The 606: MLB's Most Intriguing Pitching Matchups for July 28, 2010

Baseball Press presents "The 606", a look at the most intriguing pitching matchup of the day, with a final prediction of the winning pitcher. You may be asking yourself  "What exactly does The 606 mean? There's no major league baseball for that area code- it's in Eastern Kentucky!"  BBP isn't listing players from Eastern Kentucky either. The 606 is short for 60 feet and 6 inches. If you still don't understand, I direct your attention to Official Rule  1.07  from Major League Baseball, referring to the distance from the pitching mound to home plate. Now that we've got that squared away, let's take a look at today's featured pitching matchup for Wednesday, July 28th .

On yesterday's 606, Stephen Strasburg  was a late scratch for the Nationals, causing every Nats fans to collectively hold their breath .  Strasburg was scratched after having issues getting lose, and is listed day-to-day.  Nats' General Manager Mike Rizzo did state that Strasburg's MRI and X-ray results showed no damage, only minor inflammation.

Scratched: Stephen Strasburg  

The 606 Season-to-Date Record (W-L-ND):  91-76-51, 3.80 ERA (570 ER in 1348.1 IP )

Today's edition of the 606 features two left-handed pitchers squaring off from Citi Field. The Cardinals currently have  a slight lead in the NL  Central, and will look to extend their division lead against a struggling Mets team.

LHP Jaime Garcia   - STL (9-4, 2.21 ERA) vs. LHP Johan Santana - NYM (8-5, 2.79 ERA)
Rookie Jaime Garcia   looks to continue his magical rookie season tonight against the Mets.  Garcia has pitched well over his last four outings, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.99 ERA, and a 20/6 K/BB ratio over 22 2/3 innings.  During his last start against the Phillies, Garcia held the Phills in check over seven innings - allowing just one earned run on a home run by Ryan Howard, earning his ninth win of the season.  Garcia pitched an excellent game against the Mets earlier this season, holding the Mets to just one hit over seven innings, while striking out five , but would take a no decision.    

After a rough month of June, Johan Santana   has bounced back nicely during the month of July.  During his five July starts, Santana is 4-1 with a 0.71 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, and a 26/10 K/BB ratio over 38 innings.  He hasn't allowed more than one earned run during any start this month, while averaging a 6.2 K/9 ratio, and hasn't allowed any home runs, after allowing 7 during the previous two months combined.  Santana last faced the Cardinals during the 20-inning marathon game back on April 17th in St. Louis.  Santana allowed four hits over seven innings, while striking out 9, and walking just one.  Johan has faced the Cards four times during his career, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.03 ERA.  Albert Pujols   is hitting .400/.400/.867 with an OPS of 1.267 against Johan over 15 career at-bats, including 2 HR.

Final Prediction: Johan Santana

Reggie Yinger is a programmer and is the Senior Editor at Baseball Press. He previously worked for a Minor League Baseball team and hopes to return to baseball full-time in some fashion. His writing has appeared in a men's national magazaine publication and he contributes to The Fantasy Fix. You can contact him [e-mail]  or follow him on Twitter @sacksjacked .