Baseball in the Daytime: 8-07-08

Hello, hello, hello. Welcome to another fine installment of "Baseball in the Daytime," where we tell you what's going on, then remind you of how good a job we do. Or is it the other way around? Either way, four contests to preview today, and they're all of the NL variety. And of course, by "NL variety," I mean they blow. But that's cool. We throw Cubs fans and Dodger fans the occasional bone. Dogs gotta eat, too, right? But enough about that. Let's jump ahead to the start times associated with contest locales.

The Fathers of Saint David @ The Metropolitans of the Less-Old York, 11:10 (Central): The home-team sends 9-7 Johan Santana to the hill today, where his foe will be Josh Banks. The Mets are currently three games back in the Central, and the Pads are, um, nowhere close to contending for much in the worst division in baseball. Over on XM Radio, catch this tilt at approximately channel 187. DirecTV has it on 722. Either way, Santana looks for career win 103, while Banks looks to even his 3-4 record.

Steaky Fish Associated with Blue @ Made-up Mascot Word from Pennsylvania, 12:05: The league-leaders in the East hope to further separate the distance between themselves and the team that chases them. Philly ace Cole Hamels gets the nod today; his counterpart is Chris Volstad. Hamels hasn't logged a victory in over a month, while the Florida rookie seeks win number three. One eighty-six is your magic XM number; it's 723 Marlins-style on DirecTV, but one channel higher if you seek the Phils' feed.

New Squad That Employs Manny Without Paying Him @ Redbirds of Missouri, 1:15: Clayton Kershaw will be on the hill at Busch today when this tilt kicks off; the lower halves of innings will feature Kyle Lohse. Both clubs are stuck in chase mode right now, as Humberto's Boys continue to battle Arizona, while the Cards have their work cut out for them with the Cubs and Brewers not being interested in losing. Catch this number at 188 on XM, or your choice of Dodgers feed (725) versus Cardinals feed (726) on the DirecTizzle.

Primary Cities of States and/or Nations @ The Largest North American Mountain Range, 2:05: Our last afternoon game of the day pits Jason Bergman against Jeff Francis in the first half of a double-header. The righty Bergman aims for win number two in nine decisions, while the Rockies' lefty comes in at 3-7/5.67. Translation: neither guy is very good. Colorado sits seven and-a-half back of 'Zona right now, and well, the Capitals are a towering 20 behind Philly. Ouch. This game will be broadcast on XM 185, and DirecTV displays it 727-style. Odalis Perez and Ubaldo Jimenez grip the seams in the second feature.

That's it for today. Enjoy these barn burners, or make like the rest of the baseball world, and pay attention this evening when there's some American League ball going on. You know, the stuff that matters. Fair ball!