Ortiz (4-6, 5.88)
Thomson (3-2, 3.42)
Getting this preview up early - or, if you prefer, very late on Friday night - seeing how the odds are this game will be under way before I significantly surface. Though I am giving serious consideration to skipping it entirely, since it has "disaster" written through it like a stick of Blackpool rock [A simile which has probably flown over the heads of everyone bar englishdback. Explanation available on request. :-)]
For this marks the return of Russ Ortiz. Remember him? The bane of the first third of the season? Posted a 7.31 ERA to go with a 2-5 record over his last nine starts in May + June? Currently on pace for six wins - that's $1.2m in salary per win? Well, he's finally back from the stress fracture of his bank account, or whatever it was, and has been equally short of impressive in his rehab outings, as he was in his regular ones.
The prospect of us putting together our first three-game winning streak since May 20 therefore hardly seems likely, but you never can tell with this team. If Clark whacks a couple more homers, and the G-Force deliver some more offense...who knows? After yesterday's sterling performance, anything - even victory - seems possible.
Post-view of that 8-0 thumping to follow, probably while simultaneously commenting on this game.