Perez has pitched pretty well at GAB over the years, except in April. Well see if that holds up.

A.J. Burnett makes his Yankees debut in Baltimore, and hell attempt to do what Sabathia and Wang couldnt; strike out a batter. Burnett is 7-1 against the Orioles despite a 4.97 ERA. He actually won a game in which he allowed 7 runs in 5 1/3 innings. That says something about the Baltimore pitching over the last few seasons. The Orioles trot out Alfredo Simon. He is an old rookie (27 years old) who hasnt been that impressive at the minor league level.

Chris Carpenter hopes to return to his 2006 form, seen above in the 2006 NLCS. Photo: Icon SMIChris Carpenter makes his first start of what the Cardinals hope is a full season. His short stint in 2008 was encouraging, as he posted a 1.76 ERA in four games. My guess is the Cardinals would be happy with an ERA twice that. The Pirates send Ross Ohlendorf to the mound, one of their acquisitions from the Nady trade. So far in his major league career, Ohlendorf is the unusual pitcher who collects a high number of strike outs but also allows a high number of hits. I would expect the strikeouts to win out eventually.

What is the over/under on innings pitched for Carl Pavano this year, and how many are taking the under? He managed to get through spring training without an injury and starts for the Indians against the undefeated Texas Rangers this evening. In his 145 2/3 innings with the Yankees, Carl at least showed great control, walking just 30 batters. That will fit in very well with the Indians staff. He faces another pitcher with injury problems, Brandon McCarthy. Hes only made 27 starts in two season for the Rangers, one more than Pavano made in four seasons for New York.

Enjoy!

Newstex ID: BASE-0001-34032880