On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.
Florida Marlins (83-76) at New York Mets (88-72) - 1:10 PM ET
They couldn't possibly do this again, could they?
Of course they could. You know they could. And your New York Mets know gosh darn well they could choke away another season ... especially after another lifeless late season loss to the Florida Marlins (who are now basing the success of their season on knocking the Mets out of the playoffs ... mature) and a Brewers victory which puts the Mets one game behind the wild card lead, and one game closer to another disastrous ending. So in response, the Mets are bringing back Johan Santana on three days rest to try to extend the season to Sunday. Of course, if they get to Sunday still alive, who will pitch then? Jon Niese? Brandon Knight? Frank Viola? Jesus?
That's silly. Everyone knows that Jesus would be in the bullpen because the Mets pen is so horrible. (And, you know ... Jesus saves.)
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.
Baltimore Orioles (67-86) at New York Yankees (84-71) - 8:05 PM ET
There was a lot of wondering as to why the Yankees couldn't have the last game at Yankee Stadium on the last game of the season instead of having to play a whole week on the road afterwards. Some of that wondering came from the good folks at ESPN. But here's the rub: If the Yankees closed out the season at home, their final game at the Stadium would have been a daytime affair since recent history shows that the last day of the season doesn't include an ESPN Sunday night game (most likely to keep things fair for playoff teams and making sure they all get the same amount of rest and travel time). The way it is now, the final game in the House That Ruth Built And Steinbrenner Renovated gets the spotlight all to itself tonight on the very same network that wondered the schedule makers didn't have the Yankees close out the season in the Bronx against Boston.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.
Chicago Cubs (88-58) "at" Houston Astros (80-67) - 8:05 PM ET
When is a home game not a home game? Well, when Hurricane Ike (and Bud Selig) force you to go to a domed stadium located conveniently in Milwaukee for a Houston Astros home game against the Chicago Cubs, who reside about 90 minutes away from Miller Park and will no doubt be represented well in the crowd for games there tonight and tomorrow afternoon. And it's not like Brewers fans are going to show up in droves to support the Astros, who are 2.5 games behind them in the wild card. If anything, Brewers fans will show up and they'll root for the Cubs too. Too bad the Packers aren't playing the Sunday night game ... then maybe Brewers fans would all have their portable TV's handy to watch the Pack and cheer at completely random times during the baseball game and confuse everyone involved.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.
Six games were postponed last night due to weather. The Cubs and the Astros, as you know, are postponed today and tomorrow due to Hurricane Ike. Another storm system, which stretched all the way from the east coast to Mid-America, caused the postponement of no less than five games. This sets up a scenario in which there are six doubleheaders that will be played today, and 20 games in total. Sunday doubleheaders used to be more commonplace in an era without win shares, maple bats, or Matt Stairs. But six in one day at this moment is enough to induce baseball coma. It's like fastballs with trails of tryptophan, baby! So enjoy, and feel free to unbutton that top button.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.
Boston Red Sox (74-55) at Baltimore Orioles (67-62) 1:07 PM ET
Daisuke Matsuzaka is the very case study of new breed vs. old guard. The old guard will see Matsuzaka's 15-2 record and his 2.77 ERA and tell you that he's gotta be one of the best pitchers in baseball. The new breed of fan will tell you that his 1.37 WHIP and his 77 walks in 126+ innings tell the future of a man who's been lucky to get out of jams that he created for himself against mediocre teams. Which side are you on?
Today, Dice K goes up against the Blue Jays ... and while everybody is talking about the job that Jerry Manuel is doing for the Mets after taking over mid-season, there's been a similar, quieter turnaround in Toronto, where Cito Gaston is 32-23 this season after taking over for John Gibbons, who started the season 35-39.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.
New York Yankees (68-60) at Baltimore Orioles (61-66) 7:05 PM ET
I remember it being early April, 2007. I was just starting out at FanHouse, and I was blogging my ever-loving heart out while wearing some new pajamas that I had bought to celebrate my arrival here. It was then when all of a sudden, a loud "whoosh" rattled my windows and knocked me off of my seat. I thought it was some sort of freakish weather pattern, or an airplane flying a bit too low while landing at LaGuardia.
Turns out there was nothing to worry about. It was just Carl Pavano falling off the face of the earth.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.
Philadelphia Phillies (65-58) at San Diego Padres (48-75) 8:05 PM ET
Premature to say that this game against the downtrodden San Diego Padres is a must game for the Phillies? Definitely. And just because the Mets are on an upswing against league dregs like Washington and Pittsburgh and the Phillies were swept by a division leader doesn't mean the Phillies are dead and buried. But just five days ago the Phillies were up on the Mets by two games. On this day, it's the reverse. So this is a valley that the Phillies would do well to dig out of starting tonight. The Phillies have the right guy on the mound to do that in Cole Hamels.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.
Los Angeles Dodgers (58-58) at San Francisco Giants (49-66) 4:05 PM ET
Barry Bonds returned to the Giants last night. Somewhat.
He made a surprise appearance at a celebration of the Giants best outfielders of the last 50 seasons as part of their anniversary season in San Francisco. He made a Schwarzenegger type "I'll be back" proclamation when he stood at the podium, pointed at Joe Torre and said: "You heard me Torre, I beat you before and I can beat you again. I haven't retired. Thank you."
Could Barry Bonds make another surprise appearance at the ballpark today? As a pinch hitter? Somehow, I doubt Torre is worried with the Giants eight and a half behind them.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.
Fair warning: If you're one of those who is sick of the big market teams like the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox, you might want to look away. Because today, it's nothing but the big cities. New York. Miami. Boston. Chicago. The O.C. Metropolis, ho!
Florida Marlins (61-55) at New York Mets (61-54) 7:10 PM ET
Pennant races are fun. And three teams are more fun than two teams. The only thing better than a game featuring the two teams that are chasing the Phillies would be a game featuring all three teams. But it wouldn't exactly be settling if you decided to curl up with these two. The Mets beat Florida last night to move ahead of the Marlins and close to a game back of Philadelphia. But the Marlins have the pitching matchup they want as Scott Olsen goes for the Fish, while injuries have forced Brian Stokes to make his first start as a Met after spending the season in the minors.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups
Before the season started, the Detroit Tigers were the popular pick amongst baseball fans and experts alike as the eventual World Series champion. After adding Miguel Cabrera to a potent lineup that already included hitters like Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Guillen, Curtis Granderson, and Ivan Rodriguez, there was talk that the Tigers would score 1,000 runs this season.
Who knew they'd need to? Though most people were aware that the Detroit bullpen would be a problem area, I don't think anybody thought they would be as bad as they have been in 2008. So now here we sit on August 7th, and the Tigers find themselves in a tailspin.
After building up some momentum in recent weeks to get back into the AL Central race, the Tigers have now lost six in a row to fall three games under .500. They're also on the verge of being swept by the division leading Chicago White Sox and falling 9.5 games out of first place, which could effectively end any hope they have of playing this October.
So will the Tigers pull the plug on their season tonight, or are they going to rise up and start mauling people again? Find out after the jump.
