Welcome back, Felix. (AP Photo)

Tonight’s Angels-Mariners game is one I’ll definitely be watching. Felix Hernandez is expected to make his first start since his elbow injury.

When Felix took the mound earlier this year, he was overshadowed heavily by Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was making his first appearance at Fenway Park. Well, I have a feeling the tables are turned, and the opposing pitcher is once again not getting his due.

Kelvim Escobar has quietly put together an excellent season for the Angels, and he will square off against King Felix tonight.

Escobar is 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA. He went the distance against Cleveland last week, striking out nine hitters.

Neither offense is particularly potent, so this game has pitcher’s duel written all over it.

It oughtta be a good one.

Just, out.

Brandon Wood is expected to make his long-anticipated major league debut tonight for the Anaheim Angels.

After Howie Kendrick broke his finger on a Chad Guadin offering, Wood got the call. The prized short stop has major upside, especially in the power department, and he is worth a look if you can stash him away or afford the roster spot.

Wood has massive home run potential, and has been compared to some of the game’s biggest power threats. The team felt he would be better served moving to third base, not only because the position was blocked, but because he needed extra work on his fielding.

I wouldn’t compare Wood to an Alex Gordon type, but who really knows. He has as much chance as anybody.

Just, out.

Major League Baseball has discontinued its investigation into the alleged cheating of Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez. MLB found nothing irregular about K-Rod’s hat and will not take action against the pitcher.

Rodriguez admits he had resin on his hat, which according to league rules IS illegal. A pitcher is not allowed to put anything on the ball…that’s why the resin bag is on the mound. This whole incident may have been overblown, but what precedent do we set when we decide what rules are OK to break?

Just, out.

Here’s a link to the blog that caused the Francisco Rodriguez cheating controversy and includes pictures of the alleged cheating: The Cheater’s Guide to Baseball Blog.

ESPN is reporting today that K-Rod says he was not cheating. The article says Major League Baseball would not confirm whether the Texas Rangers are filing a complaint, who faced Rodriguez twice in the series.

When I learn more so will you.

Just, out.

There were some unusual series sweeps for many teams in the first go around.

Pittsburgh took three from Houston AT Houston to go 3-0 on the season and lead the NL Central. How exciting! The funny thing is they did it without much help from Jason Bay, Adam LaRoche or Freddy Sanchez. They’ll take on Cincinnati starting today in Pittsburgh.

The Mets took three from the Cardinals IN St. Louis. The Mets got surprisingly great pitching from Tom Glavine, Orlando Hernandez and John Maine. Or is it that the Cardinals can’t hit? Their go-to guy, Albert Pujols, was silent all series, getting only one hit. With Carpenter missing his next start, things could get rocky for the Cards. They’ll be depending on Anthony Reyes and Adam Wainwright a lot, and that much pressure on your pitchers makes me nervous…

Perhaps the most surprising sweep is the Braves taking three from Philadelphia In Philadelphia. I have high expectations of the Phillies, but Adam Eaton is going to need to pitch A LOT better than that display yesterday. He had a coming out party in 2005 and got hurt halfway through the year. Now nobody can get him back on track. The Phillies were never able to muster more than 4 runs in the series, and we can credit that to quality Braves pitching more than poor Phillies hitting. Meanwhile, the Braves scored 16 runs in the three games. The Braves have the potential to surprise in this division, but would it really be a surprise if they do? I’m sure Bobby Cox expects a division title no less than he did before.

The Angels swept the Rangers in Anaheim. This isn’t that surprising because the Angels are clearly the class of the AL West, but I expected the Rangers to put up a bit more of a fight. Their bats were quiet all series, scoring only 7 total runs. Sammy Sosa contributed one hit in seven at bats. Other than Sosa, the middle of the Rangers line-up will get its fair share of hits this season — they better if they’re going to compete. Brandon McCarthy got kicked around in his debut, allowing 10 hits and a walk in six innings. The Rangers will head home for a series against Boston that starts today.

The one thing that steams me up the most, though, is Barry Bonds hit his 735th home run the other day and inched his way closer to history.

Tell me I’m not the only one that doesn’t want him to get there.  He sure looks happy about disgracing the game, doesn’t he? It’ll be sad if he breaks the record on the road and nobody cheers. What awful archival footage that will be…

Just, out.

CBS Sportsline is reporting that Major League Baseball has confirmed that they are investigating Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez for cheating.

Another baseball blog accused K-Rod of using a substance under the bill of his hat andusing it Monday and Wednesday nights. Major League Baseball will review tapes and talk to umpires and players, if necessary.

Just, out.

ESPN reported Gary Matthews Jr.’s possible involvement in a steroid ring on Wednesday morning. The article quotes Angels manager Mike Scioscia downplaying the possible involvement of his newly acquired, $55 million outfielder.

The pharmacies in question are still under investigation, so no confirmation of Matthews’ involvement can be determined now. But his name, as well as Jason Grimsley’s, appeared on the client list.

With the surprisingly good season that Matthews had last year, it sure wouldn’t surprise me if all this turns out to be true.

I’ll update this story later.

Just, out.