Tag Archives: Gameday

Ffiteen early games on the final day of the 2009 regular season

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For the final time in 2009, all thirty Major League teams are in action today.  Every one of the fifteen games is being played during the day in the States, meaning that we’ve got a full choice of games to follow in the British evening.  However, beware MLB.com struggling to cope with the demand, as happened last year.

The two most important games begin at 18.05 (White Sox-Tigers) and 19.10 (Royals-Twins).  If either Detroit or Minnesota wins and the other loses, the winner takes the AL Central.  If the two teams get the same result today (either both winning or both losing), they will play a single game decider on Tuesday at the Metrodome. First pitch for that potential game is a U.K. friendly 22.00 BST.  All times below are in BST.  Continue reading →

Saturday’s early MLB games

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The AL Central battle is still alive after yesterday’s games.  Detroit were shutout by Jake Peavy and the White Sox in an 8-0 loss, while Minnesota held on to beat the Royals 10-7.  The Twins’ game today starts at 21.10 BST, although they have the tough task of facing Zack Greinke.  It’s one of seven early games today, all listed below with times in BST.

18.05. D-Backs @ Cubs – Cabrera (0-5), Wells (11-10)
18.10. Astros @ Mets – Bazardo (1-2), Misch (2-4)
18.10. Brewers @ Cardinals – Villanueva (3-10), Lohse (6-9)
21.05. Angels @ A’s – Kazmir (9-9), Eveland (2-3)
21.10. Marlins @ Phillies -Sanchez (3-8), Hamels (10-10)
21.10. Royals @ Twins – Greinke (16-8), Blackburn (11-11)
21.10. Nationals @ Braves – Detwiler (1-6), Jurrjens (14-10)

Later on, the Tigers have Alfredo Figaro on the mound at five past midnight against Freddy Garcia. Meanwhile the Dodgers and Rockies continue their contest for the NL West and Wild Card titles at Dodger Stadium with first pitch set for 03.10.

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  ESPN America will show Royals-Twins ‘as live’ at midnight, followed by Rockies-Dodgers live at 03.00.

Early MLB games this week: the final few days

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It seems incredible, but it’s true: we’ve reached the final week of the MLB regular season.  Of the eight potential playoff spots, there are probably only two still up for grabs over these last few days.  The Rockies are still in pole position to win the NL Wild Card, but the Braves are catching them fast and could still snatch it from them at the death.  Meanwhile the AL Central is a genuine two-way battle between the Twins and Tigers and they will meet for a four-game series in Detroit, the final game of which is an early encounter on Thursday.

All times are in BST.  Continue reading →

Sunday’s early MLB games

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It’s a full house of early games today as all fifteen contests will take place under daylight.  ESPN will be showing the Red Sox-Yankees game rather than broadcasting in the usual Sunday Night slot.  All times are in BST.

18.05. Orioles @ Indians – Tillman (2-4), Huff (10-8)
18.05. Red Sox @ Yankees – Byrd (1-2), Pettitte (13-7)
18.07. Mariners @ Blue Jays – Rowland-Smith (4-3), Tallet (7-9)
18.10. Mets @ Marlins – Misch (1-4), Johnson (15-5)
18.35. Braves @ Nationals – Lowe (15-9), Hernandez (8-12)
18.35. Dodgers @ Pirates – Kershaw (8-8), McCutchen (0-2)
19.05. Reds @ Astros – Cueto (10-10), Rodriguez (13-11)
19.05. Tigers @ White Sox – Jackson (13-7), Hudson (0-1)
19.05. Phillies @ Brewers – Blanton (11-7), Bush (5-8)
19.10. Twins @ Royals – Liriano (5-12), Greinke (15-8)
20.05. Rays @ Rangers – Price (9-7), McCarthy (7-4)
20.10. Cardinals @ Rockies – Lohse (6-8), De La Rosa (15-9)
20.35. A’s @ Angels – Gonzalez (0-3), Saunders (14-7)
21.05. Cubs @ Giants – Wells (11-9), Cain (13-7)
21.10. Padres @ D-Backs – Mujica (3-4), Buckner (2-6)

Plenty to look forward to there, including a big game for the Braves who have now pulled to within 2.5 games of the Rockies in the NL Wild Card race thanks to their five-game winning streak.  The Giants and Marlins may both feel that they still have an outside chance of sneaking into the playoffs as well.  In the American League, the only race really left open is in the Central division.  Detroit look to have the better of the match-ups today.  They have Edwin Jackson on the mound against Ben Hudson, making just his second Major League start.  In contrast, Minnesota have to face Zack Greinke.

All the above games can be followed via various resources on MLB.com (Gameday, Gameday Audio and MLB.tv).  ESPN America will broadcast the Red Sox-Yankees game at 18.00 and then an ‘as live’ showing of the Cardinals-Rockies game at 22.00.

Saturday’s early MLB games

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There are four early games today.  The Mariners and Blue Jays are playing out the string, but the other three games take you right into the heart of the postseason race. All times are in BST.

18.05. Braves @ Nationals – Hanson (10-4), Mock (3-9)
18.07. Mariners @ Blue Jays – Snell (7-10), Purcey (1-2)
21.10. Red Sox @ Yankees – Matsuzaka (3-5), Sabathia (18-7)
21.10. Cubs @ Giants – Gorzelanny (6-2), Zito (10-12)  Continue reading →

MLB.tv going Flash

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In my recent review of MLB.com for 2008, I highlighted the major switch to Silverlight and the possibility that extra features could be introduced this year as a result.  Matt W immediately picked me up on that point, noting in the comments that the MLB Support team had confirmed that Silverlight would not be used any more and that they would be switching to a Flash player.

With the announcement of the subscription details for the 2009 season likely being just a month away  (they were released on 9 February last year), some extra publicity of this decision may convince more potential subscribers to start budgeting so that they can sign up.  Continue reading →

MLB.com – 2008 review and looking ahead

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The MLB Network came to life in the States on Thursday, giving our American friends a channel that provides them with coverage of their favourite sport twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. 

As the network is currently limited to America, the multimedia content on MLB.com will remain the most important part of the MLB broadcasting suite for those of us outside the U.S.  It’s therefore a good time to look back at the internet-based content they provided in 2008 and to look ahead to what may be in store for us international baseball fans over the coming months.  Continue reading →

MLB.com’s Gameday Mini

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The Gameday feature on MLB.com has continued to evolve over the past few years from a simple way to keep track of a game to a fantastic resource.    We now enjoy 3D graphics of each pitch accompanied by data such as pitch type and speed.  Video clips of the top plays also have been inserted seamlessly into the application.  In fact, for some people Gameday now includes too many options.  If you are sat in front of your monitor solely following a game then it is fantastic.  If, as is more often the case, you want to follow the game while doing other things on your PC/Mac, the full Gameday is a bit cumbersome.

MLB.com have therefore recently launched a smaller, more stripped-down version of the application.  It’s called Gameday Mini and is a triumph of design and functionality.  Continue reading →

More trade news than early games this week

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Much of the attention over the next few days will be focused on the many trade rumours flying around, and possibly the odd actual trade, as the non-waiver wire trading window slams shut on Thursday.  That’s good news as there are only six early games to enjoy this week.  Still, there are plenty of important contests going on at some time or another, not least of which being a four-game series from the top of the NL Central.

Monday 28th July – No early games today.  Of the later matches, there’s no doubt which one stands out the most.  The Cubs face the Brewers at Miller Park from 01.05 with CC Sabathia set to start for Milwaukee.  CC has been perfect so far for his new team, going 4-0 in four starts with a 1.36 ERA, but this is the sort of big game that he was really acquired for. 

Tuesday 29th July – No early games again, but several interesting pitching match-ups.  We have to start with the next installment of the Cubs vs Brewers series (01.05), where Carlos Zambrano takes on the Brewers’ other ace: Ben Sheets.  Elsewhere, John Lackey and the Angels face the Red Sox at Fenway (00.05), and the Rays and the Blue Jays square off with Matt Garza and Roy Halladay set to start (00.07).

Wednesday 30th July – Three early games from the American League today.  We start in Toronto at 17.37 as the Rays and the Blue Jays continue their series with Edwin Jackson and John Parrish being the probable pitchers.  At 18.05, it’s another game from the AL East: the Orioles versus the Yankees.  Finally, we head to Oakland to see Sean Gallagher and the A’s take on Brian Bannister and the Royals.

Thursday 31st July – All eyes will be on the MLB news sites as the trading deadline closes at 21.00.  Most teams will be starting their games after the deadline has passed, but there are two early games today, one each from the AL Central and the NL Central.  The junior circuit should serve up a good contest between two top young pitchers, as Justin Verlander and the Tigers face Fausto Carmona and the Indians at the ballpark formerly known as Jacobs Field (17.05). Two hours later, it’s the finale from the four-game series between the Cubs and the Brewers with Rich Harden, still without a win in a Cubs uniform despite pitching brilliantly since his move from the A’s, expected to take the mound.  Later on (03.10), the D-Backs and the Dodgers begin an important four-game series with Brandon Webb and Derek Lowe scheduled to kick things off.

Friday 1st August - The first day of August and that means two-thirds of the regular season have now passed.  Scary how the season seems to fly by, isn’t it?  Anyway, once again we get to spend a Friday evening in the company of the Cubs.  The Pirates are their opponents, with first pitch scheduled for 19.20.

Five’s Wednesday night show begins at 01.40, while NASN’s MLB schedule for the week can be found here. 

Live baseball over the next three days

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As promised, here is an abbreviated guide to this week’s abbrevaited MLB schedule.  All times are listed in BST.

Thursday 17th – No early games today and only four later on.  Johan Santana versus Johnny Cueto should be worth watching though, with first pitch set for ten past midnight.

Friday 18th – No early games again, but there are several interesting match-ups in the early hours of Saturday morning.  From the NL East we have the Phillies against the Marlins with Jamie Moyer and Ricky Nolasco taking the mound from 00.10.  At the same time we have a clash from the AL East, with A.J. Burnett and the Blue Jays facing James Shields and the Rays.  The top two teams in the NL West begin a three game weekend series at 02.40 as the Dodgers travel to Arizona to face the D-Backs.  The Red Sox and the Angels begin their series with Clay Buchholz scheduled to compete against John Lackey (first pitch 03.05), while CC Sabathia makes his third start in a Brewers uniform against Matt Cain and the Giants at AT&T Park (03.15).

Saturday 19th – While we’re looking ahead, we may as well take a quick glimpse at the six early games being played on Saturday.  We start with the A’s against the Yankees at 18.05, where Sean Gallagher and Joba Chamberlain should be starting.  There are four games beginning at 20.55, with the pick of the crop probably being Josh Beckett and the Red Sox against Joe Saunders and the Angels.  Elsewhere, the Indians take on the Mariners, the Phillies face the Marlins, and the Padres play against the Cardinals.  Ten minutes later, the Brewers and the Giants start their game with the NL All Star starter Ben Sheets and Jonathan Sanchez taking the mound.  And if those six don’t whet your appetite, at 23.10 it’s the Blue Jays against the Rays with the exciting prospect of Roy Halladay squaring off against Scott Kazmir EDIT: Due to Kazmir’s All Star exertions, Matt Garza gets the start instead.