Ay, carumba.  What spell is it that the American League holds over the National League?  The N.L. can’t beat the A.L. in interleague play and they couldn’t stop the bleeding in this year’s All-Star game.  I think it might be destiny that the A.L. team in the World Series will win the whole shebang.  I’d recommend that the N.L. get a new mascot - a voodoo witchcraft doctor - in order to break free from the reigns of the A.L.

Houston Astros @ Florida Marlins
R. Oswalt (6-6, 3.15) vs. D. Willis (6-7, 3.94)
Here is the pitching matchup of the night and a pretty good one for the season.  Roy Oswalt probably won’t win 20 games again this season, but the guy is a gamer and is still one of the top pitchers in the game.  Dontrelle Willis started off slow, but has been rolling as of late.  And speaking of gamers, is there anyone more game than Willis?  It’d be a shame if Willis gets traded because he could anchor that Marlins pitching staff for years and succeed.  The Marlins are on the come up and will be making noise in a year or two.  In the meantime, enjoy Willis dealing for the Marlins.

Colorado Rockies @ Cincinnati Reds
J. Francis (6-7, 4.05) vs. E. Milton (5-4, 5.24)
Is Great American Ballpark the new Coors Field?  It seems that way since Coors Field isn’t as much of an offensive juggernaut factor this season.  Can the Rockies pitching actually be getting better?  Or are the bats just sleeping?  Well, the answer is a bit of both.  Jeff Francis pitches better at home than on the road, an oddity for a Rockies pitcher, and will face one of the better offenses in the majors.  I expect he’d get lit, but so will Eric Milton.  It’ll be a matter of who gets lit less.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ St. Louis Cardinals
C. Billingsley (0-2, 5.27) vs. J. Marquis (11-6, 5.55)
Jason Marquis is a prime example of how you can’t predict wins.  He’s tied with the New York Mets’ Tom Glavine in wins for the lead in the National League, but has a horrendous 5.55 ERA!  Marquis is one lucky pitcher to have that much run support.  Chad Billingsley, the Dodgers’ uber-prospect is still finding his way in the league, but that’s to be expected considering he just started growing peach fuzz on his face.