Early MLB games this week: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

We’ve settled into a pattern with the early MLB games.  The opening part of the week is fairly quiet, with most (if not all) games being played at night.  The second half of the week brings more joy for Brits hoping to catch some MLB games live at a convenient time.

However, Sky subscribers will now have greater access to games thanks to ESPN America’s move to the News and Events pack.  Some are live, some are broadcast ‘as live’ the following day.  Either way, there are even more chances to watch the action.  Here’s your guide to this week’s early games, all times listed in British Summer Time. 

Monday 29

No early games today.  Later on, Roy Halladay comes off the fifteen day DL to face the Rays (00.07).  Tim Lincecum goes for his eighth win of the season in the Giants’ game against the Cardinals (01.15) and there’s a match-up between two talented youngsters in the Tigers-A’s game as Rick Porcello and Brett Anderson take the mound.

Tuesday 30

Another batch of night games brings us John Smoltz’s second start for Boston.  The Red Sox begin their game against the Orioles at five past midnight.  Other top pitchers scheduled to be starting tomorrow include Cliff Lee (00.05 against the White Sox), Joba Chamberlain (00.05 against the Mariners), Dan Haren (00.10 against the Reds), Johan Santana (01.05 against the Brewers), Chad Billingsley (03.10 against the Rockies) and a clash between Randy Johnson and Chris Carpenter (01.15).

Wednesday 1

17.10. Nationals @ Marlins – TBD, Johnson (7-1) 
18.07. Rays @ Blue Jays – Shields (6-5), Romero (5-3)  
18.35. Red Sox @ Orioles – Beckett (9-3), Bergesen (5-2)  
19.05. Mets @ Brewers – Pelfrey (5-3), Gallardo (8-4)  
19.20. Twins @ Royals – TBD, Meche (4-7)   
20.10. Rockies @ Dodgers – Hammel (5-3), Kershaw (5-5)  
20.35. Tigers @ Athletics – Verlander (8-3), Braden (5-7)

The first day of July offers us seven early games.  The Rays and Blue Jays make the AL East a genuine battle between four teams.  Games between the division rivals are therefore even more important and the combination of Shields and Romero should make this a good one to watch.  Meanwhile the Mets and Brewers come together with Pelfrey and Gallardo on the mound.

Thursday 2

17.35. D-Backs @ Reds – Buckner (2-5), Harang (5-8)  
17.35. Mets @ Pirates – Redding (1-3), Maholm (5-4)  
20.35. Astros @ Padres – Rodriguez (6-6), Correia (5-5)

The three games on Thursday all come from the National League.  The D-Backs are having a miserable year and already look like being out of the NL Wild Card race.  Prior to the season starting, the Pirates and the Astros would have been considered much more likely to be in such a position.  Neither are having great years, but the NL Central is such a closely-contested division that they are far from out of contention.

Friday 3

18.05. Blue Jays @ Yankees – TBD, TBD 
19.20. Brewers @ Cubs – TBD, TBD

We end the working week with two exciting games, one from the AL East and one from the NL Central.

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, Gameday Audio and MLB.tv), while ESPN America’s MLB schedule can be found here.