After a bumper crop of 18 early games last week, it’s a disappointing schedule for us over the next few days.Â
Only five MLB games are scheduled to start before midnight UK time during the working week. Our best hope could be for a spot of rain to force a double-header in a few places, providing us with an extra early game or two.
If that doesn’t happen, we should at least be grateful for the early games that we are able to follow live at a convenient time. Here they are, all times listed in BST.
Monday 6 June
No early games
Tuesday 7 June
No early games
Wednesday 8 June
17.05. Minnesota at Cleveland (Pavano – Masterson)
17.35. Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati (Dempster – Arroyo)
20.45. Washington at San Francisco (Maya – Cain)
23.35. Colorado at San Diego (Cook – Moseley)Â
Carl Pavano is coming off a complete game pitched against the Royals, while Justin Masterson took a loss against Texas. There could be a few home runs in Cincinnati as Bronson Arroyo has allowed 14 longballs so far this season, while Ryan Dempster was hit around in his last start against the Cardinals and was taken deep twice.
Matt Cain will look to continue his recent good form for the Giants at AT&T Park. There’s more than just the game on the line for Yunesky Maya as he is fighting to keep hold of his rotation spot after two indifferent starts. In the later game, Aaron Cook should make his 2011 season debut after suffering an injury in Spring Training.
Thursday 9 June
21.10. Toronto at Kansas City (Romero – Hochevar)
Ricky Romero had turned in five impressive starts in a row and was on course to add a sixth to the streak until a Mark Reynolds grand slam ruined his last start against the Orioles. He’ll look to start another run of strong outings in this game against a young Royals team.
Friday 10 June
No early games
All of these games are available to watch live via the MLB.TV subscription at MLB.com. The early games being shown on ESPN America are highlighted above, while the ESPN/ESPN America schedule can be found on their website. The full schedule for this week’s games can be found on MLB.com.