On Deck: Scoring Runs Is For Losers - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

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

Toronto Blue Jays (16-17) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (16-15) - 7:07PM Est.

It's been a few weeks since the Blue Jays cut themselves loose of slugger Frank Thomas because he just wasn't contributing anything on offense for them. Since that move, the Blue Jays still haven't scored very many runs, pushing only 37 runners across the plate in the 14 post-Thomas era games. Generally when you're only scoring 2.6 runs a game, you aren't going to win much, and the Blue Jays haven't going 6-8 in those games.

Over the last few days, though, Toronto has figured out how to win without scoring runs, and that's just not letting your opponent score any either.


The Blue Jays have won five straight thanks to their dominant starting pitching, and have had 10 consecutive starts from their pitchers in which they lasted a minimum of 6.2 innings and allowed two or less earned runs. The last time a Jays pitcher allowed more than two earned runs in a start was on April 25th when A.J. Burnett allowed three in 7.1 innings. Burnett gets a start today as well, and in his last start he didn't allow any runs against the Red Sox, which started the current win streak.

In his career, Burnett is 6-2 with a 2.95 ERA in 13 starts against Tampa.

Tampa will counter with Andy Sonnanstine, who's having quite a run himself. Andy's 4-1 on the season with a 4.42 ERA, and has allowed only four runs over his last three starts, which cover a span of 23.1 innings. One of those starts came against the Blue Jays, and Sonnanstine allowed three runs in 6.1 innings-his worst outing in the last three- but still picked up the victory.

Chicago White Sox (14-16) vs. Minnesota Twins (16-14) - 8:11PM Est.

One of the latest victims of the Blue Jays pitching staff are the White Sox, who return home tonight after going 0-6 on their latest road trip. That road trip started with two losses in Minnesota, who have now swapped places with the Sox in the AL Central.

I'm not sure there will be any blow-up dolls in the White Sox locker room tonight, but who knows what Ozzie Guillen will find a way to violate in hopes of reviving his team's dormant bats. It's also the first time Ozzie will be appearing before the home fans since he called them out over the weekend. Though I'm sure there will be plenty of booing by Sox fans tonight, I don't think the majority of it will be directed at Guillen.

Gavin Floyd goes for the Sox and he's coming off a loss in his last start against the very same Twins lineup he'll be facing tonight. The Twins will counter with Nick Blackburn, who's been a pleasant surprise for the first-place Twins, and he's coming off a victory in his last start. Also against these same White Sox.

Colorado Rockies (12-20) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (21-12) - 8:35PM Est.

If nothing else, this series between the Rockies and Cardinals should give Colorado some hope as they glimpse into their very own future. In 2006 it was the Cardinals who got to the World Series, only to follow that season by going 78-84 last season to miss the playoffs. This year it's the Rockies who are following up a World Series appearance by laying an egg, though at least the Cardinals got a trophy out of it, but hey, the Cardinals are good again so maybe Colorado will be good next season!

God knows they aren't this season. Colorado has lost 12 of it's last 15 games and are currently tied for the worst record in baseball. To make matters worse, they're in the same division as the team with the best record in baseball (Arizona 21-11) so the odds of them climbing out of this hole and back to the playoffs don't look good.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals have won 8 of their last 11 and have shocked everybody by leading the NL Central despite the fact they have a starting pitching staff they bought at Wal-Mart. Braden Looper (4-1 3.86) gets the ball for the Redbirds tonight, and he'll be opposed by Mark Redman (2-2 6.99).