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Francisco Liriano didn't look good in his first big league start back from Tommy John surgery, and Friday marks start No. 2. Unfortunately for him, it's against the division-rival Indians, who have a loaded lineup. If you want spectacular pitching, look to Mets-Phillies or Padres-Diamondbacks. Johan Santana, Cole Hamels, Greg Maddux and Dan Haren all take the mound, which should make for some captivating duels.

Time	Visitors		L/R	Record	ERA	WHIP		Home		L/R	Record	ERA	WHIP
2:20 p.m.		Ian Snell	R	2-0	3.93	1.31	@		Rich Hill	L	0-0	5.00	1.56
7:05 p.m.		Phil Hughes	R	0-2	9.00	2.18	@		Daniel Cabrera	R	0-0	5.94	1.68
7:05 p.m.		Luis Mendoza	R	0-1	1.80	2.20	@		Daisuke Matsuzaka	R	3-0	2.70	1.20
7:05 p.m.		Johan Santana	L	1-2	3.05	0.97	@		Cole Hamels	L	2-1	0.82	0.82
7:07 p.m.		Kenny Rogers	L	0-3	6.75	1.91	@		David Purcey	L	0-0	0.00	0.00
7:10 p.m.		Ben Sheets	R	2-0	1.17	0.70	@		Bronson Arroyo	R	0-1	5.17	1.53
7:10 p.m.		Tim Redding	R	2-1	2.25	1.38	@		Andrew Miller	L	0-2	11.37	2.45
7:10 p.m.		Javier Vazquez	R	2-1	3.32	1.16	@		Jeff Niemann	R	1-0	1.50	1.17
7:35 p.m.		Derek Lowe	R	1-0	1.80	0.95	@		Jeff Bennett	R	0-0	5.52	1.70
8:05 p.m.		Franklin Morales	L	0-1	6.30	1.60	@		Chris Sampson	R	0-1	4.22	1.22
8:10 p.m.		Cliff Lee	L	2-0	0.61	0.48	@		Francisco Liriano	L	0-1	7.71	2.36
8:15 p.m.		Matt Cain	R	0-1	3.24	1.50	@		Todd Wellemeyer	R	1-0	4.00	1.17
9:40 p.m.		Greg Maddux	R	2-0	2.00	0.78	@		Dan Haren	R	2-0	2.50	1.00
10:05 p.m.		R.A. Dickey	R	0-0	0.00	0.00	@		Joe Saunders	L	2-0	1.27	0.94
10:05 p.m.		Brian Bannister	R	3-0	0.86	0.71	@		Chad Gaudin	R	0-1	7.20	1.70

All times are ET. Statistics are from 2008 .

Out
Joe Borowski, RP, Indians (triceps)
Marlon Byrd, OF, Rangers (knee)
Alex Cora, IF, Red Sox (elbow)
Kazuo Matsui, 2B, Astros (anal fissure)
Peter Moylan, RP, Braves (elbow)
Al Reyes, RP, Rays (shoulder)
Jimmy Rollins, SS, Phillies (ankle)
Alfonso Soriano, OF, Cubs (calf)
Brian Wolfe, RP, Blue Jays (triceps)

Day-to-day
Carlos Beltran, OF, Mets (neck)
Hank Blalock, 3B, Rangers (back)
Joba Chamberlain, RP, Yankees (bereavement)
Coco Crisp, OF, Red Sox (hamstring)
Adam Everett, SS, Twins (shoulder)
Vladimir Guerrero, OF, Angels (finger)
Gabe Kapler, OF, Brewers (shoulder)
Howie Kendrick, 2B, Angels (hamstring)
Paul Lo Duca, C, Nationals (hand)
Carlos Pena, 1B, Rays (hamstring)
Jorge Posada, C, Yankees (shoulder)
J.R. Towles, C, Astros (hand)

Hitters: Ryan Church might have started every game for the Mets, including six against left-handers, but there's no way he should be in your lineup against a lefty as tough to hit as the Phillies' Cole Hamels. Sure enough, he's 3-for-14 with five strikeouts in his career against Hamels. … Slow start or not, Frank Thomas has positively owned the Tigers' Kenny Rogers throughout their lengthy careers. The Big Hurt is 21-for-61 (.344 average) with six homers against The Gambler -- boy, they should live up to their nicknames on this day. … Corey Patterson generally is a useful starter against a right-hander, but not against the Brewers' Ben Sheets. He's 9-for-40 with one extra-base hit (a double) and 19 strikeouts in his career against Sheets. I call that sit-worthy. … It's a small sample size, granted, but Garrett Atkins and Todd Helton have teed off on the Astros' Chris Sampson, combining to go 4-for-6 with three homers. Don't have any fear of this Rockies road game, as far as matchups go. … It seems Kazuo Matsui will return to the lineup Friday, although he's a risky play in his first start back -- and against a left-hander. He managed an underwhelming .697 OPS against that side in 2007, so use this as an opportunity to keep him reserved and evaluate his health. … Stephen Drew is 5-for-11 in his career against the Padres' Greg Maddux, and warrants a start in a home game. … I'm of the mind that the most relevant historical matchups data is that of the knuckleballers. Some guys flourish against them, and some simply can't touch them, so trust opposing hitters' past numbers when you examine these matchups. Worth noting here: Garret Anderson is 8-for-18 with a homer lifetime against Mariners knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who will start Friday. Dickey hasn't been a knuckleballer his entire career, but he was in 2005, when Anderson was 2-for-5 with a homer against him. Also, Anderson has hit OK (18-for-63, .286) in his career against true knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. … If you like what you saw out of your Tigers against C.C. Sabathia, you could be in for a repeat performance here against rookie lefty David Purcey. The Tigers should maul left-handers all season long.

Pitchers: I'll take the chance that Rich Hill can get his season back on track in a start against the Pirates. It's a vote of confidence that he wasn't bumped back to Saturday, and besides, he has a 4.08 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in six career starts against the Pirates, and a 10-5 record and 4.00 ERA in 31 career games (28 starts) at home. … Phil Hughes had a 3.38 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 10 2/3 innings in two starts against the Orioles in 2007, and that seems like a reasonable expectation for him this time out, too. … A.J. Burnett now has gotten off to a slow start in all three of his years with the Blue Jays, totaling a 3-2 record, 5.30 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 10 starts in March and April. The Tigers exploded offensively Wednesday and could do so again Friday, so tread with caution if you're a Burnett owner, especially knowing he was pressed into relief in Wednesday night's 14-inning affair. … A matchup against the Indians is certainly not what Francisco Liriano needs to return to his 2006 form. He's going to need time to recapture his past magic, and he should be kept benched until he does, if you can afford to do so. … After manhandling two lineups -- the Tigers' and the Yankees' -- that were supposed to be ultra-threatening, Brian Bannister has hit the cakewalk part of his schedule, between his last start against the Twins and this one at the A's. Oakland's offense isn't hitting as well as its runs-scored total might suggest, so a run to 4-0 seems in the cards for the right-hander.

Hitters: Ronny Paulino's favorable history against Rich Hill -- he's 7-for-14 with a home run -- could earn him a spot start behind the plate. That's how it shook out April 10, and Paulino was 2-for-3 that day. … If Paulino doesn't fit your fancy as spot-start catchers go, well, how about Gregg Zaun? He's 8-for-16 with a homer lifetime against the Tigers' Kenny Rogers. … Gabe Kapler's shoulder injury, combined with Gabe Gross' track record against the Reds' Bronson Arroyo, might earn Gross a spot start again Friday. Gross is 8-for-24 with two homers lifetime against the right-hander. … Cristian Guzman is already 11-for-23 against left-handers this season and is 2-for-2 in his career against the Marlins' Andrew Miller. I can't explain his torrid hot streak, but I certainly can advise you to exploit it while it lasts. … One of Jose Vidro's two multihit games this season came in a game started by the Angels' Joe Saunders, and both of his hits in that April 13 contest came against Saunders himself. Vidro is nothing special in the power department, but his 4-for-8 track record against the left-hander is worth noting. … Ross Gload is 12-for-35 against right-handers this season while starting all 11 of the Royals' games against them thus far. He's also 2-for-5 with a homer lifetime against the Athletics' Chad Gaudin, so play that matchup.

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Pitchers: There aren't many times Tim Redding is an advisable start, but this is one of them. He's 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA in two career starts at Florida's Dolphin Stadium, so take a look at him in deeper leagues. (You shallow mixed-league owners, though, shouldn't go that far.) … Chad Cordero's shoulder still might not be 100 percent, so while the closer role probably is his Friday, it's not a wild thought to dig deep for Jon Rauch in an NL-only league. Hey, you never know. … It's mostly a gut instinct, but with Jeff Niemann pitching so well in his big league debut Sunday, he's well worth keeping in there for a home game against the White Sox. Again, he's not for shallow mixed-league owners, but go for it, AL-only folks. … I'm picking Manny Acosta as the favorite for saves in Atlanta, and if the Braves are to beat Derek Lowe -- a long shot, granted -- they're probably going to do it in a close, hard-fought affair that should see a save chance. … Cliff Lee has had such the favorable schedule to date; his first two outings were against the Athletics, who struggle against left-handers, and now he gets the Twins, against whom he's 5-2 with a 4.23 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 12 career starts. Remember, so much of the Twins' offensive attack is centered around Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, both lefties, so keep riding the hot streak. … Todd Wellemeyer has 20 strikeouts in 18 innings through three starts, including seven in six frames Saturday in San Francisco. Back home, expect him to do better than the five earned runs he allowed them last time. … Joe Saunders is 2-1 with a 3.71 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in three starts against the Mariners between this and last season, which seems enough to make him AL-only worthy.

Five Friday games are weatherproof: Tigers-Blue Jays, White Sox-Rays, Rockies-Astros, Indians-Twins and Padres-Diamondbacks. Rain is a worry only in the Great Lakes region; there's an 80 percent chance of an afternoon thunderstorm in Chicago, threatening the Pirates-Cubs game, and a 30 percent chance of rain in St. Louis, putting the Giants-Cardinals tilt at slim risk. Want great weather? Check out all those East Coast games. They, as well as affairs in L.A. and Oakland, should go off without a hitch.

Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.