Preview Roundups
August 07, 2014
NY Mets at Washington 12:35 PM ET
Jacob deGrom attempts to win his sixth consecutive start when the New York Mets close a three-game series against the host Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon. The rookie has allowed just four runs during his five-start winning streak while establishing himself as a bona fide major-league talent. The division rivals have split the first two games after Washington's Adam LaRoche homered twice and drove in three runs in Wednesday’s 7-1 victory.
Detroit at NY Yankees 1:05 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers look to salvage a split of their four-game series against New York on Thursday when the teams meet at Yankee Stadium. Detroit holds a 3 1/2-game lead over Kansas City in the American League Central after scoring a total of six runs in the first three games of the series and going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position in Wednesday’s 5-1 loss. The Yankees have won four of their last five to move one game back of Toronto for the second wild-card spot in the American League.
San Francisco at Milwaukee 2:10 PM ET
Jake Peavy looks to record his first victory in a San Francisco uniform when the Giants close a three-game series against the host Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday afternoon. Peavy dropped both of his first two starts after being acquired from Boston in late July, even though he retired the first 19 batters he faced in Saturday’s loss to the New York Mets. San Francisco posted a 7-4 victory on Wednesday, one night after the Brewers won the series opener.
Chi. Cubs at Colorado 3:10 PM ET
The Colorado Rockies may be fighting to stay out of the National League basement but they are still capable of scoring runs in bunches. The Rockies will try to build on a 13-run outburst when they host the Chicago Cubs in the rubber match of a three-game series on Thursday afternoon. Colorado overcame a pair of deficits in Wednesday’s 13-4 triumph and totaled 10 runs in the sixth and seventh innings to snap a five-game slide.
Houston at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
The Philadelphia Phillies' offense finally woke up Wednesday with Chase Utley and Ryan Howard leading the way. The resurgent Phillies will try to sweep the visiting Houston Astros on Thursday when the teams complete a three-game set. Utley hit a three-run homer and Howard drove in two runs Wednesday as Philadelphia scored 10 runs - eight more than it had managed over its previous 36 innings.
Miami at Pittsburgh 7:05 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates are down one All-Star with Andrew McCutchen banged up, but another, Josh Harrison, is doing his best to pick up the slack. Harrison looks to extend his hitting streak to 11 games when the Pirates host the Miami Marlins in the rubber match of their three-game series on Thursday. Harrison has recorded multiple hits in six of his last 10 games and went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored as Pittsburgh grabbed a 7-3 win on Wednesday.
Baltimore at Toronto 7:07 PM ET
The Baltimore Orioles sit four games up in the American League East, but their lead would be bigger if they could find a way to extend their strong division play into their matchups against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles play at Toronto on Thursday in the finale of a three-game series, having split their 12 matchups with Toronto in 2014 while going 21-13 against the rest of the division. The Blue Jays are second in the East, but hold a half-game advantage for the second AL wild-card spot.
Cleveland at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
The Cincinnati Reds aim for their third straight win over their in-state rival and look to reclaim the Ohio Cup for the first time since 2010 when they wrap up a four-game, home-and-home series with the visiting Cleveland Indians on Wednesday. The Indians claimed the trophy by winning five of six meetings in 2011 and retained it when the teams split the season series the past two years. Their reign is in danger after being outscored 17-5 over the past two games.
Boston at St. Louis 7:15 PM ET
The St. Louis Cardinals turn to their ace after wasting a chance to grab a share of the division lead as they host the Boston Red Sox in the rubber match of their three-game interleague series Thursday. St. Louis had an opportunity to pull into a tie with Milwaukee atop the National League Central as the Brewers fell to San Francisco but dropped a 2-1 decision on Wednesday.
Kansas City at Arizona 9:40 PM ET
The Kansas City Royals are charging up the standings and look to complete a three-game sweep of Arizona when they visit the Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon. Kansas City has won three straight games and 11 of its last 14 to move within 3 1/2 games of first-place Detroit in the American League Central and also stands a half-game behind Toronto for the AL’s second wild-card spot. Arizona has lost four its last five games and dropped to 16 games below .500 with Wednesday’s 4-3 loss.
LA Dodgers at LA Angels 10:05 PM ET
Most of the talk leading up to this week’s Freeway Series focused on stars Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw, but Matt Kemp could be the biggest difference maker. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder has six home runs in his last nine games, including a solo shot in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over the host Los Angeles Angels. The Dodgers head into Thursday’s series finale with a 2 1/2-game lead over San Francisco in the National League West, while the Angels sit two games behind first-place Oakland.
Minnesota at Oakland 10:05 PM ET
Josh Reddick has been on quite a tear of late, but struggled mightily the last time he met the Minnesota Twins. The 27-year-old looks to extend his hitting streak to seven contests when the Oakland Athletics open a four-game set against the visiting Twins on Thursday. Reddick, who ripped a two-run double in Oakland's 7-3 setback to Tampa Bay on Wednesday, is 25-for-62 with four homers, 12 RBIs and 13 runs scored in his last 18 games.
Chi. White Sox at Seattle 10:10 PM ET
After a scorching July, Dustin Ackley isn't showing any signs of cooling off in August. The 26-year-old looks to keep streaking along on Thursday as the Seattle Mariners open a four-game series against the visiting Chicago White Sox. Ackley, who homered in Seattle's 7-3 victory over reeling Atlanta on Wednesday, has gone deep three times in his last six contests and is hitting .346 since July 1.