On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups
Arizona Diamondbacks (71-56) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (65-61)-9:40PM Est.
The Diamondbacks are hoping that the same Brandon Webb who's taken the mound in his last three starts comes to the park tonight. Webb has pitched three consecutive shutouts, and hasn't given up a run in his last 42 innings of work. Somehow that's only good enough to qualify him for 12th all time-in the early 1900's batters apparently preferred licorice over wooden bats-but it's the longest such streak since Orel Hershiser pitched a record 59 innings without giving up a run in 1988. I'm not saying he can't do it, but I don't think Webb is going to last 18 more innings to break Hershiser's record. Of course, the Diamondbacks won't care as long as he pitches well enough to get them a victory. They're one game away from being swept at home by a Brewers team that's supposed to be falling apart. Instead the Brewers have outscored Arizona 16-4 in the first two games of this series, and remain tied with the Cubs for first place in the NL Central. Jeff Suppan starts for Milwaukee, and he's been the opposite of Brandon Webb lately. He's 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA over his last ten starts and hasn't won since June 22nd.
Minnesota Twins (62-63) vs. Seattle Mariners (71-52)-1:10PM Est.
The Mariners are the hottest team in baseball right now, and they owe it all to a healthy diet of AL Central team. This series is their fourth straight against the division, and so far they're 8-3, including their current 5-game win streak. Unfortunately for Seattle, the Angels keep winning as well, so they haven't been able to make up much ground in the AL West. Of course, they have been able to build up a 2.5 game lead over the Yankees in the wild card, so it isn't all bad. Miguel Batista starts for Seattle, and he's having the best season of his career. He's already tied his career high with 13 wins, and he's won five of his last six starts. Against the Twins, Batista is 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA, though he hasn't faced them since 2005. Carlos Silva starts for the Twins, who are now back under .500 and trail the Cleveland Indians by 6.5 games. In his last three starts, Silva has allowed only three runs but has gone winless because his offense has only given him three runs of support. Seems awfully unfair to me.
New York Mets (71-53) vs. San Diego Padres (66-58)-ESPN 7:10PM Est.
There's a few ways Jake Peavy can take the performance of his teammate Chris Young last night. He can either be a little concerned that the Mets lineup was able to chase Young after only five innings, or he can be excited that now he's got a chance to pass Young for the NL lead in ERA. I think the Padres would prefer he took the latter approach to things tonight. Peavy has pitched like, well, Jake Peavy, his last few starts, but he'll be facing a Mets team that's averaging 7.5 runs a game over the last week. Brian Lawrence goes for New York, and he'll be facing the team he started his career with. It'll be the first time he's faced San Diego since they traded him to Washington in 2005, and the Mets are hoping that's enough to motivate him to pitch better than he has been.
