Preview Roundups
August 16, 2019
Milwaukee at Washington 7:05 PM ET
The fight for postseason positioning in the National League takes on a head-to-head feel Friday when the Milwaukee Brewers visit the Washington Nationals to start a three-game series. The Nationals enter the weekend in possession of the top wild card while the Brewers are one game behind the Chicago Cubs for the No. 2 spot entering play Thursday.
Cleveland at NY Yankees 7:05 PM ET
Carlos Santana continues to be make a strong case that he should be part of the American League MVP discussion, and the slugger looks to stay hot Friday when his Cleveland Indians visit the New York Yankees for the second of a four-game series. Santana went deep twice as the Indians routed the Yankees 19-5 in the series opener Thursday and needs one homer to reach 30 in a season for the second time in his career.
San Diego at Philadelphia 7:05 PM ET
The feel-good vibes surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies' offense on Wednesday were nowhere to be found through the first eight innings the following night before a six-run ninth sent the Citizens Bank Park faithful into a frenzy. The Phillies aim to ride the momentum of Bryce Harper's walk-off grand slam into Friday's opener of a three-game series against the visiting San Diego Padres.
Chi. Cubs at Pittsburgh 7:05 PM ET
The Chicago Cubs were already in the middle of a forgettable road trip before their latest meltdown away from Wrigley Field, blowing a prime opportunity to retake sole possession of first place in the National League Central. The Cubs hope to turn things around on their 10-game trek beginning Friday when they open a three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Seattle at Toronto 7:07 PM ET
A visit to the worst team in the majors helped get the offense untracked for the skidding Seattle Mariners, who will continue their 10-game road trip when they open a three-game series at the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. The Mariners and Blue Jays are both 22 games under .500 but each team is coming off a three-game series win.
Baltimore at Boston 7:10 PM ET
The Boston Red Sox are running out of time to jump back into the postseason race in the American League but are getting strong performances from some young stars as they try to climb the standings. The Red Sox get a break in the schedule when they begin a three-game series Friday at home against the American League East-worst Baltimore Orioles.
Detroit at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM ET
After just coming up short of completing a perfect road trip to maintain their hold on the second wild card, the schedule sets up quite nicely for the Tampa Bay Rays, who will play 10 in a row against three last-place clubs. The Rays kick off a six-game homestand with the first of three against the sputtering Detroit Tigers on Friday night.
St. Louis at Cincinnati 7:10 PM ET
Eugenio Suarez is heating up with the weather as he has hit safely in eight of his last nine games. Suarez aims to continue his torrid display at the plate on Friday as the Cincinnati Reds bid to win their second straight contest to begin the four-game series against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
LA Dodgers at Atlanta 7:20 PM ET
The Atlanta Braves host the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game series starting Friday that's an opportunity to prove they can play with the two-time defending National League champions. The Braves lead the NL East by 5 1/2 games and hold the second-best record in the league but were overmatched in a four-game loss to the Dodgers in last season’s NL Division Series and outscored 23-7 in an ugly three-game sweep by the NL West leaders in Los Angeles in May.
Minnesota at Texas 8:05 PM ET
The Minnesota Twins attempt to post consecutive wins for the first time in over a week and maintain their slim lead in the American League Central when they visit the Texas Rangers on Friday for the second contest of their four-game set. Minnesota remained one-half game ahead of Cleveland in the division by rolling to a 13-6 victory in the series opener.
NY Mets at Kansas City 8:15 PM ET
Pete Alonso is on the verge of making history for the New York Mets, who look to build off an impressive offensive effort when they open a three-game series at the Kansas City Royals on Friday. Alonso slugged his 39th homer and drove in six runs in Thursday's 10-8 victory in Atlanta, tying him with Cody Bellinger (2017) for the most homers by a rookie in National League history.
Miami at Colorado 8:40 PM ET
The Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies are well out of playoff contention but carry some momentum into their three-game series that begins Friday in Denver. Miami's flight to the Mile High City was a bit more tolerable after avoiding a season series sweep with a 13-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday while Colorado enjoyed a day off after Nolan Arenado belted a walk-off, two-run homer in Wednesday's 7-6 win over Arizona.
San Francisco at Arizona 9:40 PM ET
Evan Longoria is on a mini-tear and looks to continue his solid play when the San Francisco Giants visit the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday for the second contest of their four-game series. Longoria homered and drove in four runs during his three-hit performance in Thursday's 7-0 victory and is 10-for-20 with two blasts and nine RBIs over his last five contests.
Chi. White Sox at LA Angels 10:07 PM ET
Mike Trout ended his four-game hitless streak with authority as the Los Angeles Angels held on for a victory in their series opener against the Chicago White Sox. The superstar hopes for a repeat performance when the Angels host the White Sox on Friday in the second contest of a four-game set..
Houston at Oakland 10:07 PM ET
Justin Verlander looks to become the third 16-game winner in the major leagues when the Houston Astros visit the Oakland Athletics on Friday for the second contest of their four-game series. Verlander leads the American League in ERA (2.82) as he attempts to win his sixth straight decision.