Zambrano could be finished  —  ST. LOUIS - Victor Zambrano's career is in jeopardy after the righthander yesterday unexpectedly had a second Tommy John elbow surgery.  —  Team doctor David Altchek found a torn ligament that required replacement during what was expected to be a less intense procedure.

Dusty leans on family, tries to stay positive  —  Maybe the perch would be biting Monday off Waukegan Harbor, where Cubs manager Dusty Baker, hitting coach Gene Clines and clubhouse managers Tom Hellman and Gary Stark planned a fishing trip on their day off.

Beckett lights up Birds  —  Right-hander celebrates 26th birthday by dominating Orioles  —  BALTIMORE — The game face wasn't quite there when Josh Beckett first entered the visiting clubhouse on Monday afternoon.  The right-hander noticed ace Curt Schilling slumped over on the couch …

San Antonio pulls Marlins stadium offer  —  As expected, San Antonio played a game of Texas Fold 'Em on Monday with the Florida Marlins.  —  Bexar County leaders formally pulled out of the Marlins relocation sweepstakes, throwing the spotlight on the team's rising hopes to build a stadium in Hialeah.

Mets know dealing with Pujols no walk in park  —  Albert Pujols could get the Barry Bonds treatment when the Mets open a three-game series tonight against the Cardinals in St Louis.  The slugger was named NL Player of the Week yesterday after hitting .429 with three homers in 21 at-bats during a seven-day span.

Ayala's Absence Has Left a Hole in the Bullpen  —  Luis Ayala wasn't in Atlanta over the weekend, and he did not join his Washington Nationals teammates in Chicago, where the team begins a three-game series today.  Instead, Ayala will be in Phoenix, the site of his rehabilitation from season-ending elbow surgery.

Baseball Is a Game of Numbers, but Whose Numbers Are They?  —  Like no other corner of American popular culture, baseball communicates in numbers.  From .406 (Ted Williams's 1941 batting average) to 755 (Hank Aaron's record home run total) to countless digits bandied about water coolers every morning …

Liriano joins rotation, Silva to 'pen  —  Rookie southpaw to start Friday against Milwaukee  —  MINNEAPOLIS — In an effort to get his confidence up and his sinker down, the Twins have decided to move Carlos Silva to the bullpen.  —  Rookie southpaw Francisco Liriano will start in Silva's place on Friday in Milwaukee.

Padres-Diamondbacks Preview  —  The San Diego Padres look for a ninth straight road victory as they try to hand Arizona Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb his first loss of the season when the NL West rivals begin a three-game series at Chase Field on Monday.  —  San Diego (22-16) …

Struggling Vargas demoted to AAA  —  ATLANTA — Left-hander Jason Vargas arrived in spring training with high expectations on how he would follow up his 2005 Marlins Rookie of the Year season.  —  A demotion to the minor leagues wasn't what he had in mind, but that's what he got for struggling to a 1-1 start and 6.40 ERA.

Rios surprising even himself with start  —  Adjustment in stance has helped Jays outfielder turn it on  —  It was during a warm Florida morning back in the early stages of Spring Training when Jays manager John Gibbons saw it.  Standing in the batter's box was Alex Rios …

Rowand recounts catch, crash at the wall  —  Phillies center fielder recovering from breaking nose on fence  —  PHILADELPHIA — Four days after breaking multiple bones in his face running into the center-field wall at Citizens Bank Park, Aaron Rowand remembers it all.

Davies to be placed on 15-day DL  —  Right-hander suffered strained right groin in third inning  —  ATLANTA — Kyle Davies will be placed on the 15-day disabled list.  The Braves can only hope that his ailing right groin doesn't cause him to miss a significant amount of time.

Yanks edged by Rangers  —  Giambi the latest Bomber to be hit by nagging injury bug  —  NEW YORK — When Jason Giambi watched teammate Derek Jeter line a hard, two-out single into center after two were out in the eighth inning on Monday night, the Yankees first baseman wished he'd been on-deck at the time instead of Andy Phillips.