With an unusually light schedule this afternoon, here’s what to watch tonight:
- At Citi Field, all eyes will be on No. 7, err, No. 12 as Jeff Francoeur makes his unlikely debut as a New York Met against Johnny Cueto and the Reds. The Mets have been shut out in three of their last five games and haven’t homered in 66 innings dating back to last Thursday. Omar Minaya hopes the Frenchy trade can “shake things up.” We’ll see about that one.
- John Smoltz (0-2, 6.60 ERA) is still in search of his first win, as the Red Sox take on the Royals. He looks to avoid a new-found penchant for the big inning, including a four-run fourth against the Athletics on Monday. Still, the 42-year-old Smoltz feels like he’s “almost there.”
- Matt Kemp looks to continue to his hot-hitting against the Brewers. He is 15-for-27 with a home run and nine RBI since Manny Ramirez returned to the lineup. All this despite often hitting eighth in Joe Torre’s lineup.
- Cole Hamels (5-5, 4.70 ERA) toes the rubber against the Pirates tonight. The Phillies, who started the season 13-22 at home, have won seven of their last eight at Citizens Bank Park. With Pedro Martinez and some guy from Canada on their radar, the Phillies seem poised to run away and hide in the NL East.
- Jason Marquis (11-5, 3.60 ERA) sets his sights on becoming the majors first 12-game winner against the Braves on Saturday night. Because, as we all know, wins = awesome pitcher.