Four Fun Midweek Pitching Matchups
Hello there, and welcome to the first Wednesday of the 2007 regular season. Really, we need to mark these momentous occasions.
Okay, then, what are we watching today? Funny you should ask…
National League
- Braves at Phillies, 4:05 p.m. PT – Tim Hudson hooks up against Cole Hamels. Not to pile on Barry Zito or anything, but you’ve got to think that maybe the A’s know what they’re doing when they let these guys go. First Mark Mulder gets hurt, and now Hudson has become eminently hittable. He’s still good for innings, but somehow I imagine the Braves were expecting a little more from him. On the bright side, at least they didn’t give up Kiko Calero, Daric Barton, and Danny Haren to get him. (Ouch!). Oh yeah, there’s a pretty good young pitcher over there on the other side. Hamels? Dude works half his games in a serious hitters’ park, but when you miss as many bats as he does, it doesn’t matter. The main thing with Hamels is he’s young and just needs to stay healthy. Gotta like the way he dominated after the All-Star break last year as a rookie (3.39 ERA, .226 BAA, 10.37 K/9, 4.21 K/BB). Yep, this could be fun.
- Padres at Giants, 7:15 p.m. PT – I hate to call the home team number again, but a Chris Young/Matt Cain matchup is too much to resist. It’s the second game of the season for both clubs, but we’re talking about two potential Cy Young Award candidates here. Young finished the 2006 season ranked sixth in the National League in ERA, while Cain is just filthy. As with Hamels, he’s a young kid who only improved as the season wore on (3.26 ERA, .214 BAA, 8.97 K/9, 2.48 K/BB after ASB) in 2006. If you like a good pitcher’s duel (as I do), then this is the one for you.
Oh, and if you like offense, check out the Florida/Washington game at 10:05 a.m. PT or the Arizona/Colorado game at 12:05 p.m. PT. I’m not sure that I’ve got the stomach to sit through those pitching matchups, but whatever floats your boat.
American League
- Blue Jays at Tigers, 10:05 a.m. PT – A.J. Burnett squares off against Nate Robertson. If Burnett is healthy, he’s fun to watch (unless you’re Damian Jackson and getting a thumb busted on an errant pitch while your team is being no-hit, but I digress). Anyway, these are two potential playoff contenders, and this should be a good game.
- Rangers at Angels, 12:35 p.m. PT – Fascinating matchup between two promising young pitchers. Anaheim’s Ervin Santana had his coming out party last year; now Texas’ Brandon McCarthy, acquired this past off-season from the White Sox, hopes to do the same.
As in the NL, there’s a game here for folks who don’t care for good pitching. That would be the Twins/Orioles contest at 5:10 p.m. PT. Ramon Ortiz hooks up against Jaret Wright. Seriously, wear a hard hat for this one. Yes, even if you’re only watching on television.
There you go. Play ball!
Tags: baseball, cole_hamels, cy_young_award, matt_cain, mlb, pitching_matchups, tim_hudsonRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Games Worth Watching
1 opinion for Four Fun Midweek Pitching Matchups
Transaction Guy
Apr 4, 2007 at 2:44 pm
“Seriously, wear a hard hat for this one. Yes, even if you’re only watching on television.”
Hilarious.
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