Thursday baseball

What you missed, in a nutshell:

- Kennedy and Burnett put on a fantastic show. It was too bad the game's fate had to be decided by the bullpens. Blue Jays def. Yankees 2-1.

- It's a good thing the Padres traded David Wells when they got the chance! Dodgers def. Padres 6-3.

- So, get this: Melvin Mora, Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts, and Ramon Hernandez are all sitting out this game. Trembley starts his three game suspension. And Baltimore shuts out the Angels. Who had Cy Young candidate John Lackey on the mound, by the way. Not bad. Orioles def. Angels 3-0.

Other results of note: Reds def. Cardinals (5-4), Phillies def. Rockies (12-4), Cubs def. Astros (6-2), Mariners def. Devil Rays (8-7)

Friday's games, the abbreviated version:

LHP Andy Pettitte (13-8, 3.78 ERA) looks to pick the Yankees up after a tough loss as he takes on RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (14-12, 4.44 ERA) and the Red Sox.

LHP Tom Glavine (13-6, 3.95 ERA) and the Mets take on LHP Jamie Moyer (13-11, 5.23 ERA) and the Phillies.

RHP Chris Young (9-7, 2.72 ERA) and the Padres host LHP Barry Zito (9-12, 4.46 ERA) and the Giants.

LHP Matt Chico (5-8, 4.61 ERA) and the Nationals begin another weekend series against the Braves and LHP Chuck James (10-10, 4.21 ERA).

LHP Brian Burres (5-5, 5.85 ERA) and the Orioles take on RHP Jesse Litsch (5-8, 4.11 ERA) and the Blue Jays.

Other games of note:
Royals @ Indians (Bannister vs. Sabathia)
Reds @ Brewers (Shearn vs. Sheets)
Cubs @ Cardinals (Zambrano vs. Wainwright)
Tigers @ Twins (Robertson vs. Garza)
Diamondbacks @ Dodgers (Davis vs. Penny)

Putting aside the bias that always comes with anticipating a Yankee-Boston series, the biggest series of this weekend are Cubs vs. Cardinals and Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers in the NL. Cubs and Cardinals more than the other, because of where they are in the standings. With a good showing from the Cardinals after a lackluster week, they could be right back in the thick of the NL Central hunt. With a good showing from the Cubs, they could put the nail in the coffin for the Cardinals' postseason chances this weekend. The Diamondbacks have the chance to do the same to the Dodgers. Their chances in the division are already slim, but a good weekend by the Diamondbacks could leave the Dodgers reeling in a wild card chase that they made a lot of ground up in during this latest series against the Padres. Phillies-Mets is big too, with the Phillies still very close in the NL Wild Card race despite having a rough series against the Rockies. Yankees-Red Sox will still feel big, even though the division implications are overstated. The Yankees want 2-out of-3 here, not because it means gaining ground on the Red Sox. But the Tigers have been picking up some steam lately. They can't afford to lose ground as the Tigers take on the Twins.

cy Young hopefuls C.C. Sabathia and Brad Penny will be on the hill Friday. The pitching match-up of the night could be Bannister vs. Sabathia, despite Bannister's rough start against the Yankees last week. Pettitte-Matsuzaka should be fun in Fenway. And if Zambrano has one of his good outings, he and Wainwright could be a gem.