Jeff Weaver (0-5, 15.35) vs. Justin Verlander (2-1, 2.75)
Well, well, well - look who's back. I was ready to type out a whole post about how far Weaver has fallen since Dave Dombrowski traded him, asking what the hell happened to this guy? Did he give up too many of his good years to the Tigers, when he was basically the only chance they had, pitching-wise, and routinely seemed to go eight or nine innings? Or maybe he just should've stayed in the National League, where he had a decent 2005 with the Dodgers (maybe the last one he had in him) and found some success last season with the Cardinals.
And that's where I'm reminded that I should probably shut up, since Weaver was the winning pitcher in last year's World Series clinching Game 5. I thought I managed to suppress most of that memory.
But by the hammer of Thor, look at Weaver's ERA this season! Tayshaun Prince scores fewer points per game for the Detroit Pistons than ol' Dream Weaver gives up in nine innings. Whoo! Weaver might be pitching for his job, as Felix Hernandez is set to return from his forearm injury next week.
With a win today, however, the Mariners can finish their eight-game road trip at .500. But it won't be easy, because Verlander owns the month of May with a 5-1 record with 1.87 ERA.
Short Hops:
▪▪ Over at Roar of the Tigers, Dr. Samela takes an extremely illustrative look at Joel Zumaya's finger injury. One can only hope that she didn't actually tattoo those pictures upon her own finger, as she might have some explaining to do with friends and family.
▪▪ In his weekly column for Baseball Prospectus, David Pinto has an idea for fixing Major League Baseball's scheduling problems: Get rid of the AL and NL, and create five six-team divisions. It's probably a bit too radical, especially when trying to factor in how the designated hitter will be used, but at least someone is thinking about this stuff.
▪▪ And this is among the many reasons why Toronto's Vernon Wells is one of my favorite baseball players.