On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups
Philadelphia Phillies (45-44) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (40-46)-FOX 3:55PM Est.
Is today the day we've all been waiting for? Will the Phillies become the first team in the history of the world to lose 10,000 games? Yes, they will. As for whether it will be today or not, I can't tell. Considering Cole Hamels is on the mound this afternoon there's a pretty good chance that the milestone will be put off for another day. If there is a city in this country that I would think could handle something like this, it would be Philadelphia. They've been living without a winner of any kind for a while now, but it hasn't seemed to diminish their fervor for their home teams. It's as though they've gotten to a point where they relish the opportunity. The Cardinals will be sending Mike Maroth to the mound to try and help the Phillies out. Will you be watching as history is made? Do you want to take the chance of not seeing it live? I don't think you do.
Cleveland Indians (53-36) vs. Kansas City Royals (38-51)-7:05PM Est.
Don't let the disparity in the two teams records fool you, the Royals always seem to have a knack for giving the Indians a tough time. Besides, this game features two All-Star pitchers on the mound. C.C. Sabathia will be going for victory number 13 on the season. He'll be the first pitcher in baseball to get there this season if he does. Sabathia is 12-6 with a 3.14 ERA against the Royals lifetime, and has won his last four starts against them. At Jacob's Field he's even better, going 6-3 with a 1.76 ERA. Gil Meche has not had the same kind of success against the Indians. In fact, he hasn't had any kind of success. He's 1-6 with a 5.69 ERA against Cleveland in his career. Man, maybe this game won't be so competitive after all.
Milwaukee Brewers (49-40) vs. Colorado Rockies (45-44)-7:05PM Est.
I wonder if they're getting nervous in Milwaukee yet? The Cubs are now only 3.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. If nerves are getting the best of the Brewers, they've got the right man going to the hill tonight. Ben Sheets has won his last five starts at Miller Park, and I'm sure a sixth straight would be a welcome sight for Brewers fans. Against the Rockies at Miller Park, Sheets is 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA, striking out 26 in 26.1 innings. Rodrigo Lopez goes for the Rockies, and the road has not been kind to him. While he's 5-0 at Coors Field, he's 0-2 with a 7.33 ERA on the road so far this season.
