What to watch: Colon, Dickey fab at 40-plus
Every Major League team will be in action today, finishing off the second of back-to-back two-game Interleague sets.
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Here are four things to watch for on a busy day of baseball:
Cole on a roll: PIT @ CWS, 8:10 p.m. ET
Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole will carry a National League-leading 1.71 ERA into his start at U.S. Cellular Field. Cole has not allowed more than three runs in any of his 13 outings this season, and the 24-year-old enters today having won five consecutive starts, during which he has posted a 0.76 ERA.
Oakland's Sonny Gray is the only Major Leaguer with a lower ERA than Cole, who will oppose White Sox righty Jeff Samardzija while looking to keep things going for the surging Bucs.
This is 40: NYM @ TOR, 7:07 pm. ET
Video: Colon, Dickey set to face off in a battle of veterans
The only two pitchers to start a Major League game this season at age 40 or older are the Mets' Bartolo Colon (42) and the Blue Jays' R.A. Dickey (40), and the two former Cy Young Award winners will square off at Rogers Centre.
Dickey is facing the Mets for the first time since they traded him to the Blue Jays after the 2012 season. The knuckleballer resurrected his career with the Mets in 2010, then earned NL Cy Young honors in his final season in New York, going 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA.
Next step for Verlander: DET @ CIN, 7:10 p.m. ET
Video: CLE@DET: Verlander goes five innings in season debut
Justin Verlander will try to build upon a solid season debut as he takes the ball against the Reds for only his second career start at Great American Ball Park. The Tigers right-hander came off the disabled list to pitch on Saturday against Cleveland and made it through five innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits, with two walks and two strikeouts.
The former American League Cy Young Award winner touched 97 mph with his fastball but also threw only 87 pitches after a brief two-game rehab stint with Triple-A Toledo.
Duel in D.C.: TB @ WSH, 7:05 p.m. ET
Video: Archer lining up strikeouts in sizzling stretch
A pitcher riding a hot streak will take on one returning to action when the Rays close out their series in the nation's capital. Right-hander Chris Archer will start for Tampa Bay, looking to continue a seven-start run that has seen him go 4-0 with a 1.49 ERA. Though Archer's streak of double-digit strikeout games ended at three on Saturday, he still held the White Sox to three runs over seven-plus innings.
The Nationals' Doug Fister is scheduled to come off the disabled list to make his first start since May 14. Fister, who was out with a flexor strain, tossed six scoreless innings at Double-A in his last rehab outing.