The Reds at first glance appear to catch a break this weekend as they play the Pirates at home. But Pittsburgh is playing well lately, going 7-3 over their last 10 and moving past the Cubs in the standings. The Reds over the same stretch are 2-8. Ian Snell takes on Kyle Lohse tonight. Snell hasn't allowed a home run to the power house Reds in two starts this season, covering 12 innings. The National League appears to be catching up to Lohse as he's allowed nine earned runs in his last two starts.

The Phillies and Marlins continue their four game series with Jamie Moyer and Scott Olsen on the mound. Olsen does a good job of neutralizing lefties, so he might give Utley and Howard trouble tonight. Moyer's pitch decently for the Phillies so far, but he's been hit at inopportune times. Opponents are 8 for 20 with runners in scoring position against Jamine in his starts with the Phillies.

Tonight's an important game for Detroit. With a win this evening, they guarantee they'll maintain their lead when they leave Minnesota. Wil Ledezma takes on Matt Garza. Ledezma fit in well to the Tigers rotation, posting a 2.12 ERA in three starts. Garza's yet to win at the Metrodome, despite the Twins' great record there. A 7.04 ERA is tough to overcome.

The big game on the west coast pits the visiting Padres against the Giants. San Francisco is three games back of San Diego for the wild card, and four games back of the Dodgers for the division. A sweep would do the Giants a world of good in their quest for the playoffs. Jake Peavy faces Matt Cain. Except for a bad start in Colorado, Jake's pitched well over his last eight starts, including a complete game against the Reds his last time out. Cain is tough to hit, allowing a .222 batting average on the season. But he gets easier to hit after 45 pitches, when his BA allowed goes up to .250.

Enjoy!