Preview Roundups
September 10, 2014
Baltimore at Boston 1:35 PM ET
The Baltimore Orioles attempt to complete a sweep and move closer to a division title when they visit the Boston Red Sox for the finale of their three-game series Wednesday afternoon. Baltimore outscored Boston 8-1 in winning the first two contests and maintained its 10-game lead over Toronto in the American League East.
Atlanta at Washington 4:05 PM ET
Stephen Strasburg has spent the past six weeks re-establishing himself as one of the National League’s top pitchers, and the Washington Nationals’ right-hander looks for his fourth consecutive victory Wednesday as the NL East leaders host the Atlanta Braves. Strasburg has allowed one or zero runs in six of his past eight outings, helping propel Washington’s second-half surge. The Nationals have taken the first two games of the series from Atlanta and lead the Braves by nine games in the East.
Minnesota at Cleveland 7:05 PM ET
The Cleveland Indians were able to get away with meager run support as they were making a playoff push in late August, but their offensive woes have cost them in September. The Indians, who continue their three-game home set against the Twins on Wednesday, closed last month by winning seven of eight despite scoring three runs or fewer five times. Cleveland has failed to top the three-run mark seven times this month and suffered four of its five September losses in those games.
Tampa Bay at NY Yankees 7:05 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Rays' postseason hopes may have faded away, but they are doing their best to make the same thing happen to the New York Yankees. The Rays dealt another blow to New York's playoff chances with a 4-3 victory in Tuesday's series opener - their fifth consecutive win at Yankee Stadium and ninth in 14 overall meetings this season. Tampa Bay's James Loney carries a .419 average this season at Yankee Stadium into Wednesday's middle contest of the three-game set.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
Vance Worley makes his first career start against his former team when the Pittsburgh Pirates visit the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday in the third of a four-game series. Worley debuted as a major leaguer with the 2010 Phillies and pitched for the team until 2012 before getting dealt to Minnesota in exchange for Ben Revere. The 26-year-old right-hander has had a productive first season for the Pirates, although his last outing was not among his best.
Chi. Cubs at Toronto 7:07 PM ET
The Toronto Blue Jays still face an uphill climb in the American League playoff race, but their potent offense is coming to life at the right time. The Blue Jays have won three straight and eight of 10 as they aim for a three-game sweep of the visiting Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Toronto has outscored Chicago 17-2 in the first two games of the interleague series.
Kansas City at Detroit 7:08 PM ET
First place in the American League Central is on the line as the Detroit Tigers look to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. Detroit’s wins in the first two games of the series pulled it into a virtual tie with Kansas City and increased its advantage in the season series to 11-4. Rajai Davis and J.D. Martinez homered for the Tigers in Tuesday’s victory, while the Royals went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
St. Louis at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
The St. Louis Cardinals look to rebound from a rare setback and take a step closer to another division title when they continue a four-game series at Cincinnati on Wednesday. The Cardinals had won nine of their last 10 overall and six straight against the Reds before dropping Tuesday's meeting by a 9-5 score. St. Louis outhit Cincinnati 14-12 but could not recover from a rocky start by Michael Wacha and a late comeback effort fell far short.
Colorado at NY Mets 7:10 PM ET
On a night when the New York Mets were feeling mighty good about their future, they received sobering news about the present. Following a 2-0 win over Colorado on Tuesday, New York announced captain David Wright will be shut down for the remainder of the season due to persistent inflammation in his left rotator cuff. It's a costly blow for the Mets, who sit 5 1/2 games behind Pittsburgh for the second National League wild card.
LA Angels at Texas 8:05 PM ET
The Los Angeles Angels are cruising toward the American League West title and seek their seventh consecutive victory when they visit the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. The Angels maintained their eight-game advantage over the Oakland Athletics with a convincing 9-3 victory over Texas on Tuesday. Los Angeles has the best record in the majors at 89-55 while the Rangers have lost nine of 10 games and possess the worst record at 54-90.
Oakland at Chi. White Sox 8:10 PM ET
Few pitchers fail to come away with a win after a strong performance more often than Oakland Athletics right-hander Jeff Samardzija, who takes the mound in the third contest of a four-game series against the host Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. Samardzija is 1-2 in his last three starts despite registering 28 strikeouts against only one walk. He took a no-decision in a gem against the White Sox in May while still with the Cubs, yielding an unearned run in nine innings.
Miami at Milwaukee 8:10 PM ET
Casey McGehee may be the best free-agent signing in the National League this season and provided another reason with a clutch two-run homer for the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. McGehee, who played in Japan in 2013, looks to continue his standout campaign when the Marlins visit the free-falling Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in the third contest of a four-game series. Milwaukee, which has lost 13 of its last 14, is 1½ games out of the NL’s second wild-card spot and Miami stands 3½ back.
Houston at Seattle 10:10 PM ET
The Seattle Mariners have fallen out of the American League’s second wild card and look to regain it when they host the Houston Astros on Wednesday. Seattle lost 2-1 to the Astros on Tuesday and finds itself a half-game back of Detroit and Kansas City – the AL Central co-leaders – after losing for only the second time in eight games. Houston is playing solid baseball with seven wins in nine games, as Jonathan Villar’s RBI single in the ninth was the difference Tuesday.
San Diego at LA Dodgers 10:10 PM ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers head to San Francisco this weekend for a critical divisional series, but first they’ll need to focus on Wednesday’s matchup against the visiting San Diego Padres. Los Angeles had its four-game winning streak snapped with Tuesday’s 6-3 loss and enters the rubber match of the three-game series with a 2 1/2 game lead over the Giants in the National League West.
Arizona at San Francisco 10:15 PM ET
The San Francisco Giants look to continue their charge toward the top of the National League West when they continue their three-game series against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. San Francisco climbed within 2 1/2 games of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-1 triumph in Tuesday's opener as Yusmeiro Petit yielded only four hits en route to his second career complete game - both of which have come against Arizona.