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.

Mussina's strong start comes as relief  —  The game had none of the sizzle of last week's Red Sox series, or the buzz that will greet the Yankees at Shea this weekend against the Mets.  Just a ho-hum weeknight affair with the Rangers.  And yet in some ways this was as much a statement start as any Mike Mussina has made in 2006.

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.

Future Shock  —  NL West Roundup  —  The Sidewinders roster is all about offensive prospects.  As loaded as they are, their best hitter statistically has been outfielder Scott Hairston, who has seemingly worn out his welcome with the Diamondbacks but is hitting .301/.389/.559.

It's a piece of cake for Beckett and Red Sox  —  BALTIMORE — Average would have been enough.  Six innings, eight hits, four runs, something like that would have done the job just fine against a woeful Baltimore team outscored, 56-20, by the Sox in seven games this season, all Boston wins …

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 Hit List  —  Week of May 14  —  It takes a real man to swing a pink bat.  The sight of some of the game's most fearsome hitters—Adam Dunn, Jim Edmonds, Prince Fielder, Jason Giambi, Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Thome—among dozens of ballplayers wielding specially-painted Louisville Sluggers …

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.

MAKE WAY FOR PELFREY  —  PROSPECT COULD GIVE METS JUNE JOLT  —  May 16, 2006 — Tuesday morning shortstop IN January, the Mets invested more than $5 million to lock up Mike Pelfrey.  In February and March, the organization's top decision-makers were near unanimity that he had the best arm in camp.

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.

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.

Stats Geek: Statistic sheds new light on Big Hit Theory  —  Jason Bay tripled with two outs and the bases loaded Friday night, getting the Pirates right back in the ballgame.  In the radio booth, announcer Bob Walk all but fell to his knees.  —  "That triple is exactly the base hit …

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 …