Saturday baseball

What you missed, in a nutshell:

- And here I thought I was doing better with this whole "pitching duel" prediction stuff. Red Sox def. Yankees 10-1

- I'm not sure the Mets have realized that having Pedro back won't mean much if the bullpen falls on its face. Phillies def. Mets 5-3.

- Brett Tomko? Really? Yes, really. Padres def. Giants 6-0.

- D'Angelo Jimenez and Robert Fick? Really? Yes, really. Nationals def. Braves 7-4.

- Baltimore didn't have a great chance of beating Toronto with Halladay on the mound. But when your starter gives up six runs without recording an out? Well, that doesn't help. Blue Jays def. Orioles 8-2

Other results of note: Cubs def. Cardinals (3-2) [Game 1], Cardinals def. Cubs (4-3) [Game 2], Dodgers def. Diamondbacks (6-2), Angels def. White Sox (2-1), Brewers def. Reds (5-3), Indians def. Royals (6-0), Tigers def. Twins (4-3), Marlins def. Rockies (10-2), Devil Rays def. Mariners (6-2)

Sunday's games, the abbreviated version:

RHP Roger Clemens (6-6, 4.45 ERA) and the Yankees take on RHP Curt Schilling (8-7, 3.93 ERA) and the Red Sox.

LHP Oliver Perez (14-9, 3.42 ERA) and the Mets host RHP Adam Eaton (9-9, 6.31 ERA) and the Phillies.

RHP Jake Peavy (17-6, 2.44 ERA) and the Padres host RHP Tim Lincecum (7-4, 3.99 ERA) and the Giants.

RHP Shawn Hill (4-3, 2.87 ERA) and the Nationals host RHP Tim Hudson (15-8, 3.48 ERA) and the Braves.

RHP Victor Santos (1-5, 5.75 ERA) and the Orioles face RHP Shaun Marcum (12-6, 4.11 ERA) and the Blue Jays.

Other games of note:
Royals @ Indians (Buckner vs. Laffey)
Angels @ White Sox (Saunders vs. Buehrle)
Reds @ Brewers (Belisle vs. Villanueva)
Tigers @ Twins (Jurrjens vs. Baker)
Cubs @ Cardinals (Marquis vs. Mulder)
Marlins @ Rockies (Olsen vs. Morales)
Devil Rays @ Mariners (Sonnanstine vs. Washburn)
Diamondbacks @ Dodgers (Gonzalez vs. Loaiza)

Bunch of big series continue this weekend as the Wild Cards really heat up, and a number of the National League divisions remain up for grabs. ESPN's national spotlight will focus on the Red Sox and Yankees, as always, and a series win would be huge for the Yankees. Not because the AL East remains a possibility, but they need to keep the wins coming as the sleeping Tigers look to be waking up for one last playoff run. The Phillies have a chance to sweep the Mets at Shea tomorrow. The Cubs, meanwhile, could go 3-of-4 with a win tomorrow and really make a statement in the NL Central. The Rockies will be trying to salvage a game against the Marlins. And don't look now, but those Dodgers are hanging around, and they're threatening to pull off a sweep of the NL West-leading Diamondbacks.

Marquee pitching match-up of the day goes to Peavy vs. Lincecum in San Diego. Sign me up for that one! Dark horse candidate could be Shawn Hill vs. Tim Hudson. Injuries have plagued Shawn Hill all season, but when he's been on? I'd venture to say that he's one of the elite pitchers of the National League.