Preview Roundups
May 27, 2016
Philadelphia at Chi. Cubs 2:20 PM ET
While the Chicago Cubs’ rise to prominence is right on schedule, the Philadelphia Phillies’ rebuilding project is well ahead of the expected curve. The surprising Phillies look to continue their strong start when they open a three-game road series against the Cubs on Friday.
St. Louis at Washington 7:05 PM ET
Max Scherzer appears to have turned the corner after string of uneven performances and will take the mound for the Washington Nationals on Friday night in the second of a four-game set against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. The Nationals eked out a 2-1 win in the series opener to send St. Louis to its third consecutive defeat.
Boston at Toronto 7:07 PM ET
The Toronto Blue Jays have a chance to cut into Boston's lead atop the American League East when they host the Red Sox on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series. Toronto, which is returning home following a 5-2 road trip, will square off with the Red Sox six times over the next nine games.
Baltimore at Cleveland 7:10 PM ET
Two teams streaking in different directions square off on Friday as the Cleveland Indians host the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of their three-game series. Cleveland has sandwiched five- and three-game winning streaks around a three-game slide and enter the matchup with Baltimore having captured the final three contests of a four-game set against the American League Central-leading Chicago White Sox to conclude a 6-3 road trip.
NY Yankees at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM ET
The New York Yankees are hitting a put-up-or-shut-up portion of the schedule when they kick off a 10-game road trip against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. The Yankees have dropped two straight following a six-game winning streak as they prepare to face three American League East rivals during their lengthy trek.
LA Dodgers at NY Mets 7:10 PM ET
Youth will be served on Friday as Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed prospect Julio Urias will become the youngest pitcher to start a contest in the majors in 11 years when he faces the host New York Mets in the opener of a three-game series. The 19-year-old Urias, who has drawn early comparisons to fellow Mexican left-hander Fernando Valenzuela, will be making his major-league debut after signing with the organization three years ago.
Miami at Atlanta 7:35 PM ET
With Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich nursing injuries, Marcell Ozuna and Ichiro Suzuki have picked up the slack for the Miami Marlins, who open a three-game series against the host Atlanta Braves on Friday. Ozuna leads the National League in hitting this month with a .426 average, while Suzuki has recorded 10 hits over his last five games to draw within 40 of 3,000 for his major-league career.
Pittsburgh at Texas 8:05 PM ET
Rookie outfielder Nomar Mazara is off to an impressive start and gets his first look at National League pitching when the Texas Rangers host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday to open a three-game interleague set. Mazara belted his eighth homer Wednesday as Texas won for the fifth time in six games and is 8-for-16 with three blasts and eight RBIs over the last four contests.
Cincinnati at Milwaukee 8:10 PM ET
It was on a visit to Milwaukee late last season when the Cincinnati Reds began what would become a 13-game losing streak, their longest since 1945. They return to Miller Park on Friday for the opener of a three-game series against the Brewers carrying with them another double-digit slide, this time a 10-gamer that has seen the club falter in virtually every department.
Chi. White Sox at Kansas City 8:15 PM ET
The Kansas City Royals likely will be without third baseman Mike
Moustakas for the remainder of the season after learning he has a torn
ACL in his right knee. Kansas City received the unwelcome news on
Thursday, the same day the scheduled opener of its series with
the visiting Chicago White Sox was postponed due to rain.
San Francisco at Colorado 8:40 PM ET
The San Francisco Giants look to remain the hottest team in baseball as they seek their
14th victory in 15 contests when they open a three-game series
against the host Colorado Rockies on Friday. The Giants' impressive run
has allowed them to open a 4 1/2-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers
in the National League West, and they aim to continue the success on a
10-game road trip that begins in Denver.
San Diego at Arizona 9:40 PM ET
Two teams sitting at the bottom of the National League West that need to turn their fortunes around meet Friday when the San Diego Padres visit the Arizona Diamondbacks to begin a three-game set. The Padres have dropped four straight and eight of 10 while Arizona has lost five of seven and is struggling at home (7-17), where it plays the next five contests.
Detroit at Oakland 10:05 PM ET
Slugger Miguel Cabrera looks to turn up the heat on his already white-hot play at the plate on Friday when the Detroit Tigers begin a six-game road trip through California with the opener of a three-game series versus the host Oakland Athletics. Cabrera is hitting a robust .452 (19-for-42) with seven homers and 15 RBIs in last 11 games, helping the Tigers to an 8-3 mark in that stretch.
Houston at LA Angels 10:05 PM ET
Matt Shoemaker attempts to follow up one of the best starts of his
career when the Los Angeles Angels host the Houston Astros on Friday in the opener of their three-game series. Shoemaker struck out a career-best 12 batters and
gave up just three hits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings in a no-decision
against Baltimore on Saturday.
Minnesota at Seattle 10:10 PM ET
Pitchers with a sizable difference in their number of career starts will take the mound on Friday when Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez faces Minnesota Twins left-hander Pat Dean in the opener of a three-game set at Safeco Field. The 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner has logged considerable mileage on the rubber as he will record his 344th major-league start against Dean, who made his first on Sunday.