Two best pitching matchups all year this weekend

[Ben Hansen]

Saturday: Mark Prior vs. Mark Mulder
Sunday: Barry Zito vs. Carlos Zambrano

Must-see baseball.

It's too bad Matt Clement won't get a chance to go up against Tim Hudson on Friday but such is life.

Clemens-Prior turned out to be a dud, unfortunately, and if Prior keeps pitching like he did against the Astros he may have enough to overcome his late start for the Cy Young award that he should have won last year.

There will not be any better pitching matchups on consecutive days the rest of the season, that's a guarantee.

-Ben

[Chicat]

Femcat and I will be in the bleachers for Zambrano/Zito on Sunday. I won't get to see many of the pitches, but I will be watching the baseballs flying over my head and onto Waveland as the Cubbies light up Barry Z.

The tix were free too. Delayed wedding present.

It's good to be the king. :D

[stewbacka]

Please.

[Ben Hansen]

Originally posted by stewbacka
Please.

I'm waiting. I'm sure you and WP will try to come up with Pedro and Schill against ... who? Don't give me Mulder and Zito, either.

PS: Schill's losing it fast and the Sox, of course, are FADING...

[stewbacka]

Are trying to say I am baised? I like Zambrano a lot but when he is better then Mussina, Clemens, Oswalt, Muldor, Zito, Hudson, Schilling, Pedro, Vasquez and Brown get back to me. Not to mention Prior has had 3 starts and you are giving him the Cy Young? The Red Sox are starting to get everyone back and have the 4th best record in baseball. When you can look past your own biases let me know.

[Chicat]

This year so far he has been better than Mussina, Oswalt, Mulder, Zito, Hudson, and at least on par with Clemens, Schilling, Pedro, Vasquez and Brown. Let's not forget, Stew, Ben is talking about two greatest back to back pitching matchups this year. I think you would be hard pressed to come up with two better than what we'll have going on at Wrigley this weekend.

[Ben Hansen]

Originally posted by stewbacka
Are trying to say I am baised? I like Zambrano a lot but when he is better then Mussina, Clemens, Oswalt, Muldor, Zito, Hudson, Schilling, Pedro, Vasquez and Brown get back to me. Not to mention Prior has had 3 starts and you are giving him the Cy Young? The Red Sox are starting to get everyone back and have the 4th best record in baseball. When you can look past your own biases let me know.

Whoa, whoa, whoa there Stew. Whoever said that I <I>wasn't</I> biased? Of course I am biased and of course I have favorites. All humans do and if anyone says they don't they are lying.

I love the National League and I love the A's, who are basically an NL-type organization that relies on strong pitching and timely hitting. I guess you can call that bias, but I also consider myself well-versed in baseball knowledge and know what I'm talking about in this case.

Show me a better pitching matchup than Mark Prior and Mark Mulder! Just one!

And Carlos Zambrano is flat out amazing. He is an incredible talent and he's only about 23 (28 in Rolando Paulino years). Let me ask you this since you're a staunch AL guy. Who would you rather have, Zambrano or CC Sabathia?

-Ben

[stewbacka]

But he is way too inconsistent to put in with guys that have done it and done it well for muliplte seasons. Sabathia only because he is a lefty. I don't hate the NL, I just think the AL is better right now. It's like every other sport league it switches around every few years.

From what I seen your bias impedes your baseball knowledge in many ways. Why are A's an NL team? Because you want them to be? The Jays and Sox work off the same system. Because you like what they do does not make them a NL team any more then it makes the Rockies an AL team.

[Chicat]

Then it really depends on your definition of inconsistent. Zambrano carried the Cubs through much of the year last year, stopping losing streaks and pitching deep into games when the bullpen needed rest. He tailed off at the end of the year, but I attribute that to the fact that he put 100% into every pitch in every game. This year has been much the same but it seems like he is conserving himself more while still pitching lights out. The kid is a legit 23 and one day very soon he could be the best pitcher on that team, no joke. I can honestly see him winning a Cy Young one year.

[stewbacka]

I can honestly see him winning a Cy Young one year. [/B]



Not this year and when he does I will gladly put him with others. If Vasquez was on the Cubs and not the Expos he would have been everyone's love child.

I would take Pedro vs Muldor or Unit vs Clemens or any number of matchups at the same level. You said those were the best back to back and now yuo seem to be changing it.

[Chicat]

Nope, not changing it. I agree with Ben. Prior-Mulder & Zito-Zambrano are the two best pitching matchups on consecutive days that we have had this season so far, and might be the best for the entire season.

[stewbacka]

Ben was changing it not you. It when from the best 1-2 to having to show one better then Muldor-Prior which to a Cubs/A's guy is impossible to disprove.

[Ben Hansen]

I said the best back to back pitching matchups, Stew. I later said that I believe from a single game perspective that you can't find a better one than Prior-Mulder on Saturday. I never changed my original claim. I don't waver.

I am not asking you I am telling you not to call me Brett even one more time.

[Chicat]

I was wondering who the heck Brett was. Now I know . . .

[MinorThreat22]

I hate the Cubs, but I'm a huge Zambrano fan, and IMO, he's a stud plain and simple. He may not win the Cy this season, but he'll be top 5 with Clemens, Sheets, Unit and Schmidt.

Pretty subjective, so it's hard to argue what the best b2b matchups are, but I really have a hard time looking at Zito as an elite starter anymore. I think he's strikingly average and is no longer in the same league as Mulder or Hudson. I'd also disagree that the Mulder/Prior matchup is the best all season either. It's easy to discount the Prior/Clemens because we know what happened, but up until that point, it was tops.

[Crackem]

The best pitching matchups have been at the BOB with the Yanks in town. It doesn't get any better than Fossom (hey, he was basically traded straight up for Curt Schilling) v. Strutze and Sparks v. Lieber. Just like the matchups we saw at the BOB in the 2001 Series.

[Chicat]

How is that series going anyway? :D

[wosn99]

Originally posted by Crackem
The best pitching matchups have been at the BOB with the Yanks in town. It doesn't get any better than Fossom (hey, he was basically traded straight up for Curt Schilling) v. Strutze and Sparks v. Lieber. Just like the matchups we saw at the BOB in the 2001 Series.

My money is on Nomo vs Contreras as the matchup of the year. Nomo can't get the ball to the plate in under 2 bounces and Contreras loses his marbles after a pitch gets away and hits Danny Bautista. BTW, evidently the Yanks are starting Vasquez on Friday and again on Saturday with Contreras. The things money will buy you these days...

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/schedule?team=los

[Crackem]

Originally posted by Chicat
How is that series going anyway? :D

Yanks took 2 of 3 from the Sidewinders

[Chicat]

Well sportsfans, Femcat and I are off to see Zito vs. Zambrano from the bleachers at the friendly confines. I'll eat a bratwurst in honor of GoAZCats . . . make that two brats . . . and some nachos.

Bonney, eat your heart out. :D

[WilmasPimp]

Kind of an unfair comparison since many #1 and #2 starters don't follow each other in the order. For example, Schilling and Pedro haven't pitched back-to-back days since the first week of the year. Francona took advantage of a couple rainouts in Camden and shuffled the rotation in order to insert Wakefield between Schilling and Pedro. Theory being the contrast in styles would confuse the hitter.

I should also point out that Barry Zito is no longer a stud. He's 4-4 w/ a 4.81 ERA this year. Only 18-16 since he won the Cy in 02. That strong pimp curve of his just isn't getting the job done lately.

[Chris Bonney]

Stewie, after today Zambrano is 8-2 with a 2.25 ERA, which is good for 2nd in the majors among starters.

Carlos is 25-23 in his career with a 3.31 ERA and has given up just 26 homers in 419 career innings.

He is getting consistent and it is fun to watch.

Oswalt has been pretty consistent so far in his career but man does he get injured a lot.

[Chris Bonney]

YOU SUCK CHI!