First-pitch strikes key for Mussina Special to ESPN.com Editor's note: is a professional scouting service that supplies reports and tools regularly used by major league teams. The following look ahead is based on its scouting data. THREE THINGS TO WATCH:

By Greg AgamiSpecial to ESPN.com The have the best record in baseball. They own a three-game lead over the defending champion , and a nine-game lead over the . What are the chances the Rays will win the division crown, or at least earn a wild-card berth

ESPN.com news services Angels starter Kelvim Escobar has yet to log a big-league inning in 2008 because of a shoulder injury, but the 18-game winner from 2007 began the week with high hopes for a successful comeback as a minor league rehab program

ST. LOUIS -- The Cubs and the Cardinals on the Fourth of July: It's Mom, it's apple pie, it's Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, or at least Lou Piniella and Tony La Russa. And this year, it's the two teams with the best records in the National

ST. LOUIS -- On a beautiful night for baseball, the sight of the bald eagle couldn't have been any more majestic. As a part of the July 4 festivities, the Cardinals honored several veterans prior to the start of the opener of the Cubs-Cardinals series.

ST. LOUIS -- Like he's done for the past nine years, Jim Edmonds walked into Busch Stadium on Friday, got dressed and headed out to the dugout. Only this time, he did it -- to the dismay of Cardinals fans -- in a red, white and blue uniform with a

p.m. CT Cardinals Headlines ? Pujols' power not enough vs. Cubs ? Pujols swats career homer No. 300 ? ? Bauman: Cubs-Cards rivalry is timeless ? Controversy surrounds Edmonds' return ? More Cardinals Headlines MLB Headlines ? Rockies

ST. LOUIS -- He couldn't have done it against a better opponent or on a more magnificent night. With fireworks exploding in the backdrop of Busch Stadium for the July 4 holiday celebration Friday night, Albert Pujols truly lit up the sky when he hit his