Mailbag: Would order shift help Soriano?  —  Beat reporter Bill Ladson answers fans' questions … Given the team's recent and unexpected success, do you think general manager Jim Bowden and manager Frank Robinson will keep their jobs?  — Andrew M., Middleburg, Va.  —  Let's start with Bowden.

Koronka trying to regain early form  —  ARLINGTON — One month into the season, the Texas Rangers and all those involved looked brilliant in getting John Koronka — a 25-year-old rookie — and putting him in the starting rotation.  —  Koronka, traded to the Rangers on March 31 …

2,000 Is Becoming Popular Number for the Yankees  —  Bernie Williams's next appearance, most likely Tuesday night against Cleveland, will be his 2,000th.  He has played his entire career with the Yankees.  —  There are many magic numbers in baseball, but 2,000 is not really one of them.

Floyd ready to return and accept competition  —  Cliff Floyd jokingly suggested last week that given Lastings Milledge's success in left field, the Mets might ask him to go on the disabled list to stay out of the way.  And that was before the Mets exploded for 37 runs in a four-game sweep of Arizona.

Olivo a solid hit batting or blocking plate  —  · Manager Joe Girardi figured Mike Cameron absorbed the greater impact from Sunday's home-plate collision with catcher Miguel Olivo.  —  Though Cameron knocked him well out of the batter's box, Olivo insisted he didn't feel a thing.

Star search  —  Mets making progress in latest NL balloting  —  NEW YORK (Ticker) — Third baseman David Wright made it three's company for the New York Mets.  —  Wright became the third Met to move to the top of the balloting in the latest National League All-Star voting released Monday.

Critical stretch: Heckled Foulke has second straight stinker2-4893  —  If Keith Foulke wants to silence an obnoxious fan sitting behind the Red Sox dugout, he'll need to pitch better than he has the past two nights.  —  The target of a belligerent heckler, Foulke struggled …

Notes: Ozuna raises level of play  —  Politte throws long toss for the first time on Monday  —  ARLINGTON — With all due respect to Muhammad Ali and L.L. Cool J, Brian Anderson would like to add White Sox super-sub and teammate Pablo Ozuna to an exclusive list of top-notch performers sharing the same impressive nickname.

Duffy to rejoin Pirates' fold  —  Outfielder reporting to Bradenton today  —  Today, Chris Duffy will begin his journey back into baseball.  —  The Pirates' opening-day center fielder will travel from his home in Glendale, Ariz., to report to the team's extended spring training program in Bradenton …

Beane could get asking price for Zito  —  The A's position on left-hander Barry Zito is unchanged; they will trade him if they get the right offer, no matter where they are in the standings.  —  Of course, if A's general manager Billy Beane defines "the right offer" as the equivalent …

From crumbs to upper crust  —  PHILADELPHIA — The maturation of David Wright has reached a point where he is no longer considered just one of the most talented players on the Mets.  Wright, at the age of 23, already is pushing to be included among baseball's elite, and his offensive numbers …

Baseball Injury Report  —  Featured Note of the Week  —  Rich Harden (RHP, OAK)  —  A day after it was announced Harden was going back on the DL, this time with elbow problems, more details were released.  He has a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his pitching elbow.

D'backs make no excuses  —  Giants' next opponent is slumping, but players don't blame Grimsley flap  —  The Arizona Diamondbacks are enduring a seven-game losing streak and the wake of the Jason Grimsley steroid scandal.  It's not a reach to suggest that these issues are related.

Since talent is watered down, don't blame juice  —  At some point, right about the time the war on drugs morphed into a war on baseball, a hole in logic grew to such Ruthian proportions that it's come to obscure rational thought.  Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chased history.  Barry Bonds chased immortality.