We are back!
Sunday: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim (3:35 PM ET, FS-West, SUN Sports): Here come the Tampa Bay Rays. Once again the Joe Maddon led team is
making a strong push for the postseason after being stuck in mediocrity for a
majority of the season. They currently hold the top slot of the two AL Wild
Card spots, and just pulled off a stunning 10-8 victory over the Angels last
night after being down 8-0 at one point. Today the Rays will send out rookie
Matt Moore who has steadily improved as the season has gone on. On the opposite
side, the Angels, who have all of these big names on their roster, are for some
reason stuck 3.5 games behind the Wild Card spots, and cannot seem to put
everything together. They’ll send out Zack Greinke who they acquired back at
the Trade Deadline.
Monday: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots
(8:00 PM ET, ESPN): Normally there
wouldn’t be too much to get excited for in a preseason game. This matchup
though is a pretty darn good one. It’ll be a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX and
also of a game that took place last year. The Patriots took care of business
against the Eagles in 2011, whooping them 38-20. As we know the Patriots have
done nothing but improve this offseason, with good drafting and a recent pick
up of Olympian Jeff Demps. The Eagles though are coming in with a chip on their
shoulder after falling short of their self-made goals last year. Michael Vick
& Co. certainly will look to play well in the first half of this contest.
After that, feel free to change the channel. Nobody would blame you.
Tuesday: Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals
(7:05 PM ET, SportSouth, MASN HD, MLB Network): The Washington Nationals currently sit in first place
in the National League East. Not only that, because the surprising Nats are
also sporting the best record in all of Major League Baseball. They will be
taking on the Atlanta Braves this week in a crucial series that could either
deter them from their lead in the National League East, or perhaps extend that
lead. They’ll be putting Stephen Strasburg on the mound, as polarizing as it is
these days, while the Braves will be sending out Paul Maholm. Since being
traded to Atlanta, Maholm has looked very good. He’s 2-1, with a 1.57 ERA in,
with 20 strikeouts to just five walks, and a minuscule 0.826 WHIP in 23 innings
pitched. You’ll be able to catch this game on MLB Network if you don’t live in
the vicinity of the D.C. or Atlanta area. If you can’t get MLB Network, I
recommend this as my MLB.tv Game of the Week.
Wednesday: Reading F.C. vs. Chelsea F.C. (2:45 ET,
ESPN2, ESPN3): The defending UEFA
Champions League champions will be playing at Stamford Bridge in Fulham, London
for the first time since they took home the title last May. Chelsea F.C. is
coming off of a 2-0 win against Wigan Athletic early this morning, and will
certainly be greeted warmly by their fans. Chelsea was able to get goals from
Branislav Invanovic, and Frank Lampard, and Eden Hazard had a stupendous outing
in his debut in the Premier League. Stepping into Stamford Bridge to take on
Chelsea will be Reading F.C. Reading yesterday came away with a 1-1 draw
against Stoke City. The game came down to the final minutes after Adam Le
Fondre nailed an equalizing penalty shot to force the draw and step away from a
possible defeat.
Thursday: Oakland Athletics vs. Tampa Bay Rays (7:10
PM ET, CSN-California, SUN Sports, MLB Network): If you would have predicted that the Oakland A’s
would be in playoff contention in the month of August, a majority of the
baseball-watching population would have smacked you in the face because there
was no way that they would classify you as a sane individual. Fortunately, the
A’s are in fact in contention in the month of August and have not lost any
steam yet. After they get through a series with the lowly Indians, they will be
traveling down to take on the scorching hot Tampa Bay Rays. The A’s probable
starter for this contest is veteran Bartolo Colon, who has enjoyed some success
this year. He’ll be opposed by Alex Cobb of Tampa Bay, who has been less than
stellar as of late.
Friday: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds (7:00
PM ET, FS Midwest, FS Ohio, MLB Network): Don’t look now, but the St. Louis Cardinals are once again making noise
towards the end of the season just as they did last year. They only stand one
game out of the National League Wild Card, and by this time that could either
thin, the Cardinals could be locked in one of the spots, or they could tumble a
bit. Nonetheless, they will oppose fellow NL Central rivals, the Cincinnati
Reds. The Reds have been wondrous despite the loss of their best player Joey
Votto. They lead the Central by 6.5 games over Pittsburgh and 7.5 over the
Cardinals. The Reds could gain a lot more ground if they take care of business
in this series. If you’re out of the area and get MLB Network, you’ll be able
to enjoy listening to the great Bob Costas on the call.
Saturday: Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants
(4:05 PM ET, FOX Sports): The San
Francisco Giants have been on a tear since the month of May. They have ascended
to the top of the NL West and have been dueling with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It’s been helpful to them to have Buster Posey playing as well as he has since
the All-Star Break as he’s played like a MVP candidate. Unfortunately for them
they took a blow earlier in the week when Melky Cabrera was hit with a 50-game
suspension after testing positive for testosterone. This is unfortunate for a
team that is already offensively plagued. After a series with the Dodgers,
they’ll be hosting the Braves this weekend who are also trying to get back to
the postseason. This afternoon matchup will sport a solid pitching matchup with
Mike Minor taking on Madison Bumgarner.
No comments:
Post a Comment