Things to Watch

Lots of pitching to watch tonight. I am biased towards watching good pitching more than good hitting so I will always lead with that.



Here are some of the names going tonight: Santana, Lincecum, Haren, Peavy, Halladay, Bedard, Burnett, Matsuzaka, and Porcello.



Unfortunately only the last two are squaring off against each other, and the only reason Dice-K is in that list is because of his gigantic posting fee, contract, and hype he will most likely not live up to. Even after Dice-K's trip to the "DL" he has not been the Dice-K of last year, or even of 2007, as his 0-3 record with 8.82 ERA would point out. He does have 15 K's through 16.1 innings, but he has also allowed 10BB's and 28 Hits!

Porcello on the other hand, being the most hyped High School arm since Josh Beckett, is going for his 6th straight win. In his last 5 starts he has gone 5-0 in 30 innings pitched with a 1.50 ERA, 2:1 K/BB ratio, and he is only 20 years old. Don't start the Doc Gooden comparisons yet, as they are different types of pitchers, but it is extremely impressive and has to give fans in Detroit even more hope that their 3-headed monster of Verlander, Porcello, and Jackson.



The Yankees and Rangers are the game of the night, as the leaders of the AL East and West square off in the $1.5 Billion Bronx Bandbox. The storylines are simple. Yankees are going for 19 games without an error, Jeter is sitting on 1499 Runs, and the battle of the two teams who have slugged the most Home Runs in MLB (83 for Texas, 80 for NYY) is taking place at the stadium that has seen more Home Runs hit there than any other park (87). Should be a fun one, especially with AJ Burnett and Vincente Padilla on the mound. Keep in mind, Burnett finds his groove in the second half of the season, and just shut down the Rangers in Arlington last week.



Ichiro is also going for 26 games in a row with a hit...only 30 away from the record if he connects. You have to believe that of everyone in MLB, this is the one guy who could actually come close to pulling it off.



Will King Albert get another IBB to his name against the A(rroyo) in HAVOC?

So much to watch, so little time...