Preview Roundups
September 14, 2018
Chi. White Sox at Baltimore 7:05 PM ET
Winning streaks have been hard to come by lately for the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles, but one of them will be able to claim consecutive victories before the start of the weekend. Two of the three teams with the worst records in the American League square off on Friday as the Orioles host the White Sox in the opener of their three-game series.
Toronto at NY Yankees 7:05 PM ET
The New York Yankees are closing in on a berth in the American League Wild Card Game, but they're in danger of having to play it on the road. The Yankees return from a 4-5 road trip that tightened up the race for the top wild-card spot to open up a nine-game homestand with the first of three against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
Miami at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
The Philadelphia Phillies spent more than a month atop the National League East this summer, but their freefall over the last month or so has put their hopes of ending a six-year postseason drought on life support. The Phillies will try to avoid a season-high sixth straight defeat on Friday, when they host the Miami Marlins in the opener of their three-game series.
Detroit at Cleveland 7:10 PM ET
While they inch closer to formally clinching the American League Central title, the Cleveland Indians are more preoccupied with having their roster rested and clicking in advance of the upcoming playoffs. To that end, Josh Donaldson will make his second start for the Indians when they open a three-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers on Friday night.
NY Mets at Boston 7:10 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox look to move closer to clinching the American League East title for the third straight season when they host the improving New York Mets for the opener of a three-game interleague set Friday night. Boston has won four in a row after completing a three-game sweep of Toronto on Thursday with a 3-1 triumph, reducing its magic number to clinch the division crown to six.
Oakland at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Rays are the closest pursuers for the American League's second wild-card berth, but they need a three-game weekend sweep of the visiting Oakland Athletics to have any realistic chance of overtaking them. Tampa Bay enters Friday's series opener eight games back after Oakland suffered a 5-3 loss to Baltimore on Thursday to see its six-game winning streak come to an end.
Washington at Atlanta 7:35 PM ET
The Atlanta Braves left home last week for a seven-game west coast road trip after being swept by Boston, but open a 10-game homestand Friday against the Washington Nationals with the National League East title firmly in its grasp. The Braves won six times on their trip through Arizona and San Francisco, riding late-inning offense and strong starting pitching in bolstering their division lead to a season-high 7½ games and reducing their magic number to 10.
Cincinnati at Chi. Cubs 8:05 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs will play only three of their final 16 games outside their home city, beginning with a three-game visit from the Cincinnati Reds starting Friday. The National League Central-leading Cubs have only one road trip left - a six-game swing that includes three at Arizona and three against the crosstown White Sox. 

Arizona at Houston 8:10 PM ET
The Arizona Diamondbacks are playing themselves out of postseason contention and have less than three weeks to turn around their fortunes. Arizona looks to begin that task when they visit the Houston Astros on Friday for the opener of their three-game interleague series.
Pittsburgh at Milwaukee 8:10 PM ET
The Milwaukee Brewers continue to close in on the franchise's first postseason berth since 2011 but are looking at bigger things. The Brewers will try to stay with the Chicago Cubs in the battle for first place in the National League Central when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.
Minnesota at Kansas City 8:15 PM ET
The Kansas City Royals took the first step toward avenging last weekend's series loss and attempt to take another when they host the Minnesota Twins on Friday for the second contest of their four-game set. Kansas City lost two of three in Minnesota before beginning a seven-game homestand with three wins in four contests, including a series-opening 6-4 triumph on Thursday.
LA Dodgers at St. Louis 8:15 PM ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the series opener and look to pull even for the National League's second wild-card spot when they visit the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday for the second contest of their four-game series. Los Angeles won a 9-7 slugfest on Thursday to put the heat on the Cardinals and remain 1 1/2 games behind first-place Colorado in the NL West.
Seattle at LA Angels 10:07 PM ET
The Seattle Mariners put together a solid performance in the opener of a 10-game road trip and look to beat the host Los Angeles Angels again Friday in the second contest of a four-game set. Seattle recorded an 8-2 victory over the Angels on Thursday and are 8 1/2 games behind the Oakland Athletics for the American League's second wild-card spot with 16 to play.
Texas at San Diego 10:10 PM ET
The Texas Rangers struggled during the first two legs of their trek through California but got off to a good start in their series in the southern part of the state. Texas looks to post back-to-back wins for the first time since the beginning of the month when it visits the San Diego Padres on Saturday for the middle contest of their three-game interleague set.
Texas at San Diego 10:10 PM ET
Catcher Austin Hedges is putting his best foot forward as he battles rookie Francisco Mejia for a starting role with the San Diego Padres. With two homers during his team's three-game winning streak, Hedges aims to continue his surge at the plate on Friday as the Padres (59-88) begin a six-game homestand with the opener of a three-game series against Texas Rangers (62-84).
Colorado at San Francisco 10:15 PM ET
The Colorado Rockies have kicked it up a notch in pursuit of their first division title in franchise history, posting a 9-3 mark in September to seize a 1 1/2-game lead in National League West. The Rockies (81-65) hope their good fortune travels well as they begin a crucial nine-game road trip against division rivals on Friday with the opener of a three-game series versus the spiraling San Francisco Giants (68-79).