Preview Roundups
May 18, 2018
LA Dodgers at Washington 7:05 PM ET
The Washington Nationals are hoping to complete a contest for the first time since the beginning of the week when they open a three-game series versus the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. The Nationals (24-18) had won 13 of 15 before Mother Nature cooled them down by effectively suspending one contest, its subsequent make-up game and a regularly scheduled outing heading into their series opener against the Dodgers (17-26).
San Diego at Pittsburgh 7:05 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates are proving to be incredibly difficult to beat at home, and it has been the club's ability to win the close ones that has it nursing a slim lead atop the National League Central. The Pirates set their sights on a ninth victory in their last 10 outings Friday when they host the second of four games against the San Diego Padres.
Oakland at Toronto 7:07 PM ET
Slugger Khris Davis hopes to continue a power surge when his Oakland Athletics visit the Toronto Blue Jays for the second of a four-game set Friday night after taking the series opener. Davis went 4-for-4 with his fourth homer in seven games Thursday for a 10-5 victory as the Athletics improved to 9-4 against American League East opponents with a third win in four contests overall.
Arizona at NY Mets 7:10 PM ET
The Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets each got off to sizzling starts but have been coming back to the pack since. The Diamondbacks are still atop the National League West but have lost seven of their last eight as they prepare to open a nine-game road trip with the first of three against the Mets on Friday night at Citi Field.
Baltimore at Boston 7:10 PM ET
The host Boston Red Sox will try to extend their winning streak against the Baltimore Orioles to eight games when the American League East rivals continue a four-game series at Fenway Park on Friday. Home runs by J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts backed David Price's first complete game since 2016 in a 6-2 win in the series opener as the Red Sox took their seventh straight over the Orioles dating to 2017.
Chi. Cubs at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
Cincinnati has been a pleasant place to play for the Chicago Cubs in recent years, and the Cubs hope to continue that trend when they open a four-game road series against the Reds on Friday. The Cubs are 20-9 at Great American Ball Park since the start of the 2015 season.
Miami at Atlanta 7:35 PM ET
The Atlanta Braves arrive at the third weekend in May as perhaps the biggest surprise in baseball, opening a home series Friday against the Miami Marlins owning the best record in the National League and leading the NL East through roughly one-quarter of the season. Atlanta’s series finale against Chicago on Thursday was rained out, sending the Braves into the weekend at 26-16 – their best record since being 10 games over .500 in July 2014.
Texas at Chi. White Sox 8:10 PM ET
The Chicago White Sox have won exactly one game on each of their first three homestands of the season, which helps to explain why they own the worst home mark in baseball as well as the worst record in the majors. In the midst of their fourth extended stay in Chicago, the White Sox hope a late comeback in their series-opening victory over the Texas Rangers can spark more success when the two teams meet for the second of four games Friday.
Cleveland at Houston 8:10 PM ET
The defending World Series champion Houston Astros boast an eye-popping ERA of 2.44 that is nearly a run better than anyone else as it prepares to host the Cleveland Indians for a three-game series beginning Friday. Houston, which has allowed 13 runs while going 7-2 in its last nine games, owns the three lowest ERAs in the American League in Justin Verlander (1.05), Gerrit Cole (1.75) and Charlie Morton (2.03), who will start Friday.
Milwaukee at Minnesota 8:10 PM ET
The Milwaukee Brewers sustained a significant loss even on a day off on Thursday as Ryan Braun was shuffled to the 10-day disabled list with mid-back tightness. The 2011 National League MVP sat out all three contests in the previous series for Milwaukee (26-18), which vies for its sixth win in eight outings on Friday when it begins the last leg of its 10-game road trip at the Minnesota Twins (18-21).
NY Yankees at Kansas City 8:15 PM ET
Pretty much everything has gone right for the New York Yankees over the past four weeks -- with the exception of some weather issues this week. After having the first two contests of their eight-game road trip wiped out by rain in the nation's capital, the Yankees head to Kansas City to open a three-game set against the Royals on Friday night.
Philadelphia at St. Louis 8:15 PM ET
The Philadelphia Phillies seemingly have the National League Central’s number. The Phillies are 8-0 against the division and have outscored NL Central foes 40-16, which they’ll try to continue in the second contest of a four-game road series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
Tampa Bay at LA Angels 10:07 PM ET
C.J. Cron served notice to his former employers in the series opener and looks to inflict more damage when the Tampa Bay Rays visit the Los Angeles Angels on Friday in the second contest of a four-game set. Cron went 2-for-5 and homered for the game's first run on Thursday as the Rays rolled to a 7-1 win for their fourth straight triumph.
Detroit at Seattle 10:10 PM ET
Seattle right-hander Felix Hernandez will look for his fourth victory in his past five starts when the Mariners host the Detroit Tigers on Friday in the second contest of a four-game set. Hernandez defeated the Tigers last Saturday in Detroit but he allowed five runs and eight hits over five innings.
Colorado at San Francisco 10:15 PM ET
San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has always been a streaky hitter, but he’s starting to show signs of putting together a career year. The 30-year-old has homered in four straight games for the Giants, who continue their four-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies on Friday.