Monday baseball

What you missed, in a nutshell:

- Luckily for the Yankees, they got Bad Cabrera on the mound. Yankees def. Orioles 8-5.

- That was a division-leading team in that game? Really? Nationals def. Mets 12-4.

- Pssh, yeah. I never questioned the Padres' decision to start Jack Cassel. Really. Ahem. Padres def. Pirates 3-0.

Other results of note: Indians def. Tigers (6-5/11 inn.), Blue Jays def. Red Sox (6-1), Cubs def. Reds (7-6), Brewers def. Astros (6-0), Phillies def. Cardinals (13-11).

Two games still in progress. The Angels lead the Devil Rays 7-6 in the top of the 6th. And this weird Diamondbacks-Giants affair continues. The Giants dropped a five-spot in the top of the 8th and now lead 8-5 in the bottom of the 9th in Arizona. Either way, it's safe to say that Brandon Webb won't be getting his 17th win tonight. Huge loss for the D-backs, if this score stands. There are a lot of interested eyes watching this right now in the NL West.

The Indians came from behind to force extras and end the Tigers' five-game winning streak. And I don't know what's worse: the fact that the Phillies almost blew a huge lead against the Cardinals or the fact that the Cardinals pushed all the way back to 12-11 in the bottom of the 8th but couldn't seal the deal. Either way, huge sigh of relief in Philadelphia and panic in the streets in Queens. The Mets dropped their 4th in a row and had four errors in this game. Not exactly what you want to see from a division-leading team heading into the playoffs. You hope.

Tuesday's action, the abbreviated version:

RHP Greg Maddux (12-10, 3.91 ERA) and the Padres host LHP Tom Gorzelanny (14-7, 3.45 ERA) and the Pirates.

RHP John Maine (14-9, 3.72 ERA) and the Mets take on RHP Joel Hanrahan (4-3, 5.83 ERA) and the Nationals.

RHP Mike Mussina (9-10, 5.28 ERA) and the Yankees host RHP Jon Leicester (2-1, 6.32 ERA) and the Orioles.

Other games of note:
Dodgers @ Rockies (Billingsley vs. Francis) [Game 1]
Dodgers @ Rockies (Wells vs. Redman) [Game 2]
Tigers @ Indians (Verlander vs. Westbrook)
Red Sox @ Blue Jays (Lester vs. Burnett)
Reds @ Cubs (Harang vs. Zambrano)
Brewers @ Astros (Sheets vs. Paulino)
Phillies @ Cardinals (Hamels vs. Wells)
Giants @ Diamondbacks (Sanchez vs. Owings)
Devil Rays @ Angels (Hammel vs. Lackey)

I'm not sure anyone expected this Mets series with the Nationals to be key, but with the way the Phillies are playing right now and the warning signs going off with the bullpen and the errors the Mets need to get the ship righted with one of their best pitchers on the mound tomorrow. The Phillies send Cole Hamels, who is returning from the DL, to the mound. His performance could be key for the Phillies as we finish this two-week stretch to the end of the season. Dodgers vs. Rockies double-header is huge in the Wild Card, and possibly in the division as well.

Cy Young candidates Justin Verlander and John Lackey take the hill tomorrow for Detroit and the Angels, respectively. Also, look out for long-shot NL Rookie of the Year candidate Chad Billingsley of the Dodgers.

I'll take Greg Maddux vs. Tom Gorzelanny as my Tuesday top pitching match-up. Harang vs. Zambrano could be a good one too, especially with the Cubs on a roll.