Preview Roundups
May 26, 2014
Boston at Atlanta 1:10 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox are enduring their longest losing streak since 1994 as their slide reached 10 games over the weekend. Things don’t get any easier on Monday, when the Red Sox visit the Atlanta Braves for the first of a two-game series. Boston’s slide is the longest for a defending World Series champion since the 1998 Florida Marlins dropped 11 in a row, and the team is falling short in several areas as injuries ravage the lineup.
Pittsburgh at NY Mets 1:10 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates appear to be turning the corner following a monthlong swoon but they still haven't shown the ability to win away from home. Pittsburgh is tied for the fewest road wins (6) in the majors but has a chance to build upon that starting Monday when it opens a 10-game road trip with three games against the New York Mets. Pirates first baseman Ike Davis is batting .303 in 32 games since he was acquired in a trade with the Mets earlier this season.
Miami at Washington 1:35 PM ET
After a disappointing first four months that ruined last season, the injury-plagued Washington Nationals are not exactly lighting it up yet in the opening half of 2014. The Nationals look to change that when they start a nine-game homestand against the Miami Marlins on Monday. Washington (25-25) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday, while Miami brings its 6-17 road record into town along with the major league’s RBI leader in Giancarlo Stanton (47).
Baltimore at Milwaukee 2:10 PM ET
The Milwaukee Brewers look to stay hot with the bats against a team that has allowed plenty runs of late when they host the Baltimore Orioles on Monday in the opener of a three-game interleague series. Carlos Gomez and Jonathan Lucroy have led Milwaukee's offense, which has scored 27 times during a 3-2 stretch that followed a four-game losing streak. The Orioles have lost five of their last eight contests and surrendered 42 runs in the last seven but beat Cleveland 4-2 on Sunday.
Cleveland at Chi. White Sox 2:10 PM ET
The Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox are battling to stay out of the American League Central basement but both teams are within one game of second place in the division entering a three-game series that opens Monday in Chicago. The Indians hope to get some healthy bodies back with shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera poised to return to the starting lineup Monday and All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis expected to be activated Tuesday. Cleveland is 3-4 versus Chicago this season.
Texas at Minnesota 2:10 PM ET
The Minnesota Twins will have a new look when they begin a four-game series Monday against the visiting Texas Rangers, who have won five of their last seven. Minnesota outfielders Josh Willingham and Oswaldo Arcia will be activated from the disabled list prior to the series opener and replace Chris Colabello and Chris Herrmann, who both are being optioned to Triple-A Rochester. The 30-year-old Colabello hit .395 with three homers and 27 RBIs in April, but he was batting .125 this month.
Chi. Cubs at San Francisco 4:05 PM ET
Jeff Samardzija looks to break a 16-game winless streak Monday, when the Chicago Cubs visit the San Francisco Giants for the opener of a three-game series. Samardzija leads the majors with a sparkling 1.46 ERA, but the Cubs are 1-9 in his first 10 starts this season. He faces an uphill battle against San Francisco, which boasts the majors’ best record at 32-18 after completing a three-game sweep of Minnesota over the weekend.
Detroit at Oakland 4:05 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics may possess the two best records in the American League, but neither team is playing like a championship contender at the moment. The Athletics, who host the Tigers for the first of four games starting Monday, began a nine-game road trip on May 16 with five straight victories. However, their AL-best offense began to short circuit after the first series and they have paid the price with their first four-game losing streak since May 6-10, 2013.
LA Angels at Seattle 4:10 PM ET
The Los Angeles Angels are winners of 12 of their last 16 games and matched a season best by pulling seven games over .500 with a victory on Sunday. The Angels will try to maintain their strong play when they open up a 10-game road trip at the Seattle Mariners on Monday. The Mariners split a four-game set with the Houston Astros over the weekend but dropped the final two contests as the starting pitching struggled.
NY Yankees at St. Louis 4:15 PM ET
St. Louis and New York are playing a regular-season series for only the third time in the history of the storied franchises when the Cardinals host the Yankees in a three-game set beginning Monday. The teams last met in 2005, when St. Louis hosted New York and won two of three games. The Cardinals have won nine of their last 11 contests, while the Yankees have won seven of their last 11.
Colorado at Philadelphia 5:05 PM ET
The Colorado Rockies are coming off a shutout loss while the host Philadelphia Phillies look to rebound from being no-hit when the teams open a three-game series on Monday. Josh Beckett of the Los Angeles Dodgers tossed the no-hitter against Philadelphia on Sunday and it marked the second time in three games that the Phillies were blanked by the Dodgers. Colorado has lost seven of its last 11 games.
Tampa Bay at Toronto 7:07 PM ET
Thanks in large part to swapping struggling opponents, the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays are surging. The American League East rivals put season-long winning streaks on the line when they meet in Toronto for the opener of a three-game set on Monday. The Blue Jays have won six in a row after sweeping the Boston Red Sox on the road and the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics at home over the weekend, giving up two runs or fewer in each of their last four contests.
San Diego at Arizona 8:10 PM ET
Carlos Quentin is expected to be in the starting lineup for the first time since May 18 when the San Diego Padres open a three-game series against the host Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday. Quentin has been unable to play in the field since suffering a groin injury but laced the go-ahead single in Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs as a pinch hitter. The Padres outfielder missed the season’s first 39 games due to a knee injury and has just 14 at-bats this season.
Cincinnati at LA Dodgers 8:10 PM ET
Cincinnati ace Johnny Cueto seeks to rebound from his first rough outing of the season when the Reds open a three-game series against the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. After becoming the first pitcher since 1909 to work at least seven innings and allow two or fewer runs in each of his first nine starts, Cueto was roughed up for eight runs (six earned) in 5 1/3 frames on Tuesday while losing to the Washington Nationals. Cueto leads the National League with 82 strikeouts.
Houston at Kansas City 8:10 PM ET
The red-hot Houston Astros are one win away from matching their longest streak of the season at three straight games. The Astros will go for their third consecutive victory when they open up a three-game series at the Kansas City Royals on Monday. Houston managed a total of six runs in dropping four in a row but picked up the pace offensively with a total of 13 runs on Saturday and Sunday to earn a four-game series split at Seattle.