Preview Roundups
August 22, 2014
Baltimore at Chi. Cubs 2:20 PM ET
The Baltimore Orioles look to extend their winning streak to five games when they visit the Chicago Cubs for the opener of their three-game interleague series Friday afternoon. Baltimore improved to 4-2 on its nine-game road trip on Wednesday, completing a three-game sweep with a 4-3 triumph over the Chicago White Sox.
Chi. White Sox at NY Yankees 7:05 PM ET
Still trying to get their offense untracked, the New York Yankees will kick off a three-game series against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Friday. The Yankees averted a three-game sweep with a 3-0 victory over Houston on Thursday, but have mustered 23 runs over their last 10 games and haven't scored more than four in a game during that span. Despite those struggles, New York sits four games behind Detroit for the second wild card in the American League.
Houston at Cleveland 7:05 PM ET
The Cleveland Indians look to rebound from a rare loss by ace Corey Kluber when they open a three-game series against the visiting Houston Astros on Friday. The Indians had won seven of nine before dropping Thursday's series finale in Minnesota to remain 4 1/2 games behind division rival Detroit for the second wild card in the American League. Zach Walters has been a nice addition for Cleveland, hitting four homers in nine games since he was acquired from Washington.
St. Louis at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
The St. Louis Cardinals are playing some of their best baseball of the season, and now their schedule is about to get a bit easier. The Cardinals conclude August with 10 games against the last-place Philadelphia Phillies, the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates and the last-place Chicago Cubs. St. Louis, which leads the National League wild-card race and sits 1 1/2 games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central, begins a soft stretch in its schedule Friday in the opener of a three-game set at Philadelphia.
San Francisco at Washington 7:05 PM ET
The Washington Nationals vie for a franchise-high 11th consecutive victory when they host the San Francisco Giants in the opener of their three-game series. Washington posted its fifth walk-off win in six contests Thursday as Denard Span scored on an error in the ninth inning for a 1-0 victory over Arizona. The Nationals also captured 10 in a row in 2005 while the Montreal Expos accomplished the feat three times.
Tampa Bay at Toronto 7:07 PM ET
Two teams hoping to stay alive in the race for an American League wild-card spot meet when the Tampa Bay Rays visit the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday to begin a three-game series. The Rays snapped a four-game losing streak with Thursday’s 1-0 victory over Detroit and Toronto is 2-6 in its last eight. The Blue Jays scored 22 runs in a three-game home sweep of Tampa Bay in late May, but are last in the majors in scoring this month (56) despite Wednesday’s 9-5 victory at Milwaukee.
Seattle at Boston 7:10 PM ET
One American League West postseason contender just got finished improving its position at the expense of the Boston Red Sox, and the Seattle Mariners are poised to do the same. The Mariners will visit the Red Sox for the beginning of a three-game series on Friday. Seattle sits a half-game behind the Detroit Tigers in the race for the second AL wild-card spot and is 3-3 on its nine-game road trip that included a series win in Detroit.
Atlanta at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
Justin Upton is starting to generate talk as a dark horse candidate for National League MVP, and that conversation will grow louder if the Atlanta Braves’ left fielder continues punishing opposing pitchers. The Braves play the second of four games at the Cincinnati Reds on Friday as Upton looks to extend a 12-game hitting streak during which he is batting .400 with four homers and 18 RBIs.
Kansas City at Texas 8:05 PM ET
The Kansas City Royals enjoyed a day off on Thursday and watched their lead in the American League Central increase. The Royals will try to put some more distance between themselves and the Detroit Tigers when they visit the AL-worst Texas Rangers in the opener of a three-game series on Friday. Kansas City owns a 1 1/2-game lead in the Central thanks to a stretch of 22 wins in the last 28 games, though a three-game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday.
Detroit at Minnesota 8:10 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers continue their pursuit of American League Central-leading Kansas City when they open a four-game series at the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. The Tigers wasted a one-hit masterpiece by David Price in a 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday to fall 1 1/2 games behind the Royals and saw their lead over Seattle for the second wild card cut to a half-game. Detroit split a pair of games in Minnesota in April but has won 21 of 30 matchups at Target Field.
Pittsburgh at Milwaukee 8:10 PM ET
The Milwaukee Brewers attempt to continue their home dominance of Pittsburgh when they host the Pirates on Friday in the opener of a three-game series. Milwaukee is 53-13 at home against Pittsburgh since the beginning of the 2007 season and is 5-1 at Miller Park and 10-3 overall against the Pirates this season. The Brewers lead the National League Central by 1 1/2 games over St. Louis and are six ahead of the Pirates, who stand 2 1/2 games back in the race for the NL's second wild card.
Miami at Colorado 8:40 PM ET
The Miami Marlins begin a nine-game road trip which should go a long way in determining whether they'll remain in the National League wild-card race with the opener of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday. Miami, which is coming off a 6-3 homestand, is four games behind San Francisco for the final wild-card spot, but must also pass Atlanta and Pittsburgh to reach the postseason for the first time since 2003.
San Diego at Arizona 9:40 PM ET
The Arizona Diamondbacks are mired in a six-game losing streak as they open a three-game series against the visiting San Diego Padres on Friday. Arizona scored just 11 runs during the skid and dropped the finale of a four-game series against Washington by a 1-0 score Thursday when third baseman Jordan Pacheco made a throwing error in the bottom of the ninth. San Diego lost two of three to Los Angeles, including a 2-1 defeat Thursday.
LA Angels at Oakland 10:05 PM ET
The Los Angeles Angels may still be reeling from the loss of their ace but enter the weekend with the best record in baseball. The previous owners of that title, the Oakland Athletics, trail the Angels by two games in the American League West and will look to make up some of that ground when they host Los Angeles in the opener of a three-game series on Friday. The Angels learned on Thursday that pitching ace Garrett Richards would miss the rest of the season with a torn patellar tendon.
NY Mets at LA Dodgers 10:10 PM ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers look to build on their National League West lead when they open a three-game series on Friday against the visiting New York Mets. Los Angeles has a 3 1/2-game advantage over the San Francisco Giants after Justin Turner blasted a two-run homer in the eighth inning in Thursday’s 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers were on the verge of dropping to 1-5 on their homestand before Turner’s heroics made a winner out of Clayton Kershaw.