Alex Rodriguez Set To Face Off Against Sean O'Sullivan As He Chases 600 Home Runs

Tuesday was to match Alex Rodriguez against Scott Kazmir, but the struggling southpaw was placed on the DL, and righty Sean O'Sullivan slid in to take his place. Rodriguez has never faced the 22 year old, who throws his fastball in the 89-91mph range and likes his curve.

We're not here to make up any odds. We're just here to casually preview A-Rod's chances of going deep.

Working In A-Rod's Favor Tuesday Night

-O'Sullivan is unproven and unspectacular
-O'Sullivan is unlikely to go late in the game, exposing the Angels' middle relief
-the game is at Yankee Stadium, where A-Rod has enjoyed good home run success

Not Working In A-Rod's Favor Tuesday Night

-O'Sullivan, like A-Rod, is right-handed, which might be meaningful, even though A-Rod has a slight reverse platoon split for his career
-the rest of the Angels' relievers, aside from their closer, are also right-handed
-hitting home runs is hard

You never expect a guy to hit two home runs in any single given game, so the likelihood that A-Rod reaches 600 tonight is low. It's not impossible, though, and the opposition is mediocre, so even if he doesn't make it all the way, he still stands a good chance of cutting the deficit in half.