Baseball in the Daytime: 8-17-07

Two daytime matchups of interest today in Major League Baseball. We're officially halfway through August and playoff baseball is barely around the corner. As pennant races tighten up, each contest becomes crucial, as does saving the arms of your rotation, middle relievers and bullpen.

In totally unrelated news, the Boston Red Sox, who host the somewhere-in-California Angels in a double header today, announced yesterday that they would be calling up minor league top prospect Clay Buchholz. The youngster comes in with eight wins and a 2.15 ERA in time split between AA and AAA ball for the Sox farm clubs.



Buchholz gets the nod against three-game winner Chris Bootcheck, which will prove to be a lengthy afternoon/evening for both clubs. You can likely tune into this matchup somewhere on the satellite radio networks or, if you're lucky, on DirecTV. We'll await the return of trusty Old No. 7 for details on gametime frequency. I can, however, tell you that the first pitch is slated for 12:05 CDT.

The other bout today will feature two surging clubs from the inferior league, also known as the NL. This matchup between Cecil's Cubbies and the moronic fans of the team that calls St. Louis home kicks off at 1:20 Central and pits six-game winner Rich Hill against the Cards' Braden Looper, who boasts 10 victories thus far. That game is likely on the good ol' WGN for the regular-cable subscribers out there. Chances are it can be found elsewhere on the radio and satellite frequencies as well.

The recent train wreck of baseball exhibited by NL-Central-leading Brew Crew leaves the Cubs a mere half game out of first with the Red Birds two notches behind them. It was already hot in the midwest but this matchup'll sprinkle a little lighter fluid on the post-season fire. Dig in.