St. Louis at Cincinnati 12:35 PM ET
Michael Wacha will be looking to win consecutive starts for the first time in more than two months as he takes the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals in Thursday's rubber match against the host Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals will be looking for a lengthy outing from Wacha after using six relievers to pitch eight scoreless frames in Wednesday's 4-3 win in 13 innings.
LA Dodgers at Philadelphia 1:05 PM ET
A day before one of the more anticipated regular-season matchups of the
season, the Los Angeles Dodgers must first complete a series against the host Philadelphia Phillies with a rubber match Thursday afternoon. Three-time Cy Young
Award winner Clayton Kershaw starts for the Dodgers in the opener of a
big three-game series at Pittsburgh on Friday opposite the majors' wins
leader Gerrit Cole.
Kansas City at Detroit 1:08 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers likely won’t win their fifth straight American League Central title this season, but they can at least make it hard on the Kansas City Royals. The Tigers will try to earn a series victory when they host the Royals in the rubber match of a three-game series on Thursday.
San Diego at Milwaukee 2:10 PM ET
The San Diego Padres came into Milwaukee hoping to leave with a winning record but will be happy to leave with a split when they visit for the finale of the four-game series Thursday. The Brewers were crushed in the opener but have rebounded with a pair of strong pitching performances to take the last two contests.
Arizona at Washington 4:05 PM ET
Although Bryce Harper insisted that the second-place Washington Nationals weren't going to focus on out-of-town results, one can assume he hasn't liked what he's seen on his own scoreboard. The Nationals look to prevent a fifth loss in six outings and salvage a split with the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks when the teams conclude their four-game series on Thursday.
Boston at NY Yankees 7:05 PM ET
In a series that has so far been dominated by rookie starting pitching, New York Yankees veteran CC Sabathia will try to prove he is still worthy of top billing. Sabathia will go up against another rookie starter in left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez when the Yankees host the Boston Red Sox in the rubber match of a three-game series on Thursday.
Minnesota at Toronto 7:07 PM ET
Josh Donaldson's power surge at the plate is driving the Toronto Blue Jays into contention and the Minnesota Twins into submission. After homering in each of the first three games of the series, Donaldson looks to continue his torrid stretch as host Toronto vies for a sweep of reeling Minnesota on Thursday.
Miami at Atlanta 7:10 PM ET
Nick Markakis and A.J. Pierzynski are doing their part to keep the Atlanta Braves competitive, even as the team sinks further in the standings. The Braves open a four-game home series Thursday against the disappointing Miami Marlins, who will look to snap Markakis’ hitting streak at 12 games and end Pierzynski’s streak at 10.
San Francisco at Chi. Cubs 8:05 PM ET
The next four days might prove pivotal in the National League wild-card race. The San Francisco Giants hold a half-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the final NL playoff spot heading into a four-game showdown beginning Thursday at Wrigley Field.
Houston at Oakland 10:05 PM ET
The first-place Houston Astros continue their nine-game road trip with the first of four contests against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. Houston won 11 of its first 15 contests following the All-Star break, but was swept in three games by American League West rival Texas to see its division lead shrink to two over the Los Angeles Angels as newly acquired Scott Kazmir on Thursday could not prevent the Astros from falling to 2-13 in their last 15 road contests with a 4-3 loss.
