The 2008 MLB Season rolls on Friday and our team of writers and handicappers has made three predictions for today’s games.
Arizona Diamondbacks (71-68) at Los Angeles Dodgers (70-70)
Less than a week ago, it looked like what was once an intriguing race in the NL West was being decided before September even began.
The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't lost since, and now the pressure appears to be back on the Arizona Diamondbacks as the division rivals begin their final head-to-head series of the season Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers (70-70) seemed to be in free fall last Friday, when they lost 9-3 in the opener of a three-game series at Arizona to drop 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Diamondbacks - their largest deficit since mid-June.
The loss was their season-worst eighth straight, with their offense scoring only 15 runs during that skid.
Haren is 2-2 against the Dodgers this year, but he allowed five runs in six innings in the 6-2 loss on Saturday, and he lasted just 4 2-3 innings in his lone start at Dodger Stadium, allowing six runs in an 8-3 loss on April 23.
Los Angeles will counter with Derek Lowe, who beat Haren that day. Lowe (11-11, 3.69) has been outstanding recently, allowing two or fewer earned runs in each of his last four starts, going 2-1 with a 1.32 ERA.
He beat Arizona and Webb with six shutout innings in an 8-1 win on Sunday, giving up only four hits. He's 2-1 with a 2.78 ERA in four starts against the Diamondbacks this year.
Pick: LA Dodgers - Best line -120 SBG Global
Tampa Bay Rays (85-53) at Toronto Blue Jays (73-66)
Andy Sonnanstine needs one more win to reach 14, which would put him into a tie for the Tampa Bay Rays single-season record. Surpassing that mark is nothing new for Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.
On a surprising Rays team leading the AL East largely due to a strong pitching staff, Sonnanstine matches up with Halladay and the Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.
Helped by a 3.75 team ERA, Tampa Bay (85-53) has been arguably baseball's biggest story this season. Sonnanstine (13-6, 4.61 ERA) has the worst ERA among Rays starters, but he leads the team in wins and is one shy of tying Rolando Arrojo's club single-season total of 14 set in 1998.
Sonnanstine, though, is 2-1 with a 6.10 ERA in five starts against Toronto (73-66), and 1-0 with a 7.20 ERA in his last three outings overall.
Toronto will counter with Halladay (17-9, 2.69), who in his last start tied Jim Clancy for second place in Blue Jays history with his 128th win. The veteran right-hander gave up two runs and eight hits in seven innings as Toronto beat the Yankees 6-2 on Sunday.
This is the third straight season Halladay has won 16 or more games, a feat he has reached five times in his career. He has won four straight starts, posting a 2.48 ERA.
Halladay is 10-7 with a 3.84 ERA in 24 starts and three relief appearances versus Tampa Bay. He is 1-3 with a 4.82 ERA against the Rays this season and will be facing a team that is averaging 7.8 runs while batting .344 over the last six games.
Pick: Toronto - Best line -175 SBG Global
New York Yankees (75-65) at Seattle Mariners (54-85)
Winning a series against the team with the best record in the AL would be more than acceptable if only the New York Yankees weren't in such a dire position. Now, a three-game sweep of the league's worst club is almost a necessity if they are to reach the playoffs for a 14th consecutive season.
The Yankees look to make it nine straight wins against the Seattle Mariners when the teams open their series Friday night at Safeco Field.
After taking the first two games against AL East-leading Tampa Bay, New York (75-65) was poised to become the first team this season to sweep a three-game series from the Rays at Tropicana Field.
A poor outing from starter Darrell Rasner, however, put the Yankees in an early hole and a late comeback fell short as the Rays extended their division lead with a 7-5 victory.
New York starter Andy Pettitte (13-11, 4.52 ERA) looks to rebound from consecutive poor outings. The left-hander was charged with six runs and 10 hits for the second straight start in a 6-2 home loss to Toronto on Sunday.
Pettitte has lost four of his last five decisions and the Yankees have dropped six of his last seven starts.
Pettitte is 0-4 with a 5.63 ERA in his last four games at Seattle, where he hasn't won since Aug. 7, 1999.
Pick: Seattle - Best line +160 SBG Global