Preview Roundups
September 07, 2018
San Diego at Cincinnati 6:40 PM ET
The San Diego Padres may possess a future star at catcher as they focus on knocking off the Cincinnati Reds on Friday in the second contest of their four-game set. Francisco Mejia slugged two homers and drove in four runs in his first start with the franchise as the Padres recorded a 6-2 victory in Thursday's series opener.
Chi. Cubs at Washington 7:05 PM ET
David Bote’s role has been reduced since Kris Bryant returned from the disabled list, but the Chicago Cubs might have to find a way to work him into the lineup for the remainder of their four-game set against the host Washington Nationals. Bote and the Cubs have had a knack for late-inning heroics against the Nationals, and they’ll try to record another victory in the season series on Friday.
Miami at Pittsburgh 7:05 PM ET
Returning home to face a last-place club helped the Pittsburgh Pirates snap out of a funk and they will look to extend their momentum against another last-place club. The Pirates have won three in a row after sweeping National League Central rival Cincinnati and continue their six-game homestand with the first of three against the Miami Marlins on Friday night.
Cleveland at Toronto 7:07 PM ET
The Cleveland Indians attempt to move a step closer to their third consecutive American League Central crown when they visit the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday for the second contest of their four-game set. Cleveland reduced its magic number for clinching the division to seven by posting its third straight win on Thursday, a 9-4 triumph in the series opener.
Baltimore at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Rays begin a nine-game homestand that will likely determine whether they are a real contender for an American League wild-card spot Friday night with the first of three against the major league-worst Baltimore Orioles. The Rays lost for just the third time in 16 contests Wednesday with a 10-3 setback at Toronto and sit eight games out in the race for the second wild-card behind Oakland, whom they host Sept. 14-16.
Houston at Boston 7:10 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox are barreling toward 100 wins, the American League East title and the best record in the majors, but up next is the team that ended their 2017 season. The Houston Astros, who beat the Red Sox in the American League Divisional Series en route to winning the World Series last year, open a three-game series in Boston on Friday night.
Philadelphia at NY Mets 7:10 PM ET
The free-falling Philadelphia Phillies have failed to win any of their last nine series, going 10-18 in that stretch to fall into second place in the National League East. After dropping two of three to the division's cellar dwellers, the Phillies (73-66) turn to ace Aaron Nola to help them take out their frustrations on the fourth-place New York Mets (63-76) in Friday's opener of a three-game set at Citi Field.
St. Louis at Detroit 7:10 PM ET
The St. Louis Cardinals flexed their muscles by erupting for eight homers and 18 runs total as they strengthened their hold on the second wild card in the National League with back-to-back victories. The Cardinals (78-62) aim to continue their power display on Friday as they begin their final interleague series of the season with the opener of a three-game set versus the Detroit Tigers (57-83) at Comerica Park.
LA Angels at Chi. White Sox 8:10 PM ET
Shohei Ohtani the pitcher is done for the season but Ohtani the slugger is far from finished as the Los Angeles Angels complete a 10-game road trip with three against the Chicago White Sox starting Friday. Ohtani, who learned Wednesday that he will need Tommy John surgery, shrugged off the bad news with a pair of home runs in Los Angeles' 9-3 victory over Texas on Wednesday, giving him 18 with 47 RBIs in 247 at-bats of his magical rookie season.
Kansas City at Minnesota 8:10 PM ET
The Minnesota Twins are struggling to score runs of late and enter the weekend riding a five-game losing streak after finishing up a 2-7 road trip. The Twins will try to turn things around at home when they open a three-game series against the visiting Kansas City Royals on Friday.
San Francisco at Milwaukee 8:10 PM ET
The Milwaukee Brewers head into the weekend leading the wild-card race in the National League, but competition is far from settled. The Brewers will try to maintain their slim advantage when they host the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a three-game series on Friday.
LA Dodgers at Colorado 8:40 PM ET
The Colorado Rockies have never won the National League West in their 25-plus years of existence, but Trevor Story appears to be on a mission to change that this season. With the day off to appreciate his first career three-homer game, the 25-year-old shortstop sets his sights on trying to help the Rockies pad their 1 1/2-game division lead Friday when they begin a three-game set at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Atlanta at Arizona 9:40 PM ET
The Atlanta Braves started their seven-game road trip with a 10-inning triumph and look to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks again on Friday in the second contest of their four-game series. Atlanta squandered a two-run, ninth-inning lead before notching a 7-6 victory to win for just the third time in nine contests.
Texas at Oakland 10:05 PM ET
The Oakland Athletics continue to march toward their first playoff appearance in four years when they complete a 10-game homestand by hosting the Texas Rangers in a three-game set beginning Friday. Oakland (84-57) took two of three from the New York Yankees, including Wednesday's 8-2 rout, and sits 3 1/2 games behind Houston in the American League West, 5 1/2 ahead of Seattle for the second and final wild-card spot and 3 1/2 back of New York for home field in the wild-card game.
NY Yankees at Seattle 10:10 PM ET
The New York Yankees own the second-best record in baseball and are leading the American League wild-card race, but they still believe they are capable of playing better. The Seattle Mariners, who host the Yankees in the opener of a three-game series beginning on Friday, need a spark to get back into the wild-card race and could stand for New York to take a few more days getting its act together.