There are ten early games to enjoy this week, with all but Tuesday offering some live action to watch during the British evening. All times are listed in BST.

Monday 18th– Two early games to start the week.  The Mets take on the Pirates at 17.35 with John Maine and Paul Maholm being the scheduled starters.  At 21.30, it’s off to Turner Field as Jorge Campillo and the Braves face Barry Zito and the Giants.

Tuesday 19th– No early games, but some interesting match-ups later on.  There could be a few walks being dished out at Camden Yards as Daisuke Matsuzaka and Daniel Cabrera take the mound (00.05).  A.J. Burnett looks to notch up his sixteenth win of the season as the Blue Jays face the Yankees (00.07), while the Angels and the Rays continue their series with Ervin Santana and James Shields set to start (00.10).  Rich Harden pitches on six days rest against the Reds from 01.05, with Ben Sheets and the Brewers taking on the Astros at the same time. 

Wednesday 20th– Three early games today: useful if you want to avoid the England game against the Czech Republic.  We begin at the Metrodome as Francisco Liriano makes his fourth start since being re-called from the Minors.  First pitch against the A’s is scheduled for 18.10.  Just under an hour later, the White Sox take on the Mariners (19.05).  This should have been Carlos Silva’s scheduled turn for Seattle, but Twins fans won’t be too upset that their former pitcher (with a 4-14 record and a 6.36 ERA) will miss this start against their AL Central rivals due to being placed on the DL.  Kuckleballer R.A. Dickey gets an immediate reprieve from his brief demotion to the bullpen. In the NL Central, the Astros continue their series in Milwaukee with Wandy Rodriguez set to face Manny Parra (also at 19.05).

Thursday 21st– Cliff Lee bids for his eighteenth win of the season in the first of four early games today.  Zack Greinke and the Royals are Cleveland’s opponents in this game, starting at 17.05.  At 19.20, the Cubs take on the Reds with Carlos Zambrano scheduled to pitch at Wrigley for the home team.  The Rockies are in Los Angeles and their game against the Dodgers should see Glendon Rusch matching up against Derek Lowe.  First pitch for that one is 20.10.  Finally, Josh Johnson and the Marlins take on the Giants from 20.45; Matt Palmer looks set to make his second Major League start in opposition.

Friday 22nd – We end the working week, and start the Bank Holiday weekend, with a day game from Wrigley Field.  The Nationals are in town for a three game series against the north-siders.  First pitch is scheduled for 19.20.

The Wednesday night game on Five begins at 01.35, while NASN’s MLB schedule for the week can be found here.