Preview Roundups
April 11, 2015
Boston at NY Yankees 1:05 PM ET
The Boston-New York rivalry may have lost some pizzazz over the last
couple years, but the 2015 season series opened with plenty of drama and the squads will have little rest before a matinee Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
After the Yankees on Friday forged three ties with single runs in the ninth, 16th
and 18th innings, the Red Sox prevailed 6-5 in 19.
St. Louis at Cincinnati 1:10 PM ET
The Cincinnati Reds look to start the season 5-0 for the first time in four years when they host the St. Louis Cardinals in the second of a three-game set on Saturday afternoon. Joey Votto hit two home runs and finished with four RBIs while Billy Hamilton stole his seventh base of the season, which led to the winning run that lifted the Reds to a 5-4 victory on Friday night.
Minnesota at Chi. White Sox 2:10 PM ET
The Chicago White Sox are 0-4 for the first time since 1995 and will try to avoid their worst start in more than 30 years when they host the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. Tommy Milone shut down the White Sox in the series opener to give the Twins their first win.
Seattle at Oakland 4:05 PM ET
The Seattle Mariners have already seen enough of Oakland rookie Mark Canha, who is forcing the Athletics to give him a longer look. The 26-year-old rookie is 7-for-14 with a home run and six RBI for the Athletics, who look to hand the visiting Mariners their fourth straight loss Saturday.
Detroit at Cleveland 4:10 PM ET
Detroit’s David Price and Cleveland’s Corey Kluber are arguably two of the best pitchers in baseball, and the Cy Young award winners square off Saturday when the Indians host the Tigers. Kluber will try to cool off a Tigers offense that has scored 30 runs in the season’s first four games, pounding out 18 hits in Friday’s 8-4 victory in the series opener.
Tampa Bay at Miami 4:10 PM ET
The Miami Marlins captured their first victory of the season in unconventional fashion and look to build on that when they host the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday for the second of a three-game interleague series. Christian Yelich knocked in the winning run in the 10th inning for a 10-9 victory after the Marlins coughed up a seven-run lead and closer Steve Cishek blew a save in the ninth.
Toronto at Baltimore 7:05 PM ET
The Toronto Blue Jays might not be able to outslug everyone in the American League East, but they appear willing to try. The Blue Jays look to keep up their hot hitting when they aim for a second straight road win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
Washington at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
What a luxury for the Washington Nationals to have a fifth starter such as Doug Fister, who makes his season debut Saturday in the middle contest of a three-game road set against the Philadelphia Phillies. Fister is coming off the best season of his career, as he set a personal best with 14 wins and achieved a career low with a 2.41 ERA, although he struggled in his only 2014 appearance at Citizens Bank Park.
NY Mets at Atlanta 7:10 PM ET
The Atlanta Braves collapsed in the second half of last season thanks to an inconsistent offense that struggled to generate runs, but through four games of 2015 a rebuilt batting order is producing. The Braves host the New York Mets on Saturday looking to remain unbeaten after a thrilling 5-3 victory Friday, during which Atlanta scored two early unearned runs and took the lead on Phil Gosselin’s two-out single in the eighth.
Pittsburgh at Milwaukee 7:10 PM ET
The Milwaukee Brewers last started 0-4 in 2011, when they went on to win
the National League Central before bowing out in six games in the NLCS.
That recent history is about the only silver lining for this year’s
Brewers, who are the only NL team without a victory heading into
Saturday’s home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Houston at Texas 8:05 PM ET
Yovani Gallardo was disappointed by his first start for the Texas Rangers and will try to bounce back Saturday when he faces the visiting Houston Astros in the middle contest of a three-game series. Gallardo came over from the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason but hardly resembled an ace in Monday's season opener, allowing four runs, six hits - four for extra bases - with one walk and two wild pitches in four innings of an ugly 8-0 defeat to Oakland.
LA Dodgers at Arizona 8:10 PM ET
Paul Goldschmidt has long been a thorn in the side of the Los Angeles
Dodgers and only enhanced that reputation with a three-run homer in the
Arizona Diamondbacks’ series-opening 4-3 home victory. The two-time
All-Star slugger figures to face a much stiffer challenge Saturday,
however, as he tries to turn his luck around against Dodgers ace
Clayton Kershaw in the middle of a three-game set.
Chi. Cubs at Colorado 8:10 PM ET
The Colorado Rockies look to break a franchise record by starting the season with five consecutive wins when they host the second of a three-game set with the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. The Rockies began the 1995 campaign 4-0 and the current team has a chance to set a higher standard following a comfortable 5-1 victory in their home opener on Friday afternoon.
San Francisco at San Diego 8:40 PM ET
San Diego’s James Shields and San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner meet for the first time since last season’s World Series on Saturday when the Padres host the Giants in the third of a four-game series. The pitchers faced off in Games 1 and 5 of last year’s Fall Classic, when Shields lost both matchups as a member of the Kansas City Royals.
Kansas City at LA Angels 9:05 PM ET
As the defending American League champion Kansas City Royals continue to validate their breakthrough season, they added a new dimension to their arsenal - the home run. Kansas City, which finished last in baseball with 95 homers in 2014, has already belted six in 2015 and goes for its fifth straight victory to begin the season when it visits the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday in the middle contest of a three-game series.