Three pitchers with some claim on the NL Cy Young award will be hurling this evening on the west coast. Randy Johnson is blowing the NL competition away in win shares. In a year with a good team, Randy might be on the cusp of 23-25 wins. If I had to vote today, the Big Unit would get my first place vote.

Jake Peavy tries to keep San Diego's playoff hopes alive vs. the Dodgers this evening. He needs 16 innings to qualify for the ERA title. He should be able to get in three starts, so that shouldn't be difficult. If he pitches okay in those three starts, he'll win the ERA title. A low ERA is a good reason for awarding the Cy. That has to be balanced against his playing time, and Johnson wins that battle. But some will point to Peavy being on a contender.

Houston sends one its best to the mound tonight against the Giants, trying to gain on SF and the Cubs. Roy Oswalt's ERA is a little high for the award, but he can win 20 games this year, and John Kruk will tell you how important that is. He also suffers from a comparison with Clemens on his own team and Zambrano in the division.

Enjoy!