Like everyone else, Stark has San Diego’s Jake Peavy and Arizona’s Brandon Webb in the top two slots in the National League. Nice to see Stark also recognize what Aaron Harang is accomplishing on a very bad Cincinnati team.

I still think Dodgers closer Takashi Saito belongs in the discussion. Lefties are hitting just .194/.239/.311 against him this year. They are the lucky ones: right-handers are batting — I can hardly write this — .117/.170/.160. Saito has fanned 71 batters and allowed 47 total bases. That’s not quite vintage Eric Gagne, but it’s mighty impressive.

Over in the American League, the situation remains muddy. I’m with Stark on Chien-Ming Wang; I don’t see how that guy is even in the discussion. Then again, he finished second in the voting last season despite mostly pedestrian numbers. Put Harang on the Yankees and he’d win 20, no problem.

I’m also not sure that Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia has as decided an advantage over Boston’s Josh Beckett as Stark seems to think. Beyond the media hype that will accompany Beckett because of the team he plays for, the guy has had a fantastic season. (So has Kelvim Escobar, with much less fanfare.)

Who do I think should win? Peavy and probably Sabathia (unless something weird happens over the next couple weeks). Who do I think will win? I don’t have a lot of faith in the writers: I’ll say Webb and Beckett.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

American League

• Mariners at Yankees, 10:05 a.m. PT — Good thing folks in Seattle like coffee; this one’s kicking off good and early. The Mariners start the day two games back of New York in the AL wild card race. Felix Hernandez gets the start against a man twice his age, Roger Clemens. Hernandez was born three days before Clemens’ 37th big-league start. Interestingly, their age 21 seasons are kind of similar. Both got hit harder than you might expect for guys with such good stuff and both exhibited surprisingly good control.
• Indians at Twins, 11:10 a.m. PT — C.C. Sabathia vs Johan Santana. The Twins really need to move to the NL Central. Anyway, the last time these two pitchers hooked up, way back on August 29, Sabathia and the Indians came out on top, 4-3.

National League

• Mets at Reds, 10:15 a.m. PT — Pedro Martinez makes his 2007 debut for New York. Aaron Harang, meanwhile, continues to defy the odds by going 14-3 for a team that is 62-75. How does Brandon Phillips have 26 home runs this year? No, it’s not the park; he’s got 13 each at home and away. Weird.
• Padres at Diamondbacks, 1:40 p.m. PT — Two teams in a virtual tie for first place in the NL West with less than a month to go… A pitcher with 343 big-league victories under his belt… A decision made by some genius that this game shouldn’t be televised in San Diego…

One game? San Diego/Arizona if you can swing it; otherwise Cleveland/Minnesota. Happy watching!

Post from: Knuckle Curve

American League

• Tigers at Indians, 4:05 p.m. PT — A showdown between two teams tied for first in the AL Central come mid-August? Two outstanding young pitchers (Jeremy Bonderman, C.C. Sabathia)? Dude, you are so all over this one. Here’s the thing I don’t understand about Bonderman: How can he possibly have a 4.75 ERA? Ah, here it is: Since the All-Star break, opponents are batting .344/.379/.603 against him. The kid’s got great stuff, though; someone should be able to fix that.

National League

• Reds at Cubs, 5:05 p.m. PT — The Reds are done, but Tuesday night’s starter, Aaron Harang, deserves some kind of medal for posting an 11-3 record on a team with a .427 winning percentage. Carlos Zambrano goes for the Cubs, who continue to pursue the Brewers for NL Central supremacy. Did I say “supremacy”? That’s probably too strong a word, but you get the idea.
• Rockies at Padres, 7:05 p.m. PT — Another fun pennant battle showdown, this time in the NL West. Jeff Francis and Greg Maddux face off in this one. If you enjoy watching pitchers who rely on hitting their spots, you could do a lot worse than watch these two guys. For those interested, I’ve got a more detailed preview of the entire series over at Ducksnorts.

One game? I’ll go with Colorado and San Diego, but I’m biased. If Bonderman is on his game, the Tigers and Indians could be a lot of fun to watch. Enjoy!

Post from: Knuckle Curve

American League

• Tigers at Blue Jays, 4:07 p.m. PT – Jeremy Bonderman and Roy Halladay? Hello! These two faced each other on Opening Day in Detroit. The Blue Jays won that game, with neither starter figuring in the decision. Also, what’s up with Toronto’s offense? The Jays are hitting .304/.371/.492 as a team. Pretty much everyone except Lyle Overbay and Reed Johnson is contributing. Aaron Hill? I know it’s only nine games, but still…
• Devil Rays at Twins, 5:10 p.m. PT – Scott Kazmir battles Johan Santana in this one. After years of mismanagement (Bobby Abreu for Kevin Stocker — great idea there), Tampa Bay is starting to assemble some serious young talent. No, they still don’t have any pitching beyond Kazmir, but Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, Elijah Dukes, B.J. Upton, and Delmon Young makes for a nice (and potentially volatile) offensive core. This could be a team worth following over the next several years.
• Yankees at A’s, 7:05 p.m. PT – Do you suppose it eats at George Steinbrenner that Kei Igawa hasn’t gotten off to the start that Daisuke Matsuzaka has in Boston? Yeah, I’m thinking it probably does. Igawa faces Dan Haren in Oakland. The A’s right now are sort of the anti-Blue Jays. They’re hitting like a utility infielder (.239/.306/.326). The only guy doing anything is Mike “I’m Still Not Washed Up Yet, So Stop Writing Me Off” Piazza. As for the Yankees, they get enough coverage elsewhere so I won’t talk about them.

National League

• Reds at Cubs, 11:20 a.m. PT – This game probably will keep me from doing my taxes today (yeah, I know I should’ve done them a long time ago). Aaron Harang faces Carlos Zambrano in the Friendly Confines. Bummer about the Cubs’ 3-5 start. Gotta believe their fans were hoping for more after that winter shopping spree. Fortunately for the Tribune Company, which is trying to sell the club, on-field performance doesn’t seem to affect the franchise’s value. Fans, it appears, will put up with pretty much anything after all these years. Meanwhile, Zambrano is walking guys and serving up home runs. That’s not a good combination.
• Astros at Phillies, 4:05 p.m. PT – Roy Oswalt squares off against Brett Myers. Holy smokes, Jimmy Rollins already has five home runs? That’s nuts. Pat Burrell is hitting .323/.462/.484 in the early going. Are they still booing him in Philly? On the other side, Oswalt was my pre-season pick for NL Cy Young. I made that prediction under the assumption that someone other than Adam Everett and Luke Scott would be leading the offensive charge. Yikes, how is this team even scoring three runs a game right now?
• Brewers at Cardinals, 5:10 p.m. PT – The focus is on Ben Sheets, as well it should be, but Anthony Reyes is no slouch himself. This has the potential to be a fantastic matchup. Plus you get to watch that insane collection of young talent that is the Brewers. Rickie Weeks (.242/.375/.606) is off to a terrific start and hasn’t even committed an error in 77 innings (he averaged one every 36 innings last season).

There you have it. Play ball!

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Okay, then. Lots of games to watch today. When you’ve been waiting this long, I’d venture to say they’re all worth checking out, but here are a few in particular that have piqued my interest:

National League

• Braves at Phillies, 10:05 a.m. PT – Take the day off, slap together some breakfast, and watch John Smoltz battle Brett Myers. Sounds like a good plan to me. Smoltz needs just 7 more wins to reach 200 for his career. What an unusual career its been, too. I wonder if any other pitcher has won 24 games in a season (1996) while also failing to win any games over a stretch of two straight years (2003-04). If he hadn’t spent four seasons as a dominating closer, Smoltz would be closing in on 250 right about now.
• Cubs at Reds, 11:10 a.m. PT – Time to see what all the Cubs’ off-season acquisitions can do. Carlos Zambrano gets the call for Chicago, and he’ll face last year’s NL strikeout king, Aaron Harang. If you like to watch guys swing and miss, this one’s for you.

American League

• Blue Jays at Tigers, 10:05 a.m. PT – Roy Halladay goes for Toronto, while the defending AL champs send Jeremy Bonderman to the mound. Halladay already has a Cy Young Award under his belt, and Bonderman could be a contender before too long. All his ratios are headed in the right direction, and he’s just 24 years old. What’s not to like?
• Red Sox at Royals, 1:05 p.m. PT – The Gil Meche era begins in Kansas City. I keep looking at his numbers to see what I’m missing, but I can’t find anything. No matter how I slice it, he still looks like a #3 or #4 starter to me. Anyway, the guy to watch in this one is the Royals’ rookie third baseman, Alex Gordon. If it weren’t for the fact that MLB considers Daisuke Matsuzaka a rookie, Gordon would be the odds-on favorite for AL Rookie of the Year. As it is, he’s still my pick.
• Orioles at Twins, 4:05 p.m. PT – What, you need an excuse to watch Johan Santana pitch?

Those are your games for Monday. If you can catch just one, I’d go with the Halladay/Bonderman matchup in Detroit. That should be fun. Enjoy!

Post from: Knuckle Curve