Today's Target: RHP Paul Byrd (1-2, 4.85)

Author vs. Author: M's starter Miguel Batista is already a published writer; Byrd will be in August.

Byrd's upcoming The Free Byrd Project will be just a smidge more titillating that Batista's cumbersome mystery novels--it supposedly details Byrd's pornography addiction, infidelity, and his use of HGH, which became public during last season's ALCS.

Says Byrd: "It's an inside look at what it's like to have a spiritual journey and be on a baseball team, an encouragement for people who struggle to not give up and engage in the battle of walking with God in a lifestyle that's tough to do so."

What Byrd Throws: Soft stuff. Like Jamie Moyer, his best pitch is his change.

What the M's Can Do: Get runners on base for Ibanez (13-23 career vs. Byrd, with 2 HRs), Vidro (8-15, 2 HRs), and Lopez (4-13, 2 HRs). Clement destroyed soft-tossing lefties in AAA, so this could be a good matchup for him as well.

M's (Batista) vs. Indians, 4:05 pm.