Lieber-Willis matchup to begin week

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The Straightshooter
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by buster olney (ESPN Insider)

• 7:05 p.m. ET: The Pitching Matchup of the Day will be in Florida, where Jon Lieber of the Phillies -- who has slumped of late but is 5-3 nonetheless -- pitches against the Marlins' Dontrelle Willis, 7-1 this season. Philadelphia can be a patient team, and in Willis' last start he struggled to throw strikes in the first inning

• 7:05 p.m. ET: The Guy Most Likely To Go Deep is Ben Broussard of the Indians, facing Kyle Lohse of the Twins. In 22 career at-bats against Lohse, Broussard has three bombs already. Scott Elarton works for Cleveland.

• 7:35 p.m. ET: Horacio Ramirez's importance to the Braves is magnified now, in the aftermath of injuries to John Thomson and Mike Hampton. The lefty is 2-3 with a 4.69 ERA, and he faces the Mets' Kaz Ishii. It'll be a big week for New York, which has a road trip through Atlanta and Florida.

• 8:05 p.m. ET: The Astros continue on their current road trip, a problem for Houston this year -- the Astros are 2-19 in road games. Andy Pettitte works against the Cubs' Glendon Rusch.

• 10:05 p.m. ET: Jon Garland tries to become the majors' first nine-game winner, and it would seem he would have a pretty good shot, in what is the Reverse Lock of the Day. He and the White Sox face Ervin Santana -- not Johan -- of the Angels; in his previous outing, the first of his career, Santana allowed eight hits and three walks over four innings. This is the Big Series right now, with two division leaders squaring off.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Sunday
The Good
Mark Prior finished strongly against the White Sox, salvaging the third game of a three-game series for the Cubs. Prior was throwing 94-95 mph in the ninth inning and pushed through the ninth inning for a complete game.


The Bad
The Mets' defense was atrocious, as it blew a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning against the Yankees. First, 21-year-old shortstop Jose Reyes tried to set himself to turn a double play and instead blew both outs; second, all the Mets appeared unprepared as the Yankees pulled off a double-steal; and third baseman David Wright kicked a grounder. The Mets generally outplayed the Yankees over the weekend but lost the series.

The Ugly
The Cubs had a 4-2 lead going into the ninth inning against the White Sox, and Prior's pitch count was 107. Most managers would turn a two-run lead over to their closer, but the Cubs' bullpen problems are well-documented, and Dusty Baker went with Prior. By game's end, Prior had thrown 126 pitches -- and if Prior, who had arm troubles in the spring, somehow struggles in his next start, that number will inevitably become a prime topic.

Buster Olney is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. His book, "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty," is available in paperback and can be ordered through HarperCollins.com.
 

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