Baseball In The Daytime: 6-29-07

A surprising double-barrelled docket of day games greets us today, as two National League divisions will be shaped by compelling weekend series.

Leading off are the Mets and the Phillies at 11:35 Mountain from Citizens Bank Park. This is a nice new ballpark that I visited last summer--it yields way too many taters but cradles the Philly fans in comfort. Today's pitching matchup sees El Duque start his historic 5,000th game against young J.D. Durbin. Durbin is a candidate for the NL All-Star squad and brings a svelte 94.50 ERA into this contest. Fantasy owners should look at picking this kid up, especially if you play in my league. This is the first game of a day-night doubleheader and four-game series, and with the Phils lurking three back of the Mets in the NL East it should be a fun set, and your outlets are XM 183 and DTV 734.


At 12:20 we get the Cubs hosting the Brewers on XM 188 and DTV 735. I checked in for a game at Wrigley back in '04, on our way back from Elway's Hall Of Fame induction. Good times, and Nomar's first dinger at the Friendly confines landed a meter away from our bleacher seats.



The import of this series can not be understated. Milwaukee comes in fresh off a sweep of the Astros, while the Cubs have swept back-to-back trios of games from the White Sox and Rockies. The Crew's division lead sits and 7 1/2, and they could potentially bury the Cubs' hopes if they dominate this weekend. Milwaukee sends the rookie sensation Yovani Gallardo up against Rich Hill today.





When it matters, send flowers.