FanHouse

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

Philadelphia Phillies (31-24) vs. Florida Marlins (30-22) - 7:05PM Est.

The Florida Marlins have been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season, as the team that has a payroll that's smaller than some player's individual salaries, and traded away it's two cornerstone players in the offseason, has somehow managed to finish the first third of the season on top of the NL East.

It's a position that was supposed to be held by the Phillies, Mets, or the Braves, but to this point, the Marlins just haven't been willing to relinquish their spot. Unfortunately for the fighting fish, today could be the day where it all comes to an end.

The Marlins start a three-game series with the Phillies tonight at Citizen's Bank, and they do so holding only a half game lead over Philadelphia in the division. A Philly team that's been playing well of late, and has won four in a row (granted, three of them came against the Rockies, so I'm not sure they count).

Will the Marlins hold on one more night, or will their dream come to an end before June strikes?


Of course, the old saying in baseball is that you're only as hot as the next day's starting pitcher, and the Phillies starter today isn't hot at all. Brett Myers hasn't won a game in his last seven starts, going 0-5 with a 6.92 ERA during that span. He was 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA in seven appearances against Florida last season, but only one of those appearances was as a starter. Though things aren't much better for Brett as a starter, as he's 5-6 with a 4.79 ERA in 18 career starts against Florida.

All of which is music to the Marlins' ears, who send Mark Hendrickson to the mound tonight. Hendrickson is 7-2 on the season, and has won his last two starts, but he's failed to last longer than five innings in any of his last three starts. He's only had one career start against the Phillies, and he gave up seven runs and eleven hits in only three innings of work last July.

Baltimore Orioles (26-26) vs. Boston Red Sox (32-24) - 7:05PM Est.

The Red Sox would like to get back home to Boston as soon as possible, and not just to score tickets to Game One of the NBA Finals (sorry, Pistons fans). No, it's because the road has been very unkind to them. While the Red Sox have the best home record at 21-5, they're also the proud owners of one of the worst road records in baseball at 11-19.

They're going to have to overcome those problems though, as they get ready to start a four-game set in Baltimore with the Orioles, who swept a two-game series against them at Camden Yards at the beginning of the month. The Sawx are hoping Josh Beckett will be the answer for them, as he's 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA in his career at Camden Yards. Though it should be mentioned he lost there earlier this season after allowing five runs in 5.1 innings.

The Orioles will hand the ball to Daniel Cabrera, who finally seems to have started reaching that potential the Orioles have long maintained he had. Cabrera has won his last three starts, and is 5-1 on the season. Though he won't be terribly excited to see Boston, as he's 2-9 with a 7.35 ERA against them in his career, but he did snap a seven-game losing streak against them earlier this season.

New York Mets (26-26) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (26-27) - 7:10PM Est.

The legend of Clayton Kershaw begins it's second chapter tonight, as the 20-year old Next Big Thing makes the second start of his Major League career against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium tonight. Kershaw had been causing quite a stir all season down in the minors, what with that 97MPH fastball, and that knee-buckling curveball of his, and he didn't disappoint in his first start.

Though he didn't get a decision, Clayton lived up to the hype by limiting the Cardinals to two runs and five hits while striking out seven in his six-inning debut. He'll be hoping to continue that success against a Mets team that's still trying to figure out if it's any good or not.

John Maine goes for the Mets, who is coming off his second straight loss. It's the first time Maine has lost back-to-back starts in a year, and he'd like to put an end to the streak before it hits three straight. Maine came into the season with an 0-3 record against the Dodgers lifetime, but limited them to one run and four hits in 8.1 innings earlier this season to pick up a win.

Everybody Else

• Cubs vs. Rockies - 2:20PM
• Reds vs. Braves - 7:10PM
• Rays vs. White Sox - 7:10PM
• Brewers vs. Astros - 8:05PM
• Rangers vs. A's - 8:05PM
• Royals vs. Indians - 8:10PM
• Twins vs. Yankees - 8:10PM
• Cardinals vs. Pirates - 8:15PM
• Diamondbacks vs. Nationals - 9:40PM
• Angels vs. Blue Jays - 10:05PM
• Mariners vs. Tigers - 10:10PM
• Giants vs. Padres - 10:15PM