The Florida Marlins go for a sweep of the Washington Nationals and their seventh win in a row this afternoon as Scott Olsen faces Shawn Hill. Olsen is 1/3 of an inning short of averaging seven per start. He's already 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA against the Nationals. A big reason for the Marlins early success is a 7-1 record against Washington. They're 15-13 against the rest of the league. Opponents have recorded 46 at bats against Hill at home and on the road this season, with a .217 BA in Washington and a .348 BA away.

With a win over the Angels today, the Tampa Bay Rays move into the wild card slot in the American League. That's no mean feat for a team that's basically never been in contention. Andy Sonnanstine gets the ball for the Rays. He's won his last four starts, posting a 2.45 ERA without allowing a home run. He'll take on the undefeated Ervin Santana. Magic continues to be tough with men in scoring position, allowing a mere .107 BA on three hits in the situation.

Randy Johnson and Carlos Zambrano square off at Wrigley field this afternoon. The Big Unit still strikes out a ton of batters, but he's been hurt by three of his four home runs allowed coming with men on base. Zambrano cut his walk rate in half this season and is on his way to the lowest ERA of his career.

The pitching matchup of the afternoon amazingly takes place in Texas where Rich Harden returns from the disabled list to face the rejuvenated Sidney Ponson. Harden held opponents to one run in eleven innings before he went down with a shoulder strain. Ponson is keeping the ball in the park. He allowed seven home runs in 37 2/3 innings for Minnesota last season, but in 2008 opponents are yet to take him deep in his 20 1/3 innings pitched.

Enjoy!

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