Preview Roundups
April 23, 2017
Chi. Cubs at Cincinnati 1:10 PM ET
The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds possess rosters that are built around young talent, but they’ll send a couple of grizzled veterans to the mound Sunday for the finale of their three-game series at Great American Ball Park. Chicago’s John Lackey and Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo will square off in a matchup of pitchers who are a combined 78 years old with 31 years of major-league experience.
Houston at Tampa Bay 1:10 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Rays attempt to win their fourth straight home series to open the season when they host the Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of a three-game set. The Rays rallied from two deficits Saturday to post a 6-3 victory, improving to 9-3 at Tropicana Field as Evan Longoria collected a pair of doubles and two RBIs for the improved offense.
Boston at Baltimore 1:35 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox came into the weekend hoping to make an early statement in the American League East and instead are wondering what happened to the offense that led the majors in runs last season. The Red Sox will try to push across enough to support the staff and avoid a sweep of the three-game set when they visit the Baltimore Orioles for the finale on Sunday.
NY Yankees at Pittsburgh 1:35 PM ET
New York was counting on improvement from its impressive collection of young players and some pop from free agent signings to lift the offseason this season, and so far they've been getting exactly what they expected. Aaron Judge and company will try to power the Yankees to a series win when they visit the Pittsburgh Pirates for the rubber match of a three-game interleague set on Sunday.
Atlanta at Philadelphia 1:35 PM ET
Since losing two of their first three games of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies have played .500 baseball, and production with runners in scoring position is a big reason why as they aim to complete a three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves at home Sunday. The Phillies are hitting .297 with runners in scoring position in their past 14 games and rode Maikel Franco’s bases-loaded 10th-inning single to a 4-3 victory Saturday.
Cleveland at Chi. White Sox 2:10 PM ET
The Cleveland Indians did not allow a run in the first two contests of their series against the host Chicago White Sox and will try to make it a three-game shutout streak when they send Danny Salazar to the mound in the finale on Sunday. The Indians are enjoying a five-game win streak and allowed a total of seven runs in that span.
Detroit at Minnesota 2:10 PM ET
On the day they placed their offensive stalwart on the disabled list, the Detroit Tigers ended a frustrating losing streak in a heated affair. The Tigers will now aim for a series win when they visit the Minnesota Twins on Sunday for the rubber match of a testy three-game set.
St. Louis at Milwaukee 2:10 PM ET
Mike Leake muddled through a mediocre first season with St. Louis in 2016, but he is showing why the Cardinals shelled out big bucks to bring him in as a free agent in December 2015. The owner of a major National League-low 0.84 ERA, Leake will make his fourth start of the season when visiting St. Louis wraps up a four-game series at the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
Kansas City at Texas 3:05 PM ET
Pitching at home early in the season has been a boon for Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers, who will look to complete a four-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon. Darvish hopes to bolster his numbers at the expense of a Kansas City offense that has scored three runs in the series and a major league-low 44 on the season.
San Francisco at Colorado 3:10 PM ET
The Colorado Rockies attempt to complete a sweep and continue their domination in the season series when they host the San Francisco Giants on Sunday for the finale of their three-game set. Colorado already is 5-1 against San Francisco just three weeks into the campaign after winning each of the first two games of this series, including a 12-3 triumph on Saturday.
Toronto at LA Angels 3:37 PM ET
After halting a three-game slide that included a 13-inning loss in the series opener, the Los Angeles Angels look to make it two wins in a row when they continue the four-game set against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Los Angeles bounced back from the marathon loss to post a 5-4 victory on Saturday behind Andrelton Simmons' second career grand slam.
Seattle at Oakland 4:05 PM ET
Andrew Triggs will try to extend a historic streak to start the season when he gets the nod Sunday for the Oakland Athletics in the finale of a four-game series with the visiting Seattle Mariners. The 28-year-old Triggs has not allowed a run in 17 2/3 innings over three starts, the longest such run to open a year in franchise history.
LA Dodgers at Arizona 4:10 PM ET
The Arizona Diamondbacks won their final four games at Chase Field last year to avoid finishing with the worst home record in the majors, but a similar scenario appears unlikely in 2017 as the majors' best offense currently is clicking on all cylinders. Tied with the New York Yankees for the best home mark in baseball, the Diamondbacks eye their first three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field in over nine years when the National League West rivals meet on Sunday.
Miami at San Diego 4:40 PM ET
Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton proved during last season's Home Run Derby and this year's World Baseball Classic that he can make Petco Park - among the most pitcher-friendly parks in the majors - look small, and he's doing it yet again. The three-time All-Star attempts to go deep for a fourth consecutive game Sunday, when the Marlins visit the San Diego Padres for the rubber match of their three-game series.
Washington at NY Mets 8:00 PM ET
The surging Washington Nationals try to extend their winning streak to seven when they visit the slumping, injury-plagued New York Mets on Sunday night for the finale of a three-game set. The Nationals took the series opener Friday in extra innings 4-3 and four pitchers allowed just two hits for a 3-1 victory in Saturday’s contest as the Mets lost for the seventh time in eight games.