Thursday predictions

Good matchups for Thursday, here's what Spitting Seeds is forecasting:

Chicago White Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays - Game 1
Vazquez (12-16, 4.67) vs. Shields (14-8, 3.56) - 2:35 p.m. EST

I'm not a big believer in "momentum" from game to game in baseball. I think you're either playing well or you're not. The Sox are playing well enough to beat three different teams in three games. Tampa hasn't played in three days, and Carl Crawford, who's been out since August, is in the starting lineup. Can you say rusty? Chicago will win game one of this series with Tampa's bats swinging through Javier Vazquez's pitches.

Milwaukee Brewers @ Philadelphia Phillies - PHI leads 1-0
Sabathia (11-2, 1.65) vs. Myers (10-13, 4.55)

All signs point to Milwaukee winning this one. CC Sabathia looked outstanding the last two times out, including a complete game win to clinch the Wild Card Sunday against the Cubs. He's working on just three days of rest, but even so, Philadelphia starter Brett Myers gave up 14 runs in his last 8 1/3 innings. Myers could easily be rusty, too, not having pitched since September 24th. But there's something about these Brewers finding ways to lose, including a three-game sweep at Philly late in the year. It's going to happen again, as Philly shakes Milwaukee badly with a surprising win in a Sabathia start.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Chicago Cubs - LAD leads 1-0
Billingsley (16-10, 3.14) vs. Zambrano (14-6, 3.91)

This is a flip of the coin, really. Both pitchers are dominant at times, but both got beat up by their opponent this season. Billingsley, however, has been very consistent with seven quality starts the last nine times out. Zambrano, who runs hot and cold, sandwiched four clunkers around a no-hitter late in the year. He brought it for his one game in last year's postseason, but the Cubs still lost. Now they're going to lose game two of their series to the Dodgers, and panic will set in on Chicago's north side.