Preview Roundups
April 06, 2014
Minnesota at Cleveland 1:05 PM ET
The Minnesota Twins received mixed results their first time through the rotation and will look for No. 1 Ricky Nolasco to come up with a big effort to solidify things in his second outing. Nolasco, who gave up five runs in his debut, goes to the mound for the visiting Twins in the rubber match of a three-game series Sunday against the Cleveland Indians. Minnesota’s starters have yielded 15 earned runs over 27 1/3 innings in five games after finishing 2013 with the worst ERA in the majors.
NY Yankees at Toronto 1:07 PM ET
CC Sabathia has had his way with the Toronto Blue Jays over the course of his sensational career - and he's hoping that trend will continue as he leads the Yankees into Sunday's rubber match of a three-game series at Rogers Centre. Sabathia struggled in his season-opening start, allowing six runs over six innings of a loss to the Houston Astros. He'll look to bounce back as he faces a Jays team against whom he owns a 13-3 career record.
Baltimore at Detroit 1:08 PM ET
If the Baltimore Orioles hope to avoid a three-game sweep at the Detroit Tigers, they will need to figure out how to stop Torii Hunter. The Orioles will hope Chris Tillman has better luck against Hunter when they send the right-hander to the mound in the finale of a three-game series Sunday. Hunter has homered in each of the first two games of the series and piled up five RBIs in Saturday’s contest to help the Tigers overcome a bullpen breakdown.
Cincinnati at NY Mets 1:10 PM ET
The New York Mets didn’t get any production from their first basemen in their opening series, but the opposite has been true since. Fresh off a pair of outbursts from Lucas Duda and Ike Davis, New York eyes a three-game home sweep of the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Duda, Davis and Josh Satin went 0-for-10 as the Mets were swept by Washington, but a pair of two-run homers from Duda on Friday and a walk-off pinch-hit grand slam by Davis on Saturday helped New York to its first two wins.
San Diego at Miami 1:10 PM ET
While the Miami Marlins have jumped out to a surprising 5-1 start, the San Diego Padres are in danger of digging themselves a hole for the third straight season. When the Marlins aim for a series sweep of the visiting Padres on Sunday, they’ll begin the day leading the National League in batting average (.313), runs scored (40) and doubles (18). San Diego has lost four straight following an Opening Day win over the Dodgers.
Milwaukee at Boston 1:35 PM ET
After losing the first two games of their series with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Boston Red Sox need ace Jon Lester to come through Sunday. Lester and the Red Sox hope to salvage the finale of their three-game set after allowing 13 runs over the first two games. The Brewers' bats are coming around, but they likely will be without slugger Ryan Braun (thumb) for the second straight game.
Atlanta at Washington 1:35 PM ET
Two of the culprits behind the Washington Nationals’ disappointing 2013 campaign were their inability to beat the Atlanta Braves and poor defense. The Nationals look to resolve both issues at home on Sunday when they try to avoid a three-game sweep by the Braves. Rookie manager Matt Williams made it a priority for Washington to clean up a defense that ranked near the bottom of the league in errors (107) and fielding percentage (.982) last year.
St. Louis at Pittsburgh 1:35 PM ET
After defeating the Pirates twice in last year's division series, Adam Wainwright faces Pittsburgh again Sunday when St. Louis tries to capture the rubber game of the three-game series. Wainwright was 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA against the Pirates last October, including a complete game performance in the Cardinals' decisive 6-1 victory in Game 5. The Pirates will counter with Edinson Volquez, who is quite familiar with the Cardinals but has not enjoyed much success against them.
Texas at Tampa Bay 1:40 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Rays will try to continue their hot streak when they host the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon. The Rays rallied from a pair of three-run deficits Saturday night before beating the Rangers on a two-run double by James Loney in the bottom of the eighth, their third straight victory. Matt Joyce is off to a sizzling start for Tampa Bay, collecting seven hits in his first 13 at-bats as he looks to show the club he deserves to be an everyday player.
Chi. White Sox at Kansas City 2:10 PM ET
Chicago ace Chris Sale has the task of helping the White Sox salvage the finale of a three-game series with the host Kansas City Royals on Sunday. Sale pitched well against Kansas City last season but victories were hard to come by and he finished with a 1-2 mark despite a nifty 1.84 ERA in four starts against the Royals. Kansas City counters with ace James Shields, who went 2-1 with a 2.03 ERA in six outings against the White Sox in 2013.
LA Angels at Houston 2:10 PM ET
Los Angeles Angels right-hander Jered Weaver isn't concerned about a drop in his velocity and remains the confident ace of the staff. "They can talk about it all they want," Weaver told mlb.com prior to Opening Day. "I know I throw slow. What do you want me to do? But if I put it where I want to, I'm going to get people out." Weaver will try to bounce back from a sub-par outing to begin the season when the Angels try for their third straight victory over the Astros in Houston on Sunday.
Philadelphia at Chi. Cubs 2:20 PM ET
The advancing age of the Philadelphia Phillies’ core won’t become an issue if Chase Utley can stay healthy and keep hitting home runs. Utley will look to homer for the third straight game when the visiting Phillies go for a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. The Cubs could use some power in their lineup and own seven extra-base hits through their first five games to go along with 51 strikeouts.
Seattle at Oakland 4:05 PM ET
The Seattle Mariners attempt to end a surprisingly good season-opening six-game road trip on a winning note when they visit the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. The new-look Seattle club featuring free-agent signees Robinson Cano and Fernando Rodney as well as a new manager in Lloyd McClendon is off to a 4-1 start after defeating Oakland on Saturday. The Mariners swept three games from the Los Angeles Angels to open the season and their only loss came in 12 innings against Oakland on Thursday.
Arizona at Colorado 4:10 PM ET
Left-hander Brett Anderson makes his Coors Field debut Sunday when the Colorado Rockies try for a three-game sweep against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. Anderson, a sinkerballer who also possesses an effective slider, will need those pitches and more to succeed with the thin air and big gaps at his new hitter-friendly home park. Health is also an issue for Anderson, who pitched only 450 2/3 innings in five seasons entering 2014, with 175 1/3 coming in his rookie year of 2009.
San Francisco at LA Dodgers 8:00 PM ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers must be getting tired of losing to the rival San Francisco Giants, especially on their home field. The Dodgers have lost five straight at Dodger Stadium against San Francisco, a streak that dates back to last September, and most of those losses haven’t been close, as Los Angeles has been outscored 42-14 in that span. The Giants took advantage of a big early lead to win Friday’s series opener, but didn’t heat up Saturday until their third time through the order.