Scouting Report. Fri.

Royals @ Orioles | Oriole Park | 7:05 p.m.
J. Affeldt (1-0, 2.60) vs. S. Erickson (3-2, 3.57)

Scouting report:
Last time he faced the Royals, Erickson pitched a four-hit shutout in a 13-0 victory at Kauffman. The rookie Affeldt, meanwhile, is making the first start of his Major League career. The longest he's pitched so far this season is 3 2/3 innings.

Rockies @ Phillies | Veterans Stadium | 7:05 p.m.
S. Chacon (2-3, 6.26) vs. B. Duckworth (1-2, 5.61)

Scouting report:
Chacon beat Duckworth and the Phillies Saturday at Coors Field, reaching the 100-pitch mark for the second time in five starts. Larry Walker's homer off Duckworth in the third was the big blow. Duckworth has lost his last three road starts, but remember that he won his first two starts at The Vet.

Mariners @ Yankees | Yankee Stadium | 7:05 p.m.
F. Garcia (3-2, 3.93) vs. T. Lilly (0-2, 1.35)

Scouting report:
Lilly pitched a near-no-hitter last Saturday at SAFECO, giving up just one run. Unfortunately for the Yankees, that manufactured run was all Garcia needed. Lilly got the pub, but Garcia got the W with a four-hit shutout. It was the fourth consecutive victory for Garcia, who is getting better with each outing.

Angels @ Blue Jays | SkyDome | 7:05 p.m.
A. Sele (1-2, 5.65) vs. J. Miller (1-0, 7.27)

Scouting report:
Miller pitched an inning in Wednesday's loss to Texas but tentatively is scheduled for a rematch with Sele. Miller lasted just 3.2 innings Saturday as the Angels began streaking and Sele was in pretty fair form. Only one of the Jays' runs off him were earned in his 5.2 innings. Carlos Delgado hits .333 against Sele, but with no homers.

Rangers @ Indians | Jacobs Field | 7:05 p.m.
D. Davis (3-2, 4.33) vs. D. Baez (3-2, 4.33)

Scouting report:
Both starters lost in their starts during this series last week at Texas. Davis has digressed in three consecutive losses after a hot 2002 start, and his biggest problem is Russell Branyan. He homered twice off Davis Saturday. The Rangers began building momentum with a 4-2 victory over Baez and the Indians the next day, and his problem was Frank Catalanotto (3-for-4, 2 runs).

Red Sox @ Devil Rays | Tropicana Field | 7:15 p.m.
J. Burkett (2-0, 1.64) vs. D. James (0-2, 6.23)

Scouting report:
Tampa Bay is elated to be back home after a brutal trip, but Burkett will be a big challenge. He pitched six shutout innings in Boston's 4-2 victory at home against the Rays. Burkett allowed them only three hits, but that's three more than the Rays could manage the last time they faced Boston. James remembers: He was the other starter in Derek Lowe's no-hitter and lasted only 2.1 innings.

Mets @ Astros | Astros Field | 8:05 p.m.
P. Astacio (4-1, 2.50) vs. D. Mlicki (3-2, 2.20)

Scouting report:
This game will pair two of the N.L.'s hottest pitchers. Astacio has been one of baseball's best acquisitions, and allowed Milwaukee just three hits and one earned run over eight innings Sunday. Mlicki has won his last three, and no team has scored more than two earned runs off him in his last four (1.40 ERA in that span). He is 9-4 with a 4.09 ERA since joining the Astros last June.

Marlins @ Brewers | Miller Park | 8:05 p.m.
K. Olsen (0-2, 5.65) vs. N. Neugebauer (1-3, 4.81)

Scouting report:
Neugebauer, making his first career start against Florida, lost his last time out but still has three consecutive impressive showings, including the 2-1 loss to New York Sunday. Neugebauer has to do something about Cliff Floyd who hit No. 11 out Thursday. Olsen has lost his last two starts since stepping into the rotation, against Atlanta and then Arizona.

A's @ White Sox | Comiskey Park | 8:05 p.m.
M. Fyhrie (1-1, 5.40) vs. M. Buehrle (4-2, 3.93)

Scouting report:
What happened to Mark Buehrle? The White Sox keep making noise, but he went quiet after a 3-0 start. He lost consecutive outings at Cleveland and Oakland, and the latter was a 16-1 loss in which he lasted just 2.2 innings. Fyhrie got the win, allowing just one earned run and four hits over seven innings. Hatteberg, Long and Pena all went deep off Buehrle in that fateful third inning.

Tigers @ Twins | Metrodome | 8:05 p.m.
N. Cornejo (1-2, 4.76) vs. B. Radke (2-2, 6.48)

Scouting report:
Cornejo's victory against the Twins Sunday would have been a shutout if not for Torii Hunter's solo homer. It's Dairy Queen Cap Night, and we'll see if he has the Twins eating out of his cap again. Radke beat the Tigers back on April 12, when everyone was beating them, but he had a no-decision and just one strikeout over seven innings in Monday's loss at Detroit.

Braves @ Cardinals | Busch Stadium | 8:05 p.m.
D. Moss (0-0, 3.38) vs. M. Morris (4-2, 3.69)

Scouting report:
Most people expected this to be a battle of division leaders, but it is a survival game at the moment. St. Louis has to be a little concerned with Morris, who was carrying this decimated rotation but now has lost two straight after a 4-0 start. Don't forget that he was 4-1 last May, so maybe there's no cause for alarm. The Braves didn't face Morris last season, and Moss's only background against St. Louis was three scoreless innings in relief last May.

Pirates @ Padres | Qualcomm Stadium | 10:05 p.m.
K. Wells (3-1, 5.11) vs. B. Howard (0-0, 1.80)

Scouting report:
Neither starter factored into the decision in the Pirates' 3-2 victory Monday at PNC Park, but Howard had everyone talking with his Major League debut. He held the Pirates to one earned run over five innings. Wells gave up two runs in the first inning and left after six. The Pirates are 4-1 when Wells takes the mound.

Expos @ D-Backs | Bank One Ballpark | 10:05 p.m.
B. Chen (2-1, 3.24) vs. C. Schilling (5-1, 3.07)

Scouting report:
Who knew this would be a huge series? Since that 17-strikeout victory to start the season, Schilling's strikeout totals have climbed from 5 to 7 to 10 to 13. Check out this stat for Andres Galarraga against Schilling: 4-for-46. Vlad Guerrero has two homers and is hitting .286 against Schilling. Chen is coming off his first 2002 start, a loss to St. Louis. Eduardo Perez hit a bomb in the fourth inning, and then Chen left after yielding three consecutive hits to start the fifth.

Cubs @ Dodgers | Dodger Stadium | 10:10 p.m.
J. Cruz (0-5, 2.33) vs. A. Ashby (2-2, 2.90)

Scouting report:
OK, Cubs fans are getting a little tired of hearing about how Cruz is much better than his record shows. Nevertheless, it was just another Cruz outing Monday when he gave up just two earned runs and the team lost to these Dodgers. Why wasn't it enough? Because Ashby threw eight scoreless innings on the other side. Sammy Sosa is heating up and may provide some support for Cruz here.

Reds @ Giants | Pacific Bell Park | 10:35 p.m.
J. Rijo (2-0, 1.89) vs. K. Rueter (3-1, 1.89)

Scouting report:
It's like old times for Rijo, who used to love facing the Giants before those six years off. He won at home against these Giants Sunday, giving up two earned runs over six impressive innings. Reuter was the winning pitcher a day later when the teams met, completing a hat trick during that Giants road trip. Sean Casey is 7-for-10 against Reuter.

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