Preview Roundups
September 21, 2014
Toronto at NY Yankees 1:05 PM ET
The New York Yankees welcome back one of their stars on Sunday while another takes one more step toward retirement. Rookie phenom Masahiro Tanaka makes his first start since July 8 as the New York Yankees look to claim three of four from the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.
Washington at Miami 1:10 PM ET
Everything is falling into place for the Washington Nationals, and Ryan Zimmerman’s healthy return could be the final piece to spur them on to a long postseason run. Zimmerman recorded two hits in his first appearance in almost two months, and less than 24 hours later, the visiting Nationals go for a four-game sweep of the Miami Marlins on Sunday. Zimmerman, who had been out since July 22 with a hamstring injury, played left field Saturday and had an RBI as Washington rallied for a 3-2 win.
Boston at Baltimore 1:35 PM ET
The Baltimore Orioles do just fine against the Boston Red Sox as long as their offense can outscore David Ortiz. The Orioles will attempt to hold Ortiz in check when they host the Red Sox in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday. Adam Jones did his best Ortiz impression with a pair of home runs in Baltimore’s 7-2 victory on Saturday as the Orioles kept the pressure on the Los Angeles Angels in the race for the AL’s best record.
NY Mets at Atlanta 1:35 PM ET
Jacob deGrom has two starts left to state his case for National League Rookie of the Year, but the right-hander will be hard-pressed to top his last effort when his New York Mets visit the Atlanta Braves on Sunday. The 26-year-old deGrom struck out the first eight hitters he faced – tying Jim Deshaies’ modern day major-league record set in 1986 – in racking up 13 strikeouts against Miami on Monday, and he aims to lead the Mets to a three-game sweep of the fading Braves.
Milwaukee at Pittsburgh 1:35 PM ET
A September swoon drastically diminished the Milwaukee Brewers’ odds of playing in October, but they managed to keep their dim hopes alive in their last time out. The Brewers look to cut their deficit for the National League’s second wild-card to 2½ games in Pittsburgh on Sunday when they meet the Pirates in the rubber match of a three-game set. Milwaukee stood atop the NL Central from April 4-Aug. 31, but a 7-12 mark in September has the team on the brink of missing the postseason.
Chi. White Sox at Tampa Bay 1:40 PM ET
Nathan Karns looks to build upon an impressive debut with Tampa Bay when he leads the Rays into the finale of a three-game series at home against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Karns, who struggled in three starts with Washington last season in his first taste of the majors, limited Toronto to only two hits in seven scoreless innings on Sept. 12 in his first game with Tampa Bay. The effort tied for the longest scoreless outing in a Rays debut.
Cleveland at Minnesota 2:10 PM ET
The Cleveland Indians continue to cling to their slim playoff hopes when they visit the Minnesota Twins for the rubber match of their three-game series on Sunday. Cleveland dropped the opener in 10 innings before posting a 7-3 victory on Saturday to climb within 3 1/2 games of Kansas City for the second American League wild-card spot. Yan Gomes went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs while Mike Aviles added a two-run triple as the Indians posted their fourth win in five contests.
Detroit at Kansas City 2:10 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers can take another huge step toward their fourth consecutive American League Central title when they try for a three-game sweep of the host Kansas City Royals on Sunday. Detroit improved to 13-5 against Kansas City this season - 8-1 at Kauffman Stadium - with a 3-2 victory Saturday to increase its division lead to 2 1/2 games over the the slumping Royals.
Seattle at Houston 2:10 PM ET
Houston’s Collin McHugh dominated Seattle earlier this month as part of his streak of winning six consecutive decisions, and he looks to lead the Astros past the Mariners again on Sunday. McHugh allowed one run and two hits over eight innings in his outing on Sept. 9 as part of a stretch during which he has allowed two or fewer runs in nine straight starts. Seattle lost 10-1 on Saturday and sits one-half game behind Kansas City for the American League’s second wild card.
LA Dodgers at Chi. Cubs 2:20 PM ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers are saving their biggest bullets for a looming series with the rival San Francisco Giants and hoping they don't suffer any self-inflicted wounds in the process. The visiting Dodgers try to take three of four from the last-place Chicago Cubs when they wrap up a series at Wrigley Field on Sunday. Los Angeles remains 3 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco in the National League West.
Texas at LA Angels 3:35 PM ET
Mike Trout is baseball's brightest young star and is closing in on his first American League MVP Award, but teammate Albert Pujols is showing there is still plenty of life in his bat. Pujols smacked his 27th homer and reached 100 RBIs for the 12th time in 14 seasons as the Angels snapped a seven-game winning streak by the visiting Texas Rangers on Saturday. Los Angeles holds a 2 1/2-game lead on Baltimore for the best record in the majors entering Sunday's rubber match of the series.
Philadelphia at Oakland 4:05 PM ET
The Oakland Athletics are showing little interest in holding onto their postseason spot, at least on offense. The stumbling Athletics will try to stay in the American League wild card race when they host the Philadelphia Phillies in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday. Oakland has dropped 16 of its last 22 games to fall from division contender in the AL West into a three-way battle for the two AL wild cards.
Arizona at Colorado 4:10 PM ET
The Colorado Rockies look to extend their winning streak to a season-high six games on Sunday when they host the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have lost five in a row. Michael Cuddyer’s season has been marred by injury, but he’s 12-for-25 with nine RBIs during his six-game hitting streak for the Rockies, who have outscored Arizona 27-10 in the first three games of the series. “When he’s been out there, he's showing he's still an elite hitter in this game,” manager Walt Weiss told reporters.
San Francisco at San Diego 4:10 PM ET
Failing to beat the San Diego Padres could prevent the San Francisco Giants from winning the National League West. San Francisco is just 6-8 against San Diego this season and looks to salvage the finale of a three-game set against the host Padres on Sunday. The sputtering Giants were shut out for the first 17 innings of this series and remain 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
Cincinnati at St. Louis 8:05 PM ET
Lance Lynn is giving the St. Louis Cardinals a chance to win every time he takes the mound, but his teammates are not making it easy for the right-hander. Lynn goes for his 16th win of the season and a potential postseason-clinching victory when the Cardinals host the reeling Cincinnati Reds on Sunday night in the finale of their three-game series.