Eye On Baseball

By Matt Snyder

As long as the weather cooperates -- and it won't Saturday or Sunday -- we'll be blessed with a full 15-game slate Friday night. Keep track of every game by following along live on CBSSports.com's scoreboard.

Head-to-Head: The closest division race (where a team is actually in danger of missing the playoffs) is the AL West, now that the Rangers have lost three in a row and the Angels are red-hot with six consecutive victories (Check out Scott Miller's column on the Angels' recent ride). The Rangers lead has dwindled down to two and the Angels will visit Texas for a three-game series this weekend. Last time the two clubs squared off, the Rangers went into Anaheim, took three of four and left with a seven-game lead. This series represents a chance at redemption for the Angels. Dan Haren (13-6, 2.98) will start for the Angels, and he was torched last time he saw the Rangers, as he gave up nine hits and seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings back on July 20. Interestingly, Derek Holland (11-5, 4.42) -- the Rangers starter Friday night -- also pitched that game and was equally torched (9 H, 7 ER). The Angels actually won 9-8. Holland has seen the Angels since, though, and fared very well. He went 8 2/3 innings while allowing three runs and striking out seven in the Rangers' 7-3 win on August 13. Angels at Rangers, 8:05 p.m. ET.

Shields returns to Toronto: Rays starting pitcher James Shields entered the 2011 season with zero All-Star appearances, five career complete games and two shutouts. He led the majors in hits and earned runs allowed in 2010, while also leading the AL in home runs given up. Back on April 24 of this season, he went into Toronto and shut the Jays out. It was his second straight complete game and his first shutout since 2008. That outing seemed to set the tone for a career year for Shields, as he's now been to an All-Star Game and leads the majors with nine complete games. He also has four shutouts, tying him for the AL lead. Friday night, Shields returns to the Rogers Centre to face those Blue Jays again. Henderson Alvarez (0-1, 4.32) is tasked with topping Shields for the Jays. Rays at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. ET.

Watch the Rox: Will history repeat itself? Remember 2007? The Rockies were six out in the middle of September but closed winning 14 of their last 15 to win the NL Wild Card. They actually got really hot for an extended stretch to make the 2009 playoffs as well. So even though you see the Rockies pretty far back -- nine games out with just over a month left -- it's hard to definitively say they're out of the race. Also consider the Giants and D-Backs have endured several rough patches each. Oh, and the Rockies have won five in a row. Friday night, they attempt to stay hot as they visit the Dodgers -- who have a three-game winning streak themselves. Esmil Rogers (6-2, 6.00) tries to keep the Rockies going while Ted Lilly (7-13, 4.58) looks to keep his club on track. Rockies at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. ET.

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