Preview Roundups
September 02, 2016
San Francisco at Chi. Cubs 2:20 PM ET
The Chicago Cubs search for their ninth consecutive home victory – and their sixth straight win over the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field – when the National League contenders continue their four-game series on Friday. Addison Russell’s go-ahead two-run single propelled the Cubs to a 5-4 victory in the series opener, pushing them a major league-best 39 games over .500 and increasing their NL Central lead to 15 1/2.
NY Yankees at Baltimore 7:05 PM ET
Despite unloading a bevy of key players at the trade deadline, the New York Yankees are making a serious push for a playoff slot as they prepare to visiting the slumping Baltimore Orioles on Friday in the opener of a three-game set. New York has won six of eight and trails the Orioles by 2 1/2 games for the second wild card in the American League.
Atlanta at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
The Atlanta Braves open a three-game series at the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, and with one month remaining in the season both teams will continue looking for a strong finish while focusing on 2017. The bottom two squads in the National League East standings, fourth-place Philadelphia finished August at 12-14 and is 25-28 since July 1, while the last-place Braves are 18-17 since July 26.
Milwaukee at Pittsburgh 7:05 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates get a chance to make up ground in the playoff chase when they open a 10-game homestand with the first of three against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night. The Pirates had their momentum stalled by getting swept at the Chicago Cubs to drop 2 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the second wild card in the National League.
Miami at Cleveland 7:10 PM ET
The Miami Marlins picked a bad time to endure their worst losing streak
of the season and watched their postseason hopes take a blow. The
Marlins now are off the deck and looking to string together consecutive
victories for the first time since Aug. 19-21 when they visit the Cleveland
Indians on Friday for the opener of a three-game interleague series.
Toronto at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM ET
Right-hander Alex Cobb will make a major-league start for the first time in more than 23 months when his Tampa Bay Rays host the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday to open a three-game set. Cobb underwent Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss all of last season and most of 2016, and faces a stiff challenge out of the gate against the American League East-leading Blue Jays.
St. Louis at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
The St. Louis Cardinals claimed a series victory in the first leg of five consecutive sets against National League Central representatives. After opening a nine-game road trip by taking two of three at Milwaukee, St. Louis will look to bolster its position for a sixth consecutive postseason berth on Friday when it begins a three-game set at the cellar-dwelling Cincinnati Reds.
Washington at NY Mets 7:10 PM ET
The New York Mets used a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals just over a year ago to help secure their 2015 National League East crown. The division-leading Nationals can go a long way toward returning the favor when they begin a three-game series in New York on Friday.
Houston at Texas 8:05 PM ET
Carlos Gomez will see plenty of familiar faces in the opposing dugout on Friday as the host Texas Rangers open a three-game series against the American League West-rival Houston Astros. A two-time All-Star, Gomez was batting just .210 in 85 games this season before being released by Houston on Aug. 18.
Chi. White Sox at Minnesota 8:10 PM ET
The Minnesota Twins avoided becoming a dubious part of franchise lore
and now look to defeat the Chicago White Sox for the second straight night when they
visit the Windy City on Friday. Minnesota posted an 8-5 victory in
Thursday's series opener to halt a 13-game losing streak, one shy of the
team mark set by the 1982 club.
Detroit at Kansas City 8:15 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers have surged back into the American League Central race but now must face another hard-charging team when they visit the Kansas City Royals on Friday night in the opener of a three-game set. The Tigers have won eight of 10 to draw within 4 1/2 games of division-leading Cleveland while moving into a tie with Baltimore for the second wild card.
Arizona at Colorado 8:40 PM ET
The Colorado Rockies continue their nine-game homestand on Friday as they host the Arizona Diamondbacks for the opener of a three-game series. The Rockies were swinging potent bats during their set against the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week, scoring a total of 23 runs while winning two of three.
Boston at Oakland 10:05 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox will have the top-ranked prospect in baseball on their roster for the stretch run as Yoan Moncada will be recalled and available for the opener of their three-game series against the host Oakland Athletics on Friday. The 21-year-old Moncada, who was signed to a $31.5 million contract after defecting from Cuba, was hitting .277 with 11 home runs and 28 RBIs in 45 games for Double-A Portland after beginning the season at Single-A Salem, where he batted .307 in 61 contests.
LA Angels at Seattle 10:10 PM ET
The Los Angeles Angels are showing some life lately during an otherwise disappointing season and look to damage the Seattle Mariners' playoff hopes even more over the weekend. The Angels look to extend their winning streak to six games when they visit the fading Mariners on Friday for the opener of a three-game series between the American League West rivals.
San Diego at LA Dodgers 10:10 PM ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers have the opportunity to increase their National
League West lead over the San Francisco Giants as they begin a stretch
of six straight home games against division also-rans. The Dodgers host
the San Diego Padres on Friday in the opener of a three-game series and
then the Arizona Diamondbacks visit Chavez Ravine for three contests early
next week.