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Philadelphia 56% - Hamels still has a high degree of uncertainty surrounding his expected performance from game to game, but he has shown some promising signs. His walks are down and he's getting a lot of strikeouts. His most likely outing will be another labored and short but generally effective one; 5 or 6 innings, 2-4 runs. However, it is much more likely to be better than that than it is to be worse. Both lineups will rate roughly even with the Atlanta Joneses still out. The big question mark for the game is Hudson. A turnaround in form for this game is not out of the question, especially considering the general lethargy of the Philadelphia lineup, but Hudson has had too many bad games this year to try to time a recovery for him.

Detroit 59% - Lee has been in a funk of mediocrity for a while now, and he is likely to have another mediocre outing here at best. Even though the Detroit lineup is significantly worse against lefties, they got to Lee a bit in their last game against him in Cleveland, and they should be productive again here. Bonderman has had some trouble against Cleveland in the past, and they will send out a strong lefty-laden lineup against him. He will be more vulnerable here than might be expected after having been one of the top starters in baseball for June and July, but he is still without question a far superior starter, and with their balanced lineup Detroit rates a legitimate edge.

Mets 65% - Trachsel has one of the luckiest starting pitching gigs anywhere in the majors; he squeezes out 5 or 6 barely mediocre innings, and lets the Mets' elite lineup and bullpen take care of the rest. That formula has worked well so far this year, especially at home, and it should continue to do so in this game, as the Cubs and Maddux do not represent a formidable challenge. The Cubs' best hope is to have Maddux throw a quality start, which is a possibility, as his most recent starts have been OK, and the acknowledged lethargy the Mets played with in their last game could carry over into this one. Still, the Cubs have lost 13 out of the last 15 games Maddux has started, and they bring so little to the table offensively that actually winning will take an unlikely confluence of favorable events.

Texas 59% - Johnson is primed for a difficult game here. He is still having good starts when he is rested, but he will have a hard time going into Texas off of an outing where he threw 129 pitches with 4 days of rest. Millwood is also having his share of various minor troubles, but he is more likely to throw a quality start here than Johnson. The lineups rate roughly even, so the key will be which starter can hold up better, and that is more likely to be Millwood.

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Minnesota 52% - Even though Vazquez is 6-1 at home this year, and Radke is 1-5 on the road, there is not much of a difference between these 2 starters, and if anything, Radke currently enjoys a higher rating. The lineups and bullpens are very evenly matched as well, and again, each with an unclear but very possible edge for Minnesota. There is a lot of uncertainty in this game, but the talent is roughly equal, and the momentum clearly favors Minnesota in all areas.

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Boston 54% - Beckett has been very inconsistent on the road and in general this year, but he should have a strong start here, in a revenge situation against a weak lineup in a pitchers' park. Zito should have a good game as well, but Boston has a lot of firepower in their lineup, and if Zito has any kind of problems with control as he has had at times this year, Boston will be likely to take advantage. Boston will have a solid edge to come out on top after 9 innings, but if the game goes into extra-innings, as it easily could, the advantage will shift to Oakland.