Tuesday baseball

What you missed in a nutshell:

- Panic time in Queens! Nationals def. Mets 9-8

- San Diego's hanging in there... Padres def. Pirates 5-3

- Yeah, I'd say Mike Mussina earned himself another start. Yankees def. Orioles 12-0

Other results of note: Rockies def. Dodgers (3-1) [Game 1], Rockies def. Dodgers (9-8), Indians def. Tigers (7-4), Blue Jays def. Red Sox (4-3), Reds def. Cubs (5-2), Brewers def. Astros (9-1), Diamondbacks def. Giants (5-0), Angels def. Devil Rays (2-1), Phillies def. Cardinals (7-4/14 inn)

Well, well. Now it gets interesting, doesn't it? The National League West and the National League Wild Card races are like a game of chicken. Who's going to pull out first? I think today, after having their doubleheader swept by the Rockies, that we've seen the end of the Dodgers' postseason hopes. Two close games, two demoralizing losses. Especially the second game. They took an 8-7 lead into the bottom of the 9th, only to have closer Takashi Saito give up more than one run in an inning for the first time this season.

Padres and Diamondbacks, neither blinked tonight. The Phillies won an insane, 14-inning game against the Cardinals that stretched until after 1am on the East Coast. The Mets, meanwhile, need to pull something from deep inside. John Maine was handed a 4-0 lead before he even took the mound in the first inning, and he was unable to hold it. Ironic that with two series remaining against the Phillies and one series remaining against the Mets, the Washington Nationals - who were expected to be the joke of the major leagues this season - have a good chance of deciding who's going to win the National League East. (I'm still having a hard time grasping the fact that the Phillies are just 1.5 games behind for the division.)

Big loss for the Tigers. Justin Verlander didn't have a good start at all, giving up four homeruns. And while it's hard to call Boston's lost to Toronto a "big loss" because they're still 2.5 up in the division, it's getting more than a little sweaty under the color in Red Sox Nation. Especially when you take into account that, with a tie, the Yankees would win the division with the better record in their series against the Red Sox this season. But we also can't forget that the Yankees have a four-game series with the same Blue Jays that have been giving the Red Sox fits coming up. The Red Sox also have the luxury of finishing the season at home, albeit with a four-game series against the Twins, who can be hit-or-miss. The Yankees finish their season on the road, with games against Tampa Bay and Baltimore. The Tigers, meanwhile, host Kansas City and the Twins at home before finishing on the road against the White Sox.

Of interest only in terms of figuring out home field advantage for the playoffs, Cy Young hopeful John Lackey may have had his best game of the season against the Devil Rays on Tuesday night.

Wednesday's games, the abbreviated version:

LHP Matt Chico (5-8, 4.61 ERA) and the Nationals take on RHP Mike Pelfrey (2-7, 5.23 ERA) and the Mets.

RHP Chris Young (9-7, 2.77 ERA) and the Padres take on RHP Ian Snell (9-12, 3.92 ERA) and the Pirates.

LHP Andy Pettitte (13-8, 3.89 ERA) and the Yankees host LHP Brian Burres (6-5, 5.47 ERA) and the Orioles.

Other games of note:
Tigers @ Indians (Robertson vs. Sabathia)
Devil Rays @ Angels (Shields vs. Colon)
Red Sox @ Blue Jays (Buchholz vs. Litsch)
Reds @ Cubs (Shearn vs. Lilly)
Brewers @ Astros (Bush vs. Gutierrez)
Phillies @ Cardinals (Moyer vs. Wainwright)
Dodgers @ Rockies (Penny vs. Fogg)
Giants @ Diamondbacks (Zito vs. Davis)

Again, these Mets-Nats and Phillies-Cardinals games shouldn't have the division race implications that they do. Mets need a big performance out of Pelfrey tomorrow. The Tigers continue to need as many games as they can get, but they've got a tough battle with Cy Young candidate C.C. Sabathia on the mound. Sabathia is going for his 18th win of the season on Wednesday, and with a good performance against his division rivals he could make a strong case for himself against current favorite Josh Beckett of the Red Sox. NL Cy Young candidate Brad Penny also gets the start tomorrow, as he and the Dodgers make a last-minute scramble for the NL Wild Card.

I'll give Wednesday match-up honors to Chris Young vs. Ian Snell as the Padres close out their series against the Pirates. All of that depends on how good Young is feeling. He is continuing to battle his way back from an oblique injury and back problems.