Preview Roundups
August 08, 2014
Tampa Bay at Chi. Cubs 4:05 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Rays’ front office looks wise to have pulled the plug on the season at the trade deadline based on the way the team has played over the past week. The Rays will try to put together back-to-back wins for the first time since the deadline when they visit the Chicago Cubs for the opener of a three-game interleague series on Friday. Tampa Bay was teetering on the brink of wild-card contention toward the end of last month but dropped five of its last seven.
St. Louis at Baltimore 7:05 PM ET
The St. Louis Cardinals continue their battle with the American League East when they begin a three-game series at the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. St. Louis completed a three-game home set against Boston by posting a 5-2 victory in the rubber match Thursday. Kolten Wong homered twice and ace Adam Wainwright worked seven strong innings to join Milwaukee's Wily Peralta as the only 14-game winners in the major leagues as the Cardinals remained one game behind the Brewers in the NL Central.
Cleveland at NY Yankees 7:05 PM ET
After taking three of four from one American League Central foe, the New York Yankees look to continue their good fortune against another when they open a three-game series versus the visiting Cleveland Indians on Friday. The Yankees overcame Detroit's vaunted pitching staff to improve to 10-4 at home since the All-Star break while moving a season-best six games over .500.
NY Mets at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
Fresh off a dramatic three-game sweep, the Philadelphia Phillies look to ride their new-found momentum into the series opener with the visiting New York Mets on Friday. Ryan Howard's eighth-inning grand slam lifted Philadelphia to a 6-5 victory over Houston on Thursday. New York has lost four of its last five games, including a 5-3 defeat in 13 innings against Washington on Thursday despite three hits from All-Star Daniel Murphy.
San Diego at Pittsburgh 7:05 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle of a pair of races for postseason spots and have the luxury of playing teams this week that are on the opposite side of the contending line. The Pirates will meet another such team when they host the San Diego Padres in the opener of a three-game series on Friday. Pittsburgh took care of business with wins in two of three over the Miami Marlins to begin the homestand despite being without Andrew McCutchen (rib).
Detroit at Toronto 7:07 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers look to right the ship against another struggling team when they visit the Toronto Blue Jays for the opener of a three-game series Friday. Detroit has seen its lead over Kansas City in the American League Central shrink to 2 1/2 games after losing three of four at the New York Yankees this week. The Tigers wasted a strong outing from Rick Porcello on Thursday as they mustered only five hits in a 1-0 defeat.
Miami at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
The Cincinnati Reds have won three straight games and suddenly look like a team that wants to jump into the race for both the National League Central and the wild cards. The Reds will try to make it four in a row when they host the Miami Marlins in the opener of a three-game series on Friday. Miami just got finished helping out one NL Central contender, dropping two of three at Pittsburgh to fall four games under .500.
Washington at Atlanta 7:35 PM ET
The Atlanta Braves went winless on an eight-game road trip and hope their fortunes begin to change when they open a 10-game homestand against the Washington Nationals on Friday. The Braves have slipped 4 1/2 games behind Washington in the National League East due to their deep slump but are 7-3 against the Nationals this season. Washington sends Stephen Strasburg to the mound for the opener against Ervin Santana.
Texas at Houston 8:10 PM ET
The Texas Rangers are showing signs of life in the midst of a nightmare season. The last-place Rangers try to push their winning streak to three games Friday when they visit the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game set. Texas defeated the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday by the combined margin of 19-1 and seeks its first three-game winning streak since mid-June.
LA Dodgers at Milwaukee 8:10 PM ET
Los Angeles welcomes the newest addition to its starting rotation Friday when the Dodgers begin a three-game series against the host Milwaukee Brewers in a battle of division leaders. Roberto Hernandez takes the mound for Los Angeles, which acquired the veteran from Philadelphia on Thursday to replace Josh Beckett, who could miss the rest of the season with a left hip impingement. “Obviously, it's a nice feeling going to a team that has a chance,” Hernandez told reporters.
San Francisco at Kansas City 8:10 PM ET
The Kansas City Royals continue pursuit of their first trip to the playoffs since 1985 when they host the San Francisco Giants on Friday in the opener of a three-game series. Kansas City defeated Arizona 6-2 on Thursday for its fourth straight victory — and 12th in its last 15 contests — to climb within 2 1/2 games of Detroit in the American League Central. The Royals, who have won five straight series, also moved one-half game ahead of three teams for the final wild card spot.
Colorado at Arizona 9:40 PM ET
The Colorado Rockies continue another forgettable season with a six-game road trip beginning with three against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, but injured shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said there's still a lot at stake. "It'd be easy to just pack up things and throw these games away and say, 'Hey, we're out of this thing.' And move on to next year,'' Tulowitzki told the Denver Post. "But in that clubhouse, we need to finish strong and end on a good note. ..."
Boston at LA Angels 10:05 PM ET
The Los Angeles Angels look to get untracked Friday when they open a three-game series against the visiting Boston Red Sox, who have lost 12 of their last 15 games. The Angels have dropped three in a row to fall three games behind first-place Oakland in the American League West, and they scored a total of one run in their last two games against the Dodgers. “We’re not playing bad right now,” catcher Chris Iannetta told reporters. “We’re just not playing to our potential.”
Minnesota at Oakland 10:05 PM ET
The league-leading Oakland Athletics continue their 10-game homestand when they take on the Minnesota Twins in the second contest of their four-game set Friday. Oakland improved to 4-3 on its lengthy stretch at O.co Coliseum and became the first team to 70 wins by posting a 3-0 victory in the series opener. The first-place Athletics increased their lead over the Los Angeles Angels in the American League West to three games behind a sensational effort from the newly acquired Jon Lester.
Chi. White Sox at Seattle 10:10 PM ET
After spending many an August out of contention, the Seattle Mariners are relishing being in the thick of the action this time around. The Mariners vie for their seventh win in 10 outings when they play the second contest of a four-game series versus the visiting Chicago White Sox on Friday. Dustin Ackley has fueled the charge by homering in consecutive contests and four times in the last seven outings.