On Deck: A Little West Coast Bias

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

San Francisco Giants (6-9) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (10-4) - 3:45PM Est.

Seeing as how the theme of the day here at FanHouse is new rivalries to replace the Yankees/Red Sox one we've all been force fed for years (Hey, did you know that the Yankees and Red Sox are playing again today? And that's it's on ESPN? It's only like the 18th time already this season! Don't miss it!) I'd like to dedicate today's On Deck to our friends on the left coast.

I'll start if off with the only day game on the slate today, as the unstoppable force that is the Arizona Diamondbacks look to bury the San Francisco Giants a little deeper in the NL West. It's also the only game on today's docket that features two Cy Young Award winners, though both pitchers are headed in completely opposite directions. Brandon Webb starts for Arizona tonight, and he's looking to get off to the first 4-0 start of his career. Webb is coming off another stellar performance against the Rockies and is 3-0 with a 2.14 ERA this season. He's also 4-0 with a 2.96 ERA against the Giants since 2006. The Giants will counter with Barry Zito's ghost, and though Barry pitched well against the Cardinals in his last start, he's still 0-3 and trying to avoid the first 0-4 start in his career. Zito has a record of 2-3 in his career against the Diamondbacks, but his ERA of 2.73 indicates he hasn't gotten much support from his teammates in those starts. If he doesn't show up tonight, don't be surprised if he's drowned in McCovey Cove after the game.

San Diego Padres (8-6) vs. Colorado Rockies (5-8) - 10:05PM Est.

The Padres got a little revenge on Tuesday night by beating the Rockies 6-0 in the first meeting of these two teams since Matt Holliday never touched home plate and sent the Rockies on to the World Series. Something tells me that one victory wasn't enough to heal those wounds for the Padres, and they'd like to beat up on the Rockies a little more tonight. Though, truth be told, this Rockies team hasn't much resembled the offensive powerhouse of last season. After finishing 2nd in the National League in runs scored last season, the Rox are currently bringing up the rear this season with a league-low 46 runs in their first 13 games. Though they're playing in a pitcher's park tonight at PetCo, the Rockies will be facing a pitcher that may be just what they need to bust out of their funk. Justin Germano has been great for the Padres so far this season, but in his career against Colorado he's 0-3 with an 8.34 ERA. Mark Redman will get the start for Colorado, and the way he's pitched so far this season, he's going to need as much support as he can get from his offense. He pitched well enough in his last start, but is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in his career against the Padres, which includes three starts.

Cleveland Indians (5-9) vs. Detroit Tigers (4-10) - 7:05PM Est.

Okay, so this isn't even close to being a west coast matchup, but the reason I chose to cover the west coast today was due to our OldBoss/New Boss series today, and one of those new rivalries we explored was the Tigers and Indians so it would be stupid of me not to feature this game today. Both teams have struggled to start the season and find themselves at the bottom of the AL Central, but the Tigers have at least started to show some life lately. Which could be bad news for C.C. Sabathia as he tries to get on the board with a victory for the first time this season, and if you're a struggling pitcher, the Tigers are probably the last lineup you want to see staring back at you from the box. Sabathia went 3-1 against the Tigers last season, but the numbers are a bit misleading seeing as how he had a 5.29 ERA in his five starts. Of course, that's less than half of the 11.57 ERA he's currently sporting. The Tigers will give the ball to Armando Galarraga who makes his second career Major League start as he fills in for the injured Dontrelle Willis.

Everybody Else

• Orioles vs. White Sox 7:05PM
• Yankees vs. Red Sox 7:05PM - ESPN2
• Phillies vs. Astros 7:05PM
• Blue Jays vs. Rangers 7:07PM
• Mets vs. Nationals 7:10PM
• Marlins vs. Braves 7:10PM
• Cubs vs. Reds 8:05PM
• Twins vs. Rays 8:10PM
• Cardinals vs. Brewers 8:15PM
• Angels vs. Royals 10:05PM
• A's vs. Mariners 10:05PM
• Dodgers vs. Pirates 10:15PM