Helton out of hospital, waits for final diagnosis  —  Philadelphia - His condition improved but his stomach ailment undiagnosed, Rockies first baseman Todd Helton returned home Monday after four days in the hospital.  —  The Rockies expect to learn today what caused Helton's illness after a final battery of tests is analyzed.

On Soriano  —  I'm not sure how much more I can say about Alfonso Soriano than Nate already wrote in an excellent post at Nats Triple Play.  So I'm going to incorporate by reference just about everything Nate wrote.  —  On a personal level, I'm learning to love Soriano.

Mets will stick with Zambrano  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Victor Zambrano will start Saturday in Atlanta on turn, even though a Thursday off-day gave the team the opportunity to skip him.  —  Zambrano, who has a 9.64 ERA in three starts, continued to struggle Sunday in San Diego.

Rangers' Matthews adds pop to the top  —  Outfielder knows he doesn't fit the mold, and he doesn't want to  —  ARLINGTON - Outfielder Gary Matthews said he can't be the prototypical leadoff hitter.  Manager Buck Showalter doesn't want him to be.  —  "I'm not going to steal 50 bases …

M's sink Sox in 11th  —  Betancourt drives home Bloomquist with winning run  —  Yuniesky Betancourt generally walks back to the bench when the game is on the line.  —  When Mariners manager Mike Hargrove uses a pinch hitter, more often than not Betancourt loses the at-bat.

Pujols lets bat do the talking  —  Cardinals slugger regrets bat flip after homer last week  —  ST. LOUIS — This time, Albert Pujols acted like he's been there before.  Of course, he has — 11 other times this season and on 212 other occasions in his career.

Prospectus Hit List  —  Week of April 23  —  Homers are up 18 percent over this time last year, at least according to ESPN's Juice Box tracker.  Franchise values are up 15 percent, according to Forbes Magazine's annual independent survey of the game's financial landscape.

Mike Mussina, RHP (2-1, 2.67)  —  Scouting Report:  —  Kazmir was everything the Devil Rays hoped he would be while blowing away the Red Sox in 5 2/3 innings in his last start.  He worked all parts of the plate and pitched with poise while holding Boston to one run on four hits and striking out seven.

Off to a flying start  —  MILWAUKEE - In a game involving the Cincinnati Reds, it is fair to expect a home run every 45 minutes or so.  They seem to have a love affair with home runs.  They hit bundles of home runs.  They give up even more home runs.  They live and die with the home run, and they ache because of it.

Jones blasts HR, does same to fans  —  After hitting the game-winning, three-run home run against the Florida Marlins on Monday night at Wrigley Field, Jacque Jones unleashed some pent-up anger over the rough treatment he has received in his first month as a Cub.  —  "I'm angry right now, you know what I mean?"

Mussina Finds Out That Less Can Be More  —  When Mike Mussina's curveball is especially sharp, he can hear it break as it slices the air.  "Sometimes," he said last week, in the straightforward way he says almost everything, "it just makes a fft-fft-fft."  —  Mussina, who starts tonight …

Kennedy Welcomes Kendrick's Arrival  —  It can be a little awkward when the guy who has been tabbed to take your job shows up at the office unexpectedly, all eager and excited to work, as second base prospect Howie Kendrick did Monday after the Angels called him up from triple-A Salt Lake City …

Striking minor league umpires draw support  —  HAGERSTOWN, Md. —Twelve hours earlier, umpire Dan Iassogna was calling balls and strikes on Alfonso Soriano at RFK Stadium in the nation's capital.  On Tuesday morning, Iassogna carried a picket sign and chanted in unison with 24 …

Under The Knife  —  Weatherman  —  I got called baseball's version of the weatherman yesterday as I was coming on radio.  I think that's a compliment and don't think it was a reference to the old Weather Underground or to Steve Carell's character in Anchorman.

TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: THIRTY YEARS OF MONDAY  —  DC Tom alerted me to the 30th anniversary of the Monday game, and I in turn asked him to share his memories and thoughts on the game.  My remarks come first, and his remarks follow.  I hope you enjoy these two perspectives.  Or, at least, his!