Melky murky in left  —  Day three of life without Godzilla saw Hideki Matsui's replacement, Melky Cabrera, gun down A's catcher Jason Kendall at the plate, make four putouts and leap in vain for a Jay Payton home run in the sixth inning.  —  But the Yankees also experienced a little …

Back end of rotation is biggest concern  —  Every day, Omar Minaya pays another visit to the buffet table of possible trades.  He's hungry; the Mets need another starting pitcher as they embark on a critical nine-game stretch against the Cardinals, Yankees and Phillies.

Avoiding fault line  —  Hendry says he supports Baker, doesn't blame injuries for team's current 2-14 tailspin  —  Cubs general manager Jim Hendry agreed to a question-and-answer session on Monday's off day, assessing a slumping team that has lost 14 of its last 16 games to fall to 15-22.

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.

Sturtze's season could be over  —  MRI on ailing right-hander reveals slight tear of rotator cuff  —  NEW YORK — Yankees right-hander Tanyon Sturtze may be done for the season.  —  The veteran pitcher underwent an MRI exam on Monday that revealed a slight tear in the rotator cuff area of his right shoulder.

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.

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 …

Prospectus Today  —  Road Game  —  I caught the Las Vegas 51s/Nashville Sounds game last night, the outcome a 4-3 win for the 51s.  Much to talk about, so let's dispense with narrative and go to the bullets.  — The matchup of D.J. Houlton and Dennis Sarfate didn't look sexy …

Padilla to test ankle  —  NEW YORK - The Rangers are relatively certain who will pitch for them Thursday and Friday.  They aren't quite as sure about the order in which Vicente Padilla and Robinson Tejeda will start.  —  Padilla, who has been bothered by right ankle tendinitis …

Lopez's approach paying dividends  —  Young second baseman turning into offensive force  —  OAKLAND — To best demonstrate the maturation of Jose Lopez this season, you need to look no further than an at-bat he had against White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle last month.

Padres blow hot then cold in desert  —  Barfield takes blame for loss after Green's single lifts D-Backs in 10th  —  PHOENIX - Padres rookie Josh Barfield blamed himself for a 6-5, 10-inning loss to the Diamondbacks last night.  —  The second baseman chafed over defensive miscues …

Baseball's greatest showmen  —  It was a great made-for-TV moment.  Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols took Pirates pitcher Oliver Perez deep, then flicked his bat high and deep to celebrate the homer and taunt his foe.  —  Jaws dropped in the Pirates dugout.

Ask Paul Sullivan  —  The Tribune's Cubs writer answers readers' questions every week throughout the season  —  Always looking at the bright side, Cubs fans ask Paul about Dusty Watch, selling off players, curses, and whether it's OK to declare the team dead:

Go 2 Guy: Fruto looks like fine fit  —  TACOMA — Until Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, had you heard of Emiliano Fruto?  —  I hadn't.  Didn't even know he had been called up by the Mariners to help a bullpen depleted by a 13-inning game Saturday night.  —  Then there he was …