Preview Roundups
July 04, 2014
Chi. Cubs at Washington 11:05 AM ET
Jason Hammel looks to continue his mastery of the Washington Nationals when the improving Chicago Cubs visit Friday to start a three-game series. Hammel is 7-0 with a 3.12 ERA in nine career starts against the Nationals, including a 7-2 victory last Friday to help the Cubs gain a split of the four-game home set. Chicago comes in off three consecutive wins at Boston while Washington has won five straight, moving within a half-game of first-place Atlanta in the National League East.
Baltimore at Boston 1:35 PM ET
The Baltimore Orioles attempt to take their recent home success on the road when they visit the Boston Red Sox for the opener of a three-game series Friday afternoon. Baltimore completed a 7-4 homestand with a four-game sweep of Texas, outscoring the Rangers 26-10. The Orioles finished the set with a 5-2 triumph Thursday as Steve Pearce wrapped up a superb series by recording four hits and two RBIs.
NY Yankees at Minnesota 3:10 PM ET
The New York Yankees kicked off an 11-game road trip with a lot of ills to cure and all it required was a trip to Minnesota to remedy the situation. The Yankees put up their highest run total since June 18 in Thursday's 7-4 win over the Twins to snap a season-worst five-game skid and they look to climb back above the .500 mark Friday in the second of a four-game series. New York has won six straight games at Target Field and is 15-3 in its last 18 contests in Minnesota.
Toronto at Oakland 4:05 PM ET
The Oakland Athletics hope to get third baseman Josh Donaldson back in the lineup as they continue their four-game series with the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. Donaldson, who sat out the past two games due to back stiffness, has been slumping but is second to Brandon Moss for the team lead in home runs (18) and RBIs (61). The Athletics snapped a three-game losing streak with Thursday's 4-1 victory over Toronto, their 10th win in their last 13 home games.
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh 5:05 PM ET
The Keystone State representatives are heading in vastly different directions as the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a three-game series on Friday. The red-hot Pirates had won nine of 11 before allowing seven runs in the ninth inning en route to a 10-2 setback to Arizona on Thursday. The loss notwithstanding, Pittsburgh has kept struggling first-place Milwaukee in its sights and remains in the thick of things in the National League Central.
San Francisco at San Diego 6:40 PM ET
The San Francisco Giants are coming off a disastrous homestand and seem determined to fall off the pace in the National League West. The San Diego Padres will try to take advantage of the Giants’ slide when they host the opener of a three-game series on Friday. San Francisco went 2-8 on its homestand and has dropped 17 of its last 22 contests to squander a lead in the division that reached 9 1/2 games early in June.
Kansas City at Cleveland 7:05 PM ET
The Cleveland Indians begin an important 10-game homestand when American League Central rival Kansas City visits Friday for the first of three. The Indians split an eight-game road trip after scoring 15 times combined to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the last two and boast a division-best 23-15 record at home. The Royals won two of three at Minnesota earlier in the week to start a nine-game road trip as Eric Hosmer went 6-for-10 with an RBI and four walks.
Tampa Bay at Detroit 7:08 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers, combining a mix of superb pitching and lethal hitting, seek their fifth consecutive victory when they host the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday in the second contest of a four-game series. Max Scherzer's dominant performance in Thursday's 8-1 rout was the 13th quality start in 15 games for Detroit, which is 12-2 in its last 14 contests. The Tigers have put up 17 runs over the last two games and have scored at least five in nine of their last 13 contests.
Seattle at Chi. White Sox 7:10 PM ET
The Seattle Mariners invade Chicago for a three-game series with the White Sox beginning Friday with four consecutive victories in tow and a far different outlook from a season ago. Seattle (47-38), which capped a three-game game sweep in Houston with a 5-2 victory Wednesday, was 37-47 at this point in 2013 and its 9 1/2-game improvement has it squarely in American League West Division - and wild card - contention to reach the postseason for the first time since 2001.
Milwaukee at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
The Milwaukee Brewers have been in sole possession of first place in the National League Central since April 9 and enjoy the largest division lead in the NL. One of the main reasons Milwaukee's gap isn’t larger than five games is due to their lack of success against the Cincinnati Reds, who host the Brewers in a three-game road set starting Friday. Milwaukee (51-35) owns the best record in the NL and sports a major league-best 27-17 road mark, but is only 2-5 overall against Cincinnati.
Texas at NY Mets 7:10 PM ET
After coming up empty in Baltimore, the Texas Rangers try to conjure up a road victory when they visit the New York Mets for the opener of a three-game series on Friday. Texas has lost nine straight on the road since posting a 14-8 triumph at Oakland on June 16, a slide that includes a four-game sweep in which it was outscored 26-10. The Rangers haven't had much luck anywhere of late, dropping 13 of their last 15 games overall.
Miami at St. Louis 7:15 PM ET
The Miami Marlins are trying to ensure they’ll be in the race at the All-Star break, but a nine-game road trip looms as a tough test. The Marlins will attempt to get off to a strong start on that trek when they visit the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. The Cardinals are coming off a 5-5 road trip but exploded for seven runs in a win at San Francisco on Thursday, matching their total from the previous six games.
Arizona at Atlanta 7:35 PM ET
B.J. Upton is riding a nine-game hitting streak since assuming the leadoff position in the Atlanta Braves' lineup. Upton and the Braves look to continue their good fortune when they open a three-game series versus the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Atlanta has won seven in a row and eight of nine thanks in large part to Upton, who is 10-for-37 with seven runs scored during that stretch to improve his paltry batting average to .210.
LA Dodgers at Colorado 8:10 PM ET
Los Angeles' Clayton Kershaw is arguably the best pitcher in baseball and no one knows that better than the Colorado Rockies, who host the Dodgers and their ace Friday in the second contest of a four-game series. Kershaw was the National League Pitcher of the Month for June and the period was highlighted by one of the most dominant no-hitters in history when he struck out a career-high 15. He was a Hanley Ramirez error away from a perfect game in Los Angeles' 8-0 win over Colorado on June 18.
Houston at LA Angels 9:05 PM ET
Houston Astros star Jose Altuve and the host Los Angeles Angels share one thing in common: Both are red hot entering Friday's second contest of the four-game series. Unfortunately for Altuve, the American League West cellar-dwelling Astros continue to misfire after dropping their fourth in a row and 13th in 17 outings with a 5-2 setback on Thursday. Despite his club's growing pains, Altuve keeps chugging along as he recorded his 13th multi-hit contest in his last 20 outings in the series opener.