Detroit at NY Yankees 7:05 PM ET
Alex Rodriguez is on the cusp of another major milestone, needing just one hit to become the 29th player to reach 3,000 for his major-league career. The 39-year-old looks to make history on Friday as the host New York Yankees open a three-game series against Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers.
St. Louis at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
Even while snapping a lengthy losing streak, the Philadelphia Phillies
had to deal with bad news Thursday. After scratching ace Cole Hamels for
Friday's opener of a three-game series against the visiting St. Louis
Cardinals, the Phillies will turn to right-hander Phillippe Aumont for
his 2015 debut.
Pittsburgh at Washington 7:05 PM ET
The struggling Washington Nationals may have to start a three-game home series against the red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday without slugger Bryce Harper. The 22-year-old, who boasts 22 homers and 53 RBIs, suffered what was deemed a mild hamstring strain before leaving in the sixth inning of Thursday’s 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay and will be re-evaluated Friday.
Baltimore at Toronto 7:07 PM ET
The Toronto Blue Jays have rediscovered their dominant offense at home and
look to continue their hot stretch when they begin a three-game series
against the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Friday. After having their
11-game winning streak halted with consecutive losses at the New York
Mets to begin a four-game, home-and-home interleague set to begin the
week, the Blue Jays outscored the Mets 15-1 in back-to-back wins at the
Rogers Centre.
Tampa Bay at Cleveland 7:10 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Rays are very comfortable on the road this season and look to improve their impressive 19-11 record away from home when they visit the Cleveland Indians on Friday to open a three-game series. The American League East-leading Rays (38-30) are eight games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2013 campaign after winning six of the last seven.
Miami at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
A rainout means Cincinnati Reds right-hander Mike Leake will get to face a Miami Marlins team against which he has fared well throughout his career, but it also means he will have to contend with Giancarlo Stanton. Leake and the Reds host the red-hot Stanton and the Marlins to open a three-game set Friday.
NY Mets at Atlanta 7:35 PM ET
Life is good for Jacob deGrom, the New York Mets’ right-hander and reigning National League Rookie of the Year who turns 27 on Friday, when he starts the opener of a three-game series at the Atlanta Braves. deGrom has not lost in his past six starts, posting a 1.25 ERA during that span as the Mets have held the lead in the NL East.
Boston at Kansas City 8:10 PM ET
The Kansas City Royals are back on track after dropping nine of 11 during a rough stretch in late May and early June. One night after helping Ned Yost become the winningest manager in club history by completing a four-game sweep against his previous employer, the Royals eye their ninth victory in 11 tries on Friday when they begin a three-game series at home against the Boston Red Sox.
Texas at Chi. White Sox 8:10 PM ET
The Texas Rangers have won 20 of their last 28 contests heading into Friday's opener of a three-game series against the ice-cold Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. A balk in the ninth inning foiled the Rangers' bid to record a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday while the White Sox were on the wrong end of the broom for the second straight series en route to losing their season-high seventh in a row.
Chi. Cubs at Minnesota 8:10 PM ET
Several of baseball's top young prospects will be on display Friday when the Chicago Cubs open a three-game set against the host Minnesota Twins. The Cubs and their bevy of talented youngsters hope to break through against a Minnesota pitching staff that has allowed only one run in each of its consecutive victories and a total of 11 in the past five contests.
Milwaukee at Colorado 8:40 PM ET
The losing streak of one team is guaranteed to end when the Colorado
Rockies open a three-game set against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on
Friday. Colorado has lost four straight games and eight of its last nine
while Milwaukee has dropped six straight to fall to 20 games below
.500.
LA Angels at Oakland 9:35 PM ET
The Oakland Athletics enjoyed quite the power surge before seeing their four-game winning streak come to an end with a thud in their last outing. The American League West cellar-dwelling Athletics look to dust themselves off and attempt to make some hay within the division when they open a three-game series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Friday.
San Diego at Arizona 9:40 PM ET
James Shields strives to remain unbeaten when the San Diego Padres open a
three-game series against the host Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. The
right-hander has been steady in his 14 starts since joining the Padres
as a free agent during the offseason.
Houston at Seattle 10:10 PM ET
Houston rookie Lance McCullers didn't allow a hit while beating Seattle
on Sunday but aims to be much finer when the Astros visit the Seattle
Mariners on Friday. McCullers went five innings in Houston's 13-0 win
but walked four and was removed after 90 pitches.
San Francisco at LA Dodgers 10:10 PM ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers were completely stymied by the San Francisco Giants when they last met, unable to score a run in three straight games against their archrivals. The Dodgers’ offense is struggling again, which gives the Giants an opportunity to close their 2 ½-game gap on the National League West leaders when they begin a three-game series in Los Angeles on Friday.
