Preview Roundups
April 19, 2014
Toronto at Cleveland 1:05 PM ET
The first three starts of Mark Buehrle's opening season in Toronto were mostly forgettable. One year later, the veteran left-hander is the hottest pitcher on the staff through three turns and he'll look to keep the good times going Saturday afternoon as he leads the Blue Jays into the second of a three-game series against host Cleveland. Toronto used a two-run seventh inning - capped by Edwin Encarnacion's go-ahead single - to prevail 3-2 on Friday night.
St. Louis at Washington 1:05 PM ET
One day after the Washington Nationals’ defense came under fire in a series-opening defeat, the St. Louis Cardinals contributed to their own demise against a team they have dominated in recent years. The Nationals, who continue their four-game home set against the Cardinals on Saturday, raised their major league-high error total to 20 with three during Thursday’s 8-0 setback. St. Louis returned the favor with three miscues and a wild pitch that plated the go-ahead run in Friday’s 3-1 loss.
LA Angels at Detroit 1:08 PM ET
Considering the quality of the opponent, the Los Angeles Angels' recent dominance of the Detroit Tigers borders on absurd. The visiting Angels aim for their 11th straight win over American League Central power Detroit on Saturday in Detroit. The Tigers have the right man on the mound to end the skid, handing the ball to reigning Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer for the middle game of the three-game set.
Baltimore at Boston 1:35 PM ET
The Baltimore Orioles have won three straight games and the Boston Red Sox are still searching for some answers. The Orioles will try to push it to four when they visit the Red Sox for the second of a four-game set on Saturday. Baltimore pounded out 15 hits in an 8-4 win in Friday’s opener to climb over .500 for the first time since opening day at 8-7 and even the season series with Boston, which started out with a pair of wins in Baltimore before falling off.
Minnesota at Kansas City 2:10 PM ET
The Kansas City Royals try to extend their winning streak to five when they host the Minnesota Twins on Saturday in the second of a three-game series. The Royals shut out the Twins to win the series opener on Friday as Jason Vargas became only the second Kansas City pitcher to last at least seven innings and allow two earned runs or fewer in his first four starts for the Royals.
Cincinnati at Chi. Cubs 2:20 PM ET
Not even an early exit by one of the Cincinnati Reds’ top hitters could stop their incredible success when it comes to beating the Chicago Cubs. After Brandon Phillips left the Reds’ series-opening road win with back spasms, Cincinnati hopes he will return to his familiar spot near the top of the order as the teams continue their three-game set Saturday. The Reds have thoroughly dominated the Cubs on their home field of late, winning 16 of the last 17 meetings at Wrigley Field.
Houston at Oakland 4:05 PM ET
The Oakland Athletics try to continue their dominance of Houston when they host the Astros on Saturday in the middle contest of a three-game series. The Athletics improved to 21-5 all-time against the Astros with an 11-3 victory Friday. Oakland has won five of its last six contests and is the only team in the majors that hasn't lost consecutive games this season, while Houston has lost 12 of its last 15 games as it appears destined for a fourth straight 100-loss season.
Milwaukee at Pittsburgh 7:05 PM ET
After splitting the first two games of their four-game series, the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates square off again Saturday evening in Pittsburgh. The Pirates took Thursday's series opener 11-2 before falling 5-3 on Friday as Carlos Gomez homered and drove in two runs for the Brewers. Pittsburgh catcher Russell Martin is 4-for-7 with three walks and three RBIs in the series and will take aim at Matt Garza in this one.
Atlanta at NY Mets 7:10 PM ET
The sample size is small considering Bartolo Colon has pitched 414 games since making his major-league debut in 1997, but the New York Mets right-hander has handled the Atlanta Braves. Colon takes the mound Saturday when the Mets host Atlanta in the second game of a weekend set, bringing a 4-0 career record with a 1.20 ERA in four starts against the Braves. Atlanta counters with Ervin Santana, who has emerged as a linchpin of the Braves’ revamped rotation.
Seattle at Miami 7:10 PM ET
Giancarlo Stanton’s hot start has become lava-like and he looks to torch Seattle for the second straight night when the Miami Marlins host the Mariners on Saturday. Stanton reached base five times, matched his career-best of five RBIs and belted the fifth walk-off grand slam in franchise history as Miami recorded a dramatic 8-4 victory on Friday. The big night increased Stanton’s major league-leading RBI count to 26 and the homer was his sixth of the season, tied for most in the majors.
NY Yankees at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Rays will look to build momentum after a rare offensive outburst when they host the New York Yankees on Saturday in the third of four games between the teams. The Rays entered Friday ranked 14th in the American League in runs scored and quickly fell behind 4-0 to the streaking Yankees before piling it on late in an 11-5 triumph. Evan Longoria stayed hot with three hits and Wil Myers broke out of a slump with three hits of his own and three RBIs.
Chi. White Sox at Texas 8:05 PM ET
The Texas Rangers had their most prolific offensive night of the young season and attempt to keep the hits and runs coming when they host the Chicago White Sox in Saturday’s second contest of a three-game set. Leonys Martin homered and had four RBIs during a three-hit outing and Texas racked up 18 hits while rolling to an easy 12-0 victory over the White Sox. Robinson Chirinos also had a homer among three hits as Texas won its fourth straight game.
Arizona at LA Dodgers 8:10 PM ET
The Arizona Diamondbacks finally figured out how to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, it just took a few extra innings. The Diamondbacks will attempt to improve to 2-5 against their division rivals on the season when they visit the Dodgers again Saturday. Arizona improved to 5-14 and snapped a six-game skid with Friday’s 4-2 triumph in 12 innings, matching the fewest runs the team has allowed in a game this season.
Philadelphia at Colorado 8:10 PM ET
Justin Morneau wears No. 33 in honor of former Colorado Rockies great and fellow Canadian Larry Walker, and also had the unenviable task of replacing an icon at first base in the retired Todd Helton. Morneau isn't feeling the pressure, though, and is thriving in his first season in Colorado as he tries to help the Rockies make it two straight over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Morneau is hitting .333 and delivered a two-run double in Colorado's 12-1 victory Friday.
San Francisco at San Diego 8:40 PM ET
The San Diego Padres have scored the fewest runs in the majors but can reach the .500 mark if they can defeat the visiting San Francisco Giants in Saturday’s second contest of a three-game set. San Diego has scored just 47 runs – one fewer than the Houston Astros – and has ridden strong pitching efforts to six victories in the last nine games. The Giants are tied for the first place in the National League West with the Los Angeles Dodgers.