Selected notes for Sunday: Obviously we like Mr. Billingsley in the "Battle of the Chads," and the 6-3 record and 2.43 ERA certainly are strong reasons for that. …
Carlos Zambrano is 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA against the Marlins in his career, and might well provide his own run support, as he's batting .286 for good measure. …
Yes Brad Penny's ERA is pretty high, but James Shields traditionally struggles against Boston (2-5, 5.59 ERA), so Penny might have a lead to work with. …
John Maine is 5-0 with a 2.54 ERA against the Phillies, and Joe Blanton isn't exactly Cy Young Award material. …
We still have faith in Ricky Nolasco, although we admit there's little statistical support right now for our position. …
Scott Baker has been awful in 2009, but with the expected return of Joe Mauer behind the plate this weekend, we're hoping he'll be more like the Baker of old, who is 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA against the Royals in his career. …
John Lannan might not beat Kyle Lohse and the Cardinals, but he does have a career 2.84 ERA against St. Louis in his career. …
We're not quite buying Johnny Cueto just yet, but we won't be surprised if he beats Jeff Karstens, who is 1-5 with a 5.06 ERA at PNC Park. …
And finally, let's discuss Justin Verlander. He's 4-10 with a 6.70 ERA against the Tribe in his career, and 0-3 with an 8.62 ERA in his past three starts against Cleveland. He very well could be placed lower than No. 21 on our list with that track record.
Carlos Zambrano is 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA against the Marlins in his career, and might well provide his own run support, as he's batting .286 for good measure. …
Yes Brad Penny's ERA is pretty high, but James Shields traditionally struggles against Boston (2-5, 5.59 ERA), so Penny might have a lead to work with. …
John Maine is 5-0 with a 2.54 ERA against the Phillies, and Joe Blanton isn't exactly Cy Young Award material. …
We still have faith in Ricky Nolasco, although we admit there's little statistical support right now for our position. …
Scott Baker has been awful in 2009, but with the expected return of Joe Mauer behind the plate this weekend, we're hoping he'll be more like the Baker of old, who is 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA against the Royals in his career. …
John Lannan might not beat Kyle Lohse and the Cardinals, but he does have a career 2.84 ERA against St. Louis in his career. …
We're not quite buying Johnny Cueto just yet, but we won't be surprised if he beats Jeff Karstens, who is 1-5 with a 5.06 ERA at PNC Park. …
And finally, let's discuss Justin Verlander. He's 4-10 with a 6.70 ERA against the Tribe in his career, and 0-3 with an 8.62 ERA in his past three starts against Cleveland. He very well could be placed lower than No. 21 on our list with that track record.