Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
August 19, 2003
Games of the Day

An odd choice today is Tampa Bay at Baltimore. I would really like to see Tampa Bay make a run at fourth place in the AL East. They are seven games behind the Orioles, and this three game series in Baltimore is the last these two teams will see of each other this year. They also have very similar schedules down the stretch. The Orioles are reeling after the Yankee series, so it's a good time for Tampa to go for the sweep. And tonight's game is a pretty good pitching matchup, as Jeremi Gonzalez faces Eric DuBose.

Of course, a much more important game will be Oakland at Boston. These two sabermetrically run teams are tied for the AL wild card. Each team is looking to take at least two out of three. One of the A's Cy Young candidates, Mark Mulder faces Derek Lowe. Lowe won the same matchup in Oakland last Wednesday, although he could only go five innings as the selective Oakland hitters forced him to use 92 pitches. Lowe is 8-2 against the A's in his career.

The Royals continue their series against the Yankees, sending Kevin Appier to the mound against lefty Andy Pettitte. Appier is coming off six impressive shutout innings against the Yankees last Wednesday, and Pettitte has been pitching well as of late, although his win had more to do with his offensive support. Royals have a two game lead on the White Sox, 2 1/2 on the Twins.

The Cubs visit Houston is one of two big games in the NL tonight. Matt Clement faces Jeriome Robertson. Robertson has not fared well against the Cubs in his brief career, posting a 1-2 record with a 7.71 ERA. However, he has only walked 1 Cub in 11 2/3 innings against them. We could see first place in the NL Central shift a few times over the next three days.

Finally, former Giant Russ Ortiz faces his old team for the first time tonight as the Braves visit San Francisco in a battle of the teams with the two best records in the NL. Rookie Jerome Williams will take the mound for San Francisco. The Giants have lost six in a row; they've been outscored 30-10, so while the offense is mostly to blame, you the pitching hasn't been super. With the Braves offense, that could be deadly. Both Bonds are Aurilia should return tonight, which should give the offense a boost.


Posted by David Pinto at 11:06 AM | Games | TrackBack (0)