Preview Roundups
April 15, 2014
Tampa Bay at Baltimore 7:05 PM ET
With three important starting pitchers on the disabled list, the Tampa Bay Rays need more from their offense than it has produced the last nine days. The Rays look to get their bats going after scoring 14 times in the last eight games when they visit the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. The Orioles’ bats perked up in the series opener Monday as they recorded 13 hits in a 7-1 victory after losing 11 of the last 13 contests against the Rays last season.
Atlanta at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
Baseball’s unbalanced schedule places an even higher importance on playing well within one’s division, and the Atlanta Braves are off to a good start again versus their National League East rivals. The Braves play the second of four games at Philadelphia on Tuesday after winning a wild 9-6 series opener a day earlier to improve to 7-3 against East teams, one season after going an NL-best 47-29 en route to the division title.
Chi. Cubs at NY Yankees 7:05 PM ET
New York right-hander Masahiro Tanaka is thriving amid the hoopla surrounding the start of his major league career and faces another high-profile outing when the Yankees host the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday to start a two-game series. Tanaka takes center stage as two of the most storied franchises in baseball get together at Yankee Stadium on Jackie Robinson Day across Major League Baseball as the Japanese superstar tries to record a third quality start in three outings.
Cleveland at Detroit 7:08 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers were able to claim their third straight American League Central title a season ago due in large part to their domination of the Cleveland Indians. The Tigers, who went 15-4 against the Indians in 2013, look to carry over that success into this season when they host Cleveland for the first of three games on Tuesday. Detroit nearly blew a huge division lead over the Indians last September, but leaned on its 47-29 mark inside the AL Central to finish one game ahead of Cleveland.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates can’t wait to get back on the field and continue their home run barrage. The teams will complete Monday's suspended contest before the Reds host the second game of the series later on Tuesday. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati combined for a Great American Ball Park-record 10 home runs before heavy rain came and ruined the fun in the series opener after six innings, just after the Reds hit the tying blast.
Washington at Miami 7:10 PM ET
The Washington Nationals are undefeated when anyone other than the Atlanta Braves are in the opposing dugout, and they'll try to keep it that way when they continue a three-game road series against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. The Nationals claimed the series opener 9-2 to improve to 4-0 against the Marlins this season. Miami has dropped eight straight following a 5-1 start.
Seattle at Texas 8:05 PM ET
Perhaps all the Seattle Mariners needed was a trip to Texas to spruce up their sagging bats. They'll look to keep the scoreboard busy again on Tuesday in the second contest of the four-game set. After failing to score in the final 17 innings of back-to-back losses to Oakland, Seattle used a six-run sixth inning to break open Monday’s opener and ended up with 12 hits in a 7-1 victory.
Boston at Chi. White Sox 8:10 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox set the pace on offense in the majors last season, but the Chicago White Sox are leading the crowd in the early going of 2014. The White Sox will try to keep the runs coming when they host the Red Sox in the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday. Chicago’s 80 runs scored were the most in the majors through the weekend, and hot starts by Cuban teammates Jose Abreu and Alexei Ramirez are leading the way.
Kansas City at Houston 8:10 PM ET
The Houston Astros host the Kansas City Royals for a three-game series beginning Tuesday in a matchup of last-place teams - one a surprise and the other expected. Many believe this could be a breakthrough season for Kansas City after it finished above .500 for the first time since 2003 with 86 victories in 2013.
But while starting pitching is a strength, the Royals' 4-7 start can be traced to a less-than-effective bullpen and a lack of pop on offense that could persist all season.
St. Louis at Milwaukee 8:10 PM ET
The St. Louis Cardinals look to continue their dominance of the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday when the teams continue their three-game series at Miller Park. The Cardinals, who snapped the Brewers’ nine-game win streak with a 4-0 victory in Monday’s series opener, have won 24 of their last 35 games against Milwaukee while outscoring the Brewers 190-119 over that stretch. Milwaukee aims to start a new winning streak behind Marco Estrada, who is winless against St. Louis.
Toronto at Minnesota 8:10 PM ET
The Minnesota Twins have given their fans a glimpse of the worst - and best - they have to offer through the first six games of their nine-game homestand. They'll look to keep the good times rolling Tuesday as they kick off a three-game set with the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Minnesota opened its home sked with a sweep at the hands of the Oakland Athletics, then returned the favor against Kansas City over the weekend to run its record to 6-6.
NY Mets at Arizona 9:40 PM ET
The New York Mets will try to feast on the Arizona Diamondbacks and their struggling pitching staff for another night when the teams meet Tuesday in the middle contest of their three-game series in the desert. The Mets matched their season-high run total in a 7-3 victory in Monday's series opener, handing Arizona its fourth straight loss. The Diamondbacks have the highest ERA in the majors at 5.96, while New York and its National League-worst .218 batting average produced 13 hits Monday.
Oakland at LA Angels 10:05 PM ET
The Oakland Athletics continue to find different ways to get the job done while winning seven of their last eight games as they prepare to visit the Los Angeles Angels for the second of a three-game series Tuesday. The Athletics scored 27 runs during a recent four-game winning streak and have allowed only four in their last four victories, including a come-from-behind 3-2 triumph Monday. Oakland is second in the majors in ERA (2.08) and has won 14 of its last 20 games at Angel Stadium.
Colorado at San Diego 10:10 PM ET
The San Diego Padres followed their 2-6 start with a series of impressive wins, while the Colorado Rockies are making a habit of losing one-run games. San Diego won four of its last five heading into Tuesday’s contest against the visiting Rockies, who have lost three of their last four – all by one run. Setup man Rex Brothers will be unavailable Tuesday after back-to-back rough outings, including Monday’s when he walked three batters and allowed San Diego to rally for a 5-4 victory.
LA Dodgers at San Francisco 10:15 PM ET
Adrian Gonzalez looks to continue his torrid start on Tuesday when the Los Angeles Dodgers begin a three-game series against the host San Francisco Giants, who won two of three in Los Angeles earlier this month. Gonzalez, who has homered in four straight games, has an extra-base hit in eight consecutive contests while hitting .351 during a nine-game hitting streak. “Man, he’s smoking the ball,” teammate Matt Kemp told reporters. “He’s probably the best hitter in the league right now.”