Strasburg and Harper Invade Fenway Park and the Top 10 Interleague Storylines
Interleague play in Major League Baseball makes its glorious return this weekend, surely to a mix of "Huzzah!" and indifferent grumbles from baseball fans.
Love it or hate it, it's back and here to stay for a few days. Think of it as being kinda like that stray cat that keeps showing up for some reason, too dirty to adopt and too cute to shoo away.
There are some pretty funky matchups lined up for the weekend. The New York Mets will take on the New York Yankees, and that's all well and good, but the weekend's slate also includes matchups like Royals vs. Pirates and Dodgers vs. Mariners.
Well, OK. Whatever you say, MLB.
This is not to say that there's nothing interesting going on this weekend. On the contrary, there are many interesting things going on.
Here's a countdown of the top 10 interleague storylines for this weekend.
10. Jarrod Parker vs. Trevor Cahill Is More Enticing Than You Think
1 of 10"OK fine, I'll go. But mark my words, I'll be back. And when I come back, I'm going to kick your butt."
Jarrod Parker probably did not say anything like that to Arizona Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers when he found out he had been traded to the Oakland A's, but it's easy to imagine him saying something like that. Especially because that little prophecy is about to come true.
Parker is scheduled to pitch against the Diamondbacks on Saturday at Chase Field. And wouldn't you know it? He's slated to face off against the guy he was traded for, right-hander Trevor Cahill.
The A's are getting the better end of that deal (which included other players as well) so far. Parker has a 2-2 record and a 2.40 ERA in his eight big league starts, and Cahill has a 3-5 record and a 3.45 ERA in 11 starts.
Both are coming off outstanding performances, though, as Parker damn near no-hit the Texas Rangers and Cahill fired off a complete-game shutout against the hapless San Diego Padres.
It should be a good game. After it's over, Towers and Billy Beane will meet in an alley and pummel each other, They Live-style. Or so I hope, for some reason.
9. Blue Jays and Braves Meet for Rematch of 1992 World Series
2 of 10Twenty years ago, two mythical teams named the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves did battle in the 1992 World Series. The Blue Jays emerged victorious.
To this day, the Braves still hold a grudge...
OK, maybe not, but you get the gist. When the Blue Jays and Braves hook up at Turner Field this weekend, the '92 series might be mentioned a couple times.
If not, oh well. It's still going to be a good series. There's going to be all kinds of nasty stuff going on when Kyle Drabek and Brandon Beachy square off on Friday night, and Ricky Romero and Tim Hudson should give the people a good show on Sunday.
Plus, with Jose Bautista and Dan Uggla in the same ballpark for three days, there's a good chance some moonshots will be hit.
It will be like 1992 all over again, except totally different and probably not as exciting.
8. Astros and White Sox to Stage 2005 World Series Rematch
3 of 10What could be more enticing than an epic rematch of the 1992 World Series?
Why, how about an epic rematch of the 2005 World Series, one of the most one-sided World Series in recent memory?
The Houston Astros look considerably different today than they did back then, but the Chicago White Sox look kinda similar. Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski are still around, anyway, and both of them are just as good today as they were back then (seriously).
The Astros will be looking to avenge the butt-kicking their forefathers got at the hands of the White Sox all those years ago, and nobody should underestimate their ability to do so. The Astros are a bad team, but they're not as downright hopeless as they should be.
All they need to beat the White Sox is a little luck.
The magical and sudden returns of Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte, Lance Berkman, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell would also help.
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7. Rays to Visit Marlins, Will Leave Envious of New Ballpark
4 of 10For many years, both Florida teams were forced to dwell in relative obscurity in dank, horrid baseball stadiums that nobody wanted to visit.
The Miami Marlins are free of this curse. They now play at Marlins Park, a state-of-the-art cathedral complete with aquariums, air-conditioning and go-go dancers.
(There is also some sort of home run sculpture, but we need not speak of that.)
The Tampa Bay Rays are about to come face to face with Miami's new digs, as the two clubs are set to play a three-game series over the weekend. It should be a quality series between two quality ballclubs, but I have a feeling that the Rays will be leaving town down in the dumps no matter what happens.
Why?
Because after the series is over, they'll have no choice but to retreat to Tropicana Field, a dark, joyless place that doesn't do the Rays justice. There are no go-go dangers. Only stingrays.
It's...just...not...fair...
6. Cubs and Twins Combine Forces to Form Epic Display of Baseball Suckitude
5 of 10MLB has really outdone itself with this one.
Cubs vs. Twins? My goodness, this series promises to be as dull and as unwatchable as Snow White and the Huntsman, perhaps even more so.
If there's hope for this series, it's that both clubs will realize that there's pride to be salvaged in winning the series. The Twins will realize they can't disappoint the rest of the AL by getting beat by one of the NL's worst teams, and the Cubs will realize that beating the Twins is a key step in avoiding being called the worst team in the NL.
So there's a chance both clubs will be pumped and ready to play their best baseball.
"Best baseball" is a relative term, of course. For the Twins, that entails allowing fewer than seven runs in a given game. For the Cubs, it entails not allowing six runs while scoring just one or two of their own.
So gather your kids and sit them down this weekend so they can take in all three Cubs-Twins games. The series will be a valuable lesson on how not to play the game of baseball.
Disclaimer: Cover their eyes when Brian Dozier is forced to field a ball. They don't need to see that.
5. Cliff Lee Will Try for the 10th Time to Get His First Win
6 of 10Cliff Lee should have a couple of wins by now. At least one. He has a 2.92 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, he's walked only 11 in 64.2 innings, and he's holding hitters to a .232 batting average.
Sadly, Lee does not have a win yet. He doesn't have a win because the Phillies aren't as good as he is (if that make sense).
Lee will try for his first win once again on Sunday in Baltimore against the Orioles. They're a team he's very much capable of mastering, but he's only going to get a win if the Phillies can get him some runs.
That will be easier said than done. Standing in Lee's way will be O's starter Jason Hammel, who is very quietly having a nice season (6-2, 2.97 ERA).
Lee will do his part, but he'll need his offense to come up with clutch hits against a tough starter if he wants to earn a win.
I just LOL'd.
4. Young Nationals Take on Red Sox at Fenway Park
7 of 10The Washington Nationals are a young, exciting ball club that promises to be a force in the NL East for years to come.
This weekend, they'll look to maintain their winning ways at century-old Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox, who, while not downright terrible, are just kinda "meh" this year.
Nonetheless, a series victory against the Red Sox at Fenway is always a good way to make a statement, and that's what Davey Johnson and his Nats will be looking to do. The odds are in their favor, too, as they have both Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez lined up to pitch.
And of course, we'll get to see Bryce Harper take aim at the Green Monster. If he conquers the beast, he will have accomplished yet another career first. It will surely be the leading highlight on SportsCenter.
However, are the Nats ready for what lies waiting for them on Saturday?
(Enter dark, ominous drumroll...)
3. Daisuke Matsuzaka Makes His Triumphant (?) Return
8 of 10He's baaaaaaaaack!
As reported by Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston, the Red Sox have decided to active Daisuke Matsuzaka and have him to start against Washington on Sunday. He'll be starting a day short of one year since he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
Make no mistake, Red Sox Nation doesn't quite know how to feel about this.
Dice-K will be taking Daniel Bard's turn in the rotation, and that should be viewed as a kind of advantage. If he can't get it done, nobody is going to notice. Boston fans are used to seeing the team's No. 5 starter struggle.
If Dice-K gets it done, well, great. And indeed, it bodes well for him that he's going up against one of baseball's most ineffective offenses.
If the Nationals know how to take ball four, though, they'll be fine. All they have to do is step into the box, dig in and let Dice-K do the rest. The runs will come.
2. Johan Santana's First Post-No-Hitter Start Against New York Yankees
9 of 10The last time Johan Santana toed the rubber, he threw the first no-hitter in Mets history against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Everyone rejoiced. Especially some dude named Rafael Diaz, who rejoiced too much.
Due to concerns over his surgically-repaired shoulder, the Mets decided to give Santana a couple extra days of rest. So, in a return of the Subway Series, he'll make his first start since his no-no on Friday against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
It won't be easy to no-hit the Yankees, as they're better than your average bear when it comes to scoring runs.
Then again, so are the Cardinals, and they didn't bother Santana all that much.
So what the heck. Let's go ahead and say it:
Johnny Vander Meer, "No-Han" is coming for you.
Worth Noting: This is another World Series rematch, but I doubt that the 2000 World Series is the first thing people think about when the Mets and Yankees hook up in interleague play. I know for a fact that Mets fans don't think about it, anyway.
Oh...sorry for reminding you, Mets fans.
1. Rangers vs. Giants 2010 World Series Grudge Match
10 of 10The last time the Rangers danced with the Giants, they were overcome by excellent pitching and clutch hits by some geezer named Edgar Renteria. Consequently, they lost the World Series.
The good news for Texas is that Renteria is gone now. The bad news is that San Francisco still has excellent pitching. Even Barry Zito, who was not on the Giants' World Series roster in 2010, cannot be taken lightly.
The two clubs will meet under interesting circumstances. Though the Rangers have been the American League's best team for most of the season, they've had a rough go of things lately. The Giants, meanwhile, have lost just a single game in June and are suddenly among the National League's elite.
So unlike when these two teams last met, the Rangers should be considered the underdog in this weekend's matchup.
I would say this bodes well for the Rangers, but...dude, they just lost two out of three to Oakland.
Oakland!
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