Open Thread - Game 66: Tigers (37-28) at Phillies (35-31)

Jeremy Bonderman (6-0, 3.63) vs. Jon Lieber (3-4, 3.72), 7:05 p.m. EST

Please check out Five Questions with The Good Phight below.

Also, I answered five questions about the Tigers over there, if you're interested.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm just happy not to see Bill Hall anymore.  I'm sorry I ever implied the guy wasn't playing so well this season.  

The Phillies have to be thinking they like what the AL Central is cookin' after sweeping the White Sox by a combined score of 18-7.  That's helped Philadelphia get right back into the NL Wild Card race, and given them a shot at the NL East lead, as well.  

The Tigers should provide more competition than Ozzie G's struggling crew, but they're also catching Lieber as he follows up on his best effort of the season.  Last Saturday, he racked up 11 strikeouts as part of a complete game shutout of the Royals.  However, that was on the road. Lieber hasn't been as good in Citizens Bank Park, where he's 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA and letting hitters bat .317 against him.  

Bonderman, meanwhile, has won six straight starts (though he wasn't great against the Mets). On the road this season, he has a 2-0 record and 2.91 ERA in five games.

Gary Sheffield will start for Craig Monroe tonight in left field.  And I don't think that's a move anyone will have a problem with after his windmill performance in the Milwaukee series (2-for-12 with eight strikeouts).  Jim Leyland says he might even give Monroe two days off.  Why not just sit him throughout the rest of interleague play?  (I'm considering joining Mike McClary on the anti-Monroe bandwagon.)

Your SB Nation opposing view for this series can be found at the aforementioned The Good Phight. Let's have a good, clean series.