Baseball In The Daytime: May 27 2009

Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends. It's Baseball In The Daytime, and I need to stop this rhyme. Now.

On tap today are divisional battles, six in all. That's right, every game on the sked has a bearing on some division race somewhere. OK, so you could argue that the Rockies game is completely meaningless because it involves the Rockies. Fine. But unless you dig on the NL East you've got something to draw your interest today.

And if you do dig on the NL East, you're most likely a tool anyway. All those clubs have fan bases made up of tools.

St, Louis @ Milwaukee, 11:05 Mountain Beer is the theme here, as America's two most prolific brewing cities vie for the title of, um, something. Oh yeah--they're tied for first in the NL Central! Winner gets to sit atop the standings for a day in May, which is no small potatoes. Also, beer. Todd Wellemeyer and Manny Parra start, and Parra you'd better not walk ten fucking guys today--I'm playing Cecil in the fantasy.

Toronto @ Baltimore, 11:35 Even if the BJ's run at the front of the AL East was just an early-season mirage, they've still got a hell of a team. I think they'll end up as the best fourth-place club in recent memory. Doc Halladay starts today against a Hill of some sort--Rich Hill? Is he still in baseball? It doesn't matter--Halladay versus the Orioles is as close to a lock as you'll find in this perplexing game.

Detroit @ Kansas City, 12:10 On Monday night, Detroit's ace Justin Verlander completely handcuffed the Royals with seven shutout innings. Last night KC's own ace Zack Greinke returned the favor with his fifth complete game of the year. Today we see Rick Porcello go for the Motor City Kitties and Kyle Davies for the hosts.

Somebody wrote about this yesterday, I apologize for not remembering to whom to attribute. The Royals had the second pick in the draft two years ago and Porcello was widely acknowledged as the second-best prospect. He was also a Scott Boras guy and demanding a fat bonus commensurate with his talent. So the Royals did what the Royals always did back then--they went cheap. Mike Moustakas may end up as KC's shortstop for a long time (Mike Aviles sure the hell isn't) but watch Porcello today and tell me you wouldn't rather have him as part of a nasty, Greinke-led staff.

Pittsburgh @ Chicago Cubs, 12:20 It's actually a pretty nice pitching matchup at Wrigley this afternoon, as Carlos Zambrano continues his comeback from injury against the underrated Zach Duke. The Cubs snapped an eight-game slide yesterday, so expect the red tank tops and the booze to be out at the Friendly Confines.

LA Dodgers @ Colorado, 1:10 Were you aware that the Rox have the second-worst record in the NL, ahead of only the Nats? You can fire Clint Hurdle all you want, it still ain't gonna shore up this pitching. Ubaldo Jimenez goes for the home nine today, while the Dodgers tap Clayton Kershaw. These two both have no-hit stuff at times, but they also have six-run innings in their back pockets.

Seattle @ Oakland, 1:35 I can say with definitive certainty that the A's will not contend this season--too many holes, especially in the starting rotation. Seattle's much more of an enigma. I think they suck, they should suck, but for the most part this year they have not sucked, or at least they've sucked less than expected. They do have a huge advantage over second-division clubs like Oakland, and that's a legitimate one-two punch in Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard. But Felix is kind of a basket case, and Bedard is always hurt--except today, when he starts against Trevor Cahill. Keep the trainer on the bench, young man, and Play Ball!