Preview Roundups
April 03, 2014
Chi. Cubs at Pittsburgh 12:35 PM ET
As the Chicago Cubs begin the road back to respectability, offseason acquisitions such as veteran right-hander Jason Hammel will be key to bridging the gap to future success. Hammel on Thursday gets his first chance to impress his new employer when the Cubs complete a three-game series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates.
St. Louis at Cincinnati 12:35 PM ET
St. Louis right-hander Lance Lynn begins what he hopes is another successful season for the team - and himself - when the Cardinals visit the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday in the finale of a three-game series. "I've had two pretty good years so far. Hopefully this year is even better," Lynn told the Indianapolis Star. "You got to try to get better every day and that's the way I take it." Lynn and teammate Adam Wainwright share the National League lead with 33 victories over the last two seasons.
Colorado at Miami 12:40 PM ET
It is no secret the Miami Marlins are banking on a squadron of young pitchers to shake the franchise out of three consecutive 90-plus loss seasons, and Jacob Turner makes his season debut Thursday as the Marlins host the Colorado Rockies in the finale of a four-game series. The 22-year-old right-hander won only three games a year ago, but had a 3.74 ERA. Franklin Morales returns to the Rockies after an offseason trade and makes his first start Thursday.
Kansas City at Detroit 1:08 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers have opened the campaign with back-to-back walkoff victories and look to complete a three-game sweep of visiting Kansas City in Thursday’s series finale. Recent signee Alex Gonzalez delivered the game-winning hit in the ninth inning of Monday’s Opening Day win and offseason acquisition Ian Kinsler drilled the decisive hit in the 10th inning of Wednesday’s contest. Reigning American League ERA champion Anibal Sanchez takes the mound in the finale for Detroit.
Washington at NY Mets 1:10 PM ET
As miserable as 2013 proved to be for the New York Mets’ hitters, this season is shaping up to be even worse. The Mets, who hope to avoid a three-game home sweep on Thursday against the Washington Nationals, tied the Atlanta Braves for the most strikeouts by a National League team (1,384) last season. In two games against the Nationals, New York has recorded 31 strikeouts, surpassing the major league mark the Houston Astros established through two contests last season (28).
Minnesota at Chi. White Sox 2:10 PM ET
The Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox took turns going through some bullpen issues in the second game of the season, with the White Sox getting the better of things in the end. Chicago will attempt a three-game sweep of the opening set when it hosts the Twins in the series finale on Thursday. The White Sox are getting plenty of offense from Alexei Ramirez, who recorded a pair of hits in each of the first two games.
San Francisco at Arizona 3:40 PM ET
The San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum took a line drive off the knee in his final spring training start Friday and suffered a bout with food poisoning Tuesday, but said he's ready to face the Diamondbacks on Thursday in the finale of a four-game series in Arizona. Lincecum became ill during the Giants' 5-4 loss Tuesday and pitching coach Dave Righetti told the San Jose Mercury News on Wednesday, "There's a chance we could move him. He had a rough night."
Boston at Baltimore 7:05 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox look to begin their World Series defense with a series victory over a division rival when they visit the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in the finale of a three-game set. Boston dropped Monday's series opener 2-1 before posting a 6-2 victory on Wednesday thanks to four RBIs from Mike Napoli and a two-run homer from David Ortiz. Felix Doubront will try to become the third straight Boston hurler to yield two runs or fewer.
Toronto at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM ET
The Toronto Blue Jays can open their regular season by doing something they haven't done in seven years - winning a series at Tropicana Field. The Blue Jays look to end a 20-series winless drought Thursday night as they face the Rays in the finale of their four-game season-opening set. Toronto will send Brandon Morrow to the mound against fellow right-hander Chris Archer, who comes in fresh off signing a multi-year extension with Tampa Bay.
NY Yankees at Houston 8:10 PM ET
The Houston Astros aim for a surprising series sweep when they host the New York Yankees in the finale of a three-game set Thursday. After dropping their final 15 games in a 51-111 season in 2013, the retooled Astros have leaned on solid pitching and home run power to take the first two games of the series. Houston starters have combined for 11 2/3 scoreless innings and four different hitters have gone deep, including Dexter Fowler and Matt Dominguez in Wednesday's 3-1 victory.
Seattle at Oakland 10:05 PM ET
The Seattle Mariners are 3-0 for the third time in franchise history and look to continue their hot start when they visit the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. Seattle outscored the Los Angeles Angels 26-8 in the opening set and swept a series in Anaheim for the first time since June 9-11, 2006. Oakland opened by losing two of three to the Cleveland Indians and split a doubleheader Wednesday.