Preview Roundups
May 10, 2014
LA Angels at Toronto 1:07 PM ET
No matter what ails the Los Angeles Angels, a trip north of the border usually provides the perfect elixir. That was again the case Friday in the opener of a four-game series at the Toronto Blue Jays as the Angels got back on track following a 2-4 homestand by winning their fifth consecutive game at Rogers Centre. Left-hander Tyler Skaggs takes the mound Saturday afternoon looking to continue the dominance by Los Angeles, which is 8-1 in its last nine versus Toronto.
Minnesota at Detroit 1:08 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers had an eight-game winning streak come to an end in the series finale against Houston on Thursday and suddenly are hoping to keep a losing streak from growing. The Tigers will try to avoid a third consecutive setback when they host the Minnesota Twins in the second of a three-game set. Detroit found runs hard to come by in the opener and is battling a bit of an offensive slump with a total of three runs in back-to-back losses.
San Francisco at LA Dodgers 4:10 PM ET
San Francisco first baseman Brandon Belt has helped the Giants post the National League’s best record at 23-13, but he’s expected to miss the next six weeks after suffering a broken left thumb Friday. The Giants will likely have catchers Buster Posey and Hector Sanchez share time at first while Belt is out, starting with Saturday afternoon’s contest against the host Los Angeles Dodgers. Belt was hitting .264 with a team-high nine home runs for the Giants, who have won 12 of their last 15 games.
Houston at Baltimore 7:05 PM ET
The Baltimore Orioles look to extend their longest winning streak of the season when they continue a three-game series at home against the Houston Astros on Saturday. A pair of solo homers and a solid start by Wei-Yin Chen lifted Baltimore to a 4-3 win in the series opener Friday night, the club's fourth straight victory and seventh in nine games. A win Saturday would match the Orioles' longest winning streak all last season, a five-gamer in July.
St. Louis at Pittsburgh 7:05 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates have won five of seven following a 10-18 start, and they’re looking like contenders again as they head into Saturday’s game against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. The Pirates began the series with Friday's 6-4 win after Neil Walker belted a three-run homer in the seventh off Carlos Martinez. Walker is hitting .362 (17-for-47) in the seventh inning or later for the Pirates, who have won 10 of the last 13 regular-season meetings against the Cardinals in Pittsburgh.
Arizona at Chi. White Sox 7:10 PM ET
Rookie Jose Abreu, who has taken baseball by storm, looks for another strong performance when his Chicago White Sox host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday. Abreu hit his major league-leading 13th homer in Friday’s series-opening 9-3 win and added a run-scoring single to raise his American League-best RBI total to 37. The White Sox collected 15 hits in the opener while dropping the struggling Diamondbacks to 12 games below .500.
Chi. Cubs at Atlanta 7:10 PM ET
Jeff Samardzija ranks second in the majors in ERA through seven starts, but the Chicago Cubs right-hander still seeks his first victory of the season. The Cubs play at Atlanta on Saturday hoping to give Samardzija some semblance of offensive support, having scored two runs or less five times in his outings. The Braves have not flourished offensively either of late, but found just enough to take the series opener 3-2 in 10 innings Friday.
Cleveland at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM ET
Asdrubal Cabrera struggled with the bat all of last season and for most of the first five weeks of 2014, but he is starting to warm up along with the rest of his team. Cabrera, who has recorded nine hits in his last three games, and his Cleveland Indians go for their fifth consecutive victory when they visit the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday in the second contest of their three-game set. Cabrera raised his average from .205 to .254 in three games and homered in the last two.
Colorado at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
The Cincinnati Reds host the Colorado Rockies on Saturday in the second contest of a three-game series and hope their best hitter - Joey Votto - continues working out of one of the worst slumps of his career. Votto was 6-for-37 and hadn't driven a run in his last 10 games, and was 0-for-3 on Friday before clubbing a 3-0 pitch for a walk-off homer leading off the ninth inning as Cincinnati prevailed 4-3. "At the end of the year, you'll look up and I'll be about the same," Votto told reporters.
NY Yankees at Milwaukee 7:10 PM ET
CC Sabathia takes the mound at Miller Park for the first time since 2008 when he leads the New York Yankees into the second of three games against the host Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Sabathia spent just half of a season with Milwaukee after being acquired from Cleveland in 2008, but it was a memorable run as he went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA to help the Brewers reach the playoffs. The veteran's last appearance in Milwaukee was a complete-game shutout against the Chicago Cubs that clinched the wil
Philadelphia at NY Mets 7:10 PM ET
The Philadelphia Phillies snapped out of their funk on Friday, and the New York Mets hope their turn comes Saturday when the teams square off in Queens. Philadelphia had lost four straight prior to its 3-2, 11-inning win in the series opener. Meanwhile, the loss was the seventh in eight games for New York, which used seven pitchers and could benefit from a long outing by Dillon Gee in this one.
Boston at Texas 8:05 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox send soon-to-be free agent Jon Lester to the mound when they visit the Texas Rangers on Saturday in the second contest of a three-game series, and at least one teammate hopes the team gives him a contract extension soon. “They better hurry,” David Ortiz told the Boston Herald after Lester struck out a career-high 15 and allowed one hit over eight innings in his last start.
Miami at San Diego 8:40 PM ET
The San Diego Padres have been waiting for Jedd Gyorko to come alive and Friday might be the spark he needed after belting two homers and knocking in six in a 10-1 win. Gyorko looks to build off a career night and improve his .165 batting average when the Padres host the Miami Marlins on Saturday in the third of a four-game series. Gyorko, who hit 23 homers as a rookie in 2013, has four in the last seven games after registering only one in his first 28 outings.
Washington at Oakland 9:05 PM ET
The Washington Nationals have been shut out twice in the last five games and Saturday they’ll be up against the staff ace for the host Oakland Athletics when the teams meet in the middle game of their three-game series. The Nationals were blanked in the series opener Friday night as left-hander Tommy Milone shut out his former team on two hits through eight innings. Meanwhile, the Athletics have delivered back-to-back shutouts from their pitching staff.
Kansas City at Seattle 9:10 PM ET
The Kansas City Royals held a single’s convention while evening the series with Seattle and attempt to build on a solid effort when they visit the Mariners on Saturday. Kansas City racked up 16 hits – all singles – in a 6-1 win on Friday in which only one of its runs came across on a hit. Seattle’s bats have been cold with just two runs and 10 hits over the last three games, and the slumping Mariners face Royals phenom Yordano Ventura in the third contest of the four-game set.