute Maid Park.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …