Preview Roundups
July 21, 2017
St. Louis at Chi. Cubs 2:20 PM ET
The hot streak the Chicago Cubs have waited for all season has finally arrived. The surging Cubs aim for a seventh consecutive victory when they open a three-game series against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
Houston at Baltimore 7:05 PM ET
The Houston Astros continue to be involved in several significant trade rumors as they embark on a nine-game road trip beginning Friday night at the Baltimore Orioles. On top of the American League West since the second week of the season, the Astros are looking to improve upon a roster that led the majors in runs scored and ranked seventh in ERA entering Thursday, with names such as Oakland's Sonny Gray and Detroit's Justin Verlander among those drawing interest.
Milwaukee at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
The reeling Milwaukee Brewers continue their 10-game road trip with three against the Philadelphia Phillies beginning Friday as their lead in the National League Central has dwindled to one game over the Chicago Cubs. The Pittsburgh Pirates completed a four-game sweep of Milwaukee with a 4-2 victory Thursday to move within three of the Brewers, who matched a season high with their fifth straight loss and have scored only 11 runs during the slide.
Miami at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
Any positive vibes that the Miami Marlins entertained heading into the All-Star break have gone out the window on the heels of dropping five of six, including two of three to the team with the worst record in baseball. With a day off to lick their wounds, the Marlins begin a six-game road trip on Friday when they open a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Oakland at NY Mets 7:10 PM ET
Left-hander Steven Matz is hoping to turn the corner from a disastrous stretch, and the same can be said for the New York Mets. The 26-year-old aims to rebound from the worst start of his career on Friday as the Mets open a three-game interleague series against the Oakland Athletics at Citi Field.
Texas at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM ET
The surging Tampa Bay Rays come home after winning four of six on the West Coast to begin a six-game homestand with the first of three contests against the struggling Texas Rangers on Friday. The Rays, who finished tied for the second-least wins in the majors last year (68), hold down the first wild-card spot in the American League after earning six victories in their last eight games to put pressure on first-place Boston in the AL East.
Toronto at Cleveland 7:10 PM ET
The Cleveland Indians look to pull out of their tailspin and maintain a tenuous position atop the American League Central when they open a seven-game homestand against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. The Indians lead the Minnesota Twins by one-half game in the division despite losing six of their last seven contests after falling 5-4 at last-place San Francisco on Wednesday.
Detroit at Minnesota 8:10 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers are below .500 after 94 games for the first time in 12 years, just traded away their leading home-run hitter and are coming off their most lopsided loss of the season, yet they find themselves in the thick of the American League Central race. The Tigers attempt to improve their standing in the division Friday, when they open a three-game road series against the Minnesota Twins.
Chi. White Sox at Kansas City 8:15 PM ET
The Kansas City Royals are fresh off their top offensive assault of the season and look to continue the success when the host the Chicago White Sox on Friday for the opener of their three-game series. Kansas City established season highs in runs and hits (19) when they obliterated the Detroit Tigers 16-4 on Thursday.
Pittsburgh at Colorado 8:40 PM ET
The red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates surged into contention in the National League Central with a four-game sweep of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers and hope to keep the momentum going when they start a nine-game road trip with three against the Colorado Rockies beginning Friday. Pittsburgh was eight games behind Milwaukee when it woke up Sunday morning but finds itself only three back after Thursday's 4-2 victory moved it to 48-48.
Washington at Arizona 9:40 PM ET
A pair of playoff contenders square off when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Washington Nationals for a three-game series starting Friday. Both teams have added reinforcements via the trade market this week, with J.D. Martinez adding some pop to the Diamondbacks’ lineup while Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson bolstering the Nationals’ beleaguered bullpen.
Boston at LA Angels 10:07 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox have been spinning their wheels for most of July, a fact underscored by the team's 4-4 homestand coming out of the All-Star break. The Red Sox turn to ace Chris Sale as they look to get it in gear on Friday when they begin a six-game road trip with the opener of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.
Atlanta at LA Dodgers 10:10 PM ET
The Los Angeles Dodgers' 10-game homestand got off to a rough start, but they hope to bounce back when they continue their four-game set against the Atlanta Braves on Friday. Los Angeles' 11-game winning streak came to a crashing halt in Thursday's series opener as it fell behind early and went on to drop a 6-3 decision.
NY Yankees at Seattle 10:10 PM ET
The New York Yankees evened the ledger on their 11-game road trip and look again to protect their lead for the second wild card in the American League when they visit the Seattle Mariners on Friday for the second contest of their four-game series. New York notched a 4-1 victory in the opener to improve to 4-4 on its trek, as well as maintain its one-game lead over Minnesota for the wild-card spot.
San Diego at San Francisco 10:15 PM ET
The San Diego Padres are finding victories against the host San Francisco Giants easy to come by as they play the second contest of their four-game set on Friday. The Padres improved to 7-3 against the Giants with Thursday's series-opening 5-2 win and have won 15 of their last 20 meetings dating back to last season's All-Star break.