Baseball In The Daytime: 6-27-07

You'd best get yo ass to the liquor store and pick up some ice, because there's a six-pack of matinee baseball that needs cooling and consumption today. The variety pack includes a future Hall of Famer, a Japanese wunderkind and some intrigue in Anaheim. Salud!

Interestingly, five of the six day games on the slate feature teams gunning for a series sweep, and the teams on the wrong side of that possibility may surprise you.

Your leadoff hitter today is the Rangers-Tigers game from Comerica. Kevin Millwood brings his rickety repertoire and 4-6 record to the bump opposite Kenny Rogers, who won his season debut last week after lounging on the DL all spring. Rogers is also an accomplished country and western vocalist, championship chicken-roaster and maintains a salt-and-pepper beard like no one's business. And he gums up the baseball like Eddie Harris. Catch this game at 11:05 Mountain on XM 180 and DTV 734 (Extra Innings package only), as Texas amazingly goes for three straight against the AL Central co-leaders.

From the lavish indoor/outdoor baseball palace that is Miller Park, the Brewers and Astros renew acquaintances at 12:05 on XM 185 and DTV 735. Milwaukee is 7 1/2 up on the Cubs in the NL Central following two relatively easy wins over Houston. The 'Stros, now 13 games out, are pretty much playing out the string and artificially rigging Craig Biggio's chase for 3,000 hits. The annoying second baseman actually played last night and collected a single, leaving him three shy of the milestone. He'll once again grab a seat on the bench today, as Woody Williams (3-10) and Jeff Suppan (8-7) add to the storied legacy of crappy ex-Cardinal pitchers.

The Friendly Confines host the third chapter in what has been a pretty damn compelling Rockies-Cubs series at 12:20. Game One was an all-timer, chronicled here. Last night the Rockies once again rallied in the ninth, only to fall short. Colorado is now a game south of .500 for the first time since June 13 and six games out in the NL West. They'll send young Jason Hirsch to the hill today opposite Big Z, and this pitching matchup highlights one of the Rockies' biggest deficiencies--they lack a true stopper in the starting rotation. As their losing streak has now reached five games following their historic sweep of the Yanks, pitcher after pitcher has failed to set the team up for victory (last night Rodrigo Lopez's magic start came to a screeching halt with eight ugly earned runs). Your channels are 184 on the XM and WGN on the television.

Out West, the Padres and Giants tangle at 1:35 in one series that has yet to be decided. Greg Maddux (6-4) faces hard-luck Matt Cain (2-8) on XM 188 and DTV 737. San Diego is lingering a game out in the division, while San Francisco will host no meaningful games save for the All-Star Game the rest of the year. They stink.

The other 1:35 start is of great interest to at least a couple HoG denizens: Bankmeister's Royals have taken the first two over my cousin Brian's Los Californaheim Angeles and go for the sweep today behind Jorge De La Rosa (4-9). Jered Weaver is the scheduled starter for the Halos, but he's having some sort of medical issue where he can't swallow water (?). Even though Los Anaheim technically sent Joe Saunders down to Triple-A on Saturday, he's remained in Orange County just in case he's needed to spell Weaver. Tune in to this page-turner on XM 178 and DTV 736.

Finally, from the God damned beautiful city of Seattle, the Mariners attempt to finish off a whitewash of the Red Sox at 2:35. Boston made it close in the ninth last night but couldn't break the impenetrable wall of cheese that is Mariners closer J.J. Putz. Today they'll send Daisuke Matsuzaka (9-5) against some kid named Feierabend (1-2). I watch a lot of baseball and I've never encountered this young man, but I'm sure he'll throw a two-hit shutout. The M's streak coupled with the Angels skid has cut Los Anaheim's lead to seven, while the Red Sox maintain double-digit lead in the East. This gem gets the double barrel DirecTV treatment (731 in high-def, 738 in lo-fi) and the standard Red Sox XM slot (177).