FanHouse Garret Atkins

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing matchups

Cleveland Indians (65-53) vs. Detroit Tigers (65-53)-7:05PM Est.

The AL Central was supposed to be the toughest division in baseball, but lately it's looking a lot more like it's National League counterpart than anything else. Who knows? Maybe it still is the toughest division in baseball, and everybody's just worn out after playing each other the last few seasons. Or maybe, just maybe, these teams aren't as good as we all thought. The Tigers and Indians have taken turns giving up the division lead to each other the last few weeks, and tonight they start a two game series to see which team wants it the least. Normally a pitching matchup between C.C. Sabathia and Jeremy Bonderman would be a must watch, but Bondo hasn't been holding up his end of the bargain lately. After starting the season 10-1, Bonderman is 0-4 with an 11.28 ERA over his last four starts. Sabathia meanwhile has continued to pitch well for the Indians, but he hasn't been getting any support. It's his fourth start of the season against the Tigers, and he's 2-1 despite having an ERA of 7.36. I get the feeling this game is going to go at least 18 innings as each team does it's best to not win.

If you're like me, you're probably still having a lot of trouble adjusting to the new look Rockies team which is -- as odd as it is to say -- more of a speed and finesse team. Long gone are the days of the Blake Street Bombers which used to feature half a lineup of 30 home run hitters e.g. Dante Bichette, Andres Galarraga, Ellis Burks, Larry Walker, Todd Helton, and Vinny Castilla. So yeah, in case you haven't caught on yet, the Rockies are now built with speed at the top (Taveras, Matsui), average/speed/power in the middle (Atkins, Holliday, Hawpe), and good starting pitching. Really.

In fact, the 4-4 Rox have seen every single one of their starters throw at least six innings per start, with seven of those eight starts yielding two or fewer runs. The staff has a 3.34 ERA and has only allowed six home runs and 17 walks in eight games, and is in the top part of the league in several other categories.

Last year Colorado set a franchise record for lowest team ERA at 4.66. Between emerging youngsters Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis (pictured), and Jason Hirsh, as well as the resurgence of Rodrigo Lopez and Josh Fogg, the '07 team should blow that mark out of the water. Will they be as sharp as the season goes on? Probably not. But what really matters is that this is a completely rebuilt team, with a new look, and some pitchers that can truly keep the team in every game.