Preview Roundups
July 25, 2014
St. Louis at Chi. Cubs 4:05 PM ET
The St. Louis Cardinals always relish wins over the rival Chicago Cubs, but any they can claim this weekend at Wrigley Field will be even sweeter than usual. The Cardinals begin a six-game road trip Friday looking to snap a three-game skid and gain ground in the heated National League Central race. St. Louis is tied for second in the division with Pittsburgh, three games behind leader Milwaukee.
Arizona at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
The Philadelphia Phillies are garnering more interest for their actions off the field than on it as of late - and for good reason. The National League East cellar-dwelling Phillies have dropped seven of nine entering the opener of their three-game series versus the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
Toronto at NY Yankees 7:05 PM ET
The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays each find themselves on a roll as they get set for a critical three-game series in the Bronx beginning Friday. The Blue Jays bounced back from a rough stretch by taking the final three of a four-game set from the Boston Red Sox this week while the Yankees turned the same trick against the Texas Rangers. The two American League East rivals enter the weekend in a virtual tie for second place in the division.
Boston at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox looked like they were joining the Tampa Bay Rays in their ascent from the bottom of the American League East to postseason contention but are falling off the pace. The Red Sox attempt to snap a three-game slide when they visit the Rays for the start of a three-game series on Friday. Tampa Bay has won seven straight and 16 of its last 20 to climb past Boston and within four games of .500.
Washington at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
The Cincinnati Reds are reeling after dropping their first six games following the All-Star break as they host the Washington Nationals on Friday in the opener of a three-game series. "We don't just all jump on a flight to Cincinnati and everything is fine. It's not," Reds manager Bryan Price told reporters after Wednesday's 5-1 loss in Milwaukee. "We live this life. There's carryover. ... We've gotten away a little bit from what we do. We just need to get back there."
San Diego at Atlanta 7:35 PM ET
The numbers are far from impressive, but B.J. Upton’s production in the leadoff spot of the Atlanta Braves’ lineup exceeds the center fielder’s otherwise epic offensive struggles in an Atlanta uniform. The Braves host the San Diego Padres in the opener of a four-game series Friday, and in 25 games hitting leadoff Upton is batting .252, raising his average from .202 to .216. The Padres, who made headlines this week by dealing Chase Headley to the New York Yankees, have won four of five.
Oakland at Texas 8:05 PM ET
American League West rivals at the opposite ends of the spectrum collide in the Lone Star State on Friday as the major league-leading Oakland Athletics open a three-game series against the cellar-dwelling Texas Rangers. Brandon Moss continued his torrid display at the plate by belting his third grand slam of the season and team-leading 23rd homer in Oakland's 13-1 triumph over Houston on Thursday afternoon.
Chi. White Sox at Minnesota 8:10 PM ET
The Minnesota Twins will try to snap out of an offensive funk when they host the Chicago White Sox on Friday in the second of four straight games. After winning five of six games before the All-Star break, capped by a 13-run effort at Colorado in the final game before the intermission, the Twins have stumbled out of the gate in the second half. After a 5-2 loss to the White Sox in the series opener, they've averaged 2.4 runs in a 2-5 stretch.
Cleveland at Kansas City 8:10 PM ET
The Kansas City Royals look to post their fourth consecutive victory when they host the American League Central-rival Cleveland Indians for the second contest of their four-game series on Friday. Kansas City edged Cleveland 2-1 in 14 innings in the opener despite registering only five hits - two of which came in the final frame. Norichika Aoki was the hero, plating Lorenzo Cain with a single as the Royals ended Corey Kluber's perfect-game bid with Omar Infante's one-out base hit in the seventh.
Miami at Houston 8:10 PM ET
The Miami Marlins and Houston Astros have experienced plenty of losing the past three seasons, but both franchises are showing signs of shaking off their recent struggles. The Astros host the Marlins in the opener of a three-game series Friday, featuring two teams that have lost at least 90 games per season since 2011, but Houston is 30-34 after a 12-26 start while Miami is only five games below .500 and 6½ games out of a National League wild-card spot.
NY Mets at Milwaukee 8:10 PM ET
A recent hot streak has boosted Milwaukee atop the National League standings and the Brewers attempt to win their fifth straight game when they host the New York Mets on Friday. Milwaukee (58-45) overtook San Francisco for the league’s best record by routing New York 9-1 in the opener for its sixth victory in eight games. Ryan Braun, Khris Davis and Jonathan Lucroy each homered Thursday to give the Brewers nine over their last three games.
Pittsburgh at Colorado 8:40 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates are making a move toward the top of the National League Central and have the luxury of facing an opponent moving swiftly in the opposite direction. The Pirates attempt to continue their climb when they open a three-game series at the fading Colorado Rockies on Friday. The Rockies are in last place in the NL West and began the second half by dropping three straight at Pittsburgh last weekend.
Detroit at LA Angels 10:05 PM ET
The American League Central-leading Detroit Tigers attempt to continue their surge as they continue their four-game series against the host Los Angeles Angels on Friday. Detroit recorded its fourth victory in five contests Thursday, posting a 6-4 triumph in the series opener as All-Star Ian Kinsler and Nick Castellanos each drove in a pair of runs.
Baltimore at Seattle 10:10 PM ET
Felix Hernandez looks to continue his streak of pitching at least seven innings and allowing two or fewer earned runs when the Seattle Mariners host the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The Seattle ace has ripped off 12 consecutive such outings and can tie the major-league mark held by Tom Seaver (1971) with another similar performance. Baltimore won the opener of the four-game set 4-0 as Delmon Young hit a three-run homer and Wei-Yin Chen pitched eight shutout innings.
LA Dodgers at San Francisco 10:15 PM ET
The visiting Los Angeles Dodgers hope to have some pop back in their lineup when they open a pivotal three-game series against the National League West-leading San Francisco Giants on Friday. Yasiel Puig (hand) is expected to end a four-start absence since getting hit by a pitch from St. Louis' Joe Kelly on Saturday while Hanley Ramirez (wrist) has an outside chance at cracking the lineup as well.