- After nine straight losses on the road, the Blue Jays finally return home tonight. Unfortunately, they’ll be facing the Red Sox, who started off Toronto’s losing streak with a three-game sweep at Fenway last week. The winning pitcher in the first game of that series, Tim Wakefield, will be back on the mound for this one. He allowed one run over eight innings in his previous start against the Jays, and he’s 6-2 with a 3.99 ERA for the season, making him Boston’s most effective pitcher so far. The Blue Jays will give Casey Janssen his second start of the year. Janssen, making his way back from shoulder surgery, allowed three runs over six innings in a loss to Atlanta six days ago.
- The surging Yankees will start a series tonight in Cleveland, where the Indians just pulled off a four-game sweep of the Rays. Andy Pettitte gets the nod for the Yankees against one of only two AL teams he’s under .500 against in his career (Seattle being the other). The Indians will go to Cliff Lee, who beat the Yankees on April 16 for one of his two victories so far this season. Aside from that game, which Cleveland won 10-2, the Indians have totaled 19 runs in Lee’s nine starts.
Game of the Night
St. Louis vs. San Francisco - A pair of five-game winners will square off in San Francisco, with Joel Pineiro going against Matt Cain. Pineiro is inducing grounders at a league-best rate, but he’s lost four of his last five starts anyway, partly due to poor run support. He has a shutout and five other quality starts in nine trips to the mound this season. Cain has won his last two outings and has seven quality starts to his credit. However, he is 0-1 with a 9.58 ERA in two career starts against the Cardinals. Albert Pujols has a homer and a double in five career at-bats against him.