MLB on Sling TV: Mets at Nationals on ESPN2; regional action on Fox Sports Networks
(All times Eastern, starters subject to change)
New York Mets (Verrett 3-4, 4.14) at Washington Nationals (Scherzer 8-5, 3.52)
7pm ET on ESPN2
Pity the poor spot starter for one of the very best rotations in baseball… Logan Verrett made a pair of starts in April, filling in for Jacob deGrom, and did great, pitching 12 innings of shutout ball while giving up just 9 hits and 3 walks, and striking out 10. It would be two weeks before he got another start, and it was a disaster, as the Rockies got to him for 7 runs on 10 hits and 3 walks in just 2 ⅔ innings, and his next start, on June 11 against the Brewers was only marginally better, as he posted 4 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 5 SO, 3 HR.
Max Scherzer was scuffling along for a few weeks, going 3-2 with a 4.60 ERA, not nearly the pitcher the Nats thought they were getting when they plunked down $210 million for his services. But on May 11, against the Tigers, he found the old magic, as he joined Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and Kerry Wood as the only pitchers to strike out 20 batters in a 9-inning game, for a 3-2 win. And though he didn’t continue to fan 20 a game, he was outstanding, pitching 58 ⅓ innings with a 2.31 ERA and 82 K’s versus 10 walks… Until Friday, when he gave up 5 runs on 5 hits, including 2 homers, and 3 walks in 6 innings against the Brewers.
And here’s the action from the FOX Sports regional networks across the land…
Boston Red Sox (Price 8-4, 4.68) at Tampa Bay Rays (Moore 3-5, 5.04), 12:10pm ET on Fox Sports Sun
Miami Marlins (Koehler 6-6, 4.07) at Detroit Tigers (Norris 0-0, 4.50), 1:10pm ET on FOX Sports Detroit & FOX Sports Florida
Houston Astros (Keuchel 4-9, 5.35) at Los Angeles Angels (Weaver 6-6, 5.24), 3:35pm ET on FOX Sports West
Baltimore Orioles (Gallardo 2-1, 6.04) at San Diego Padres (Friedrich 4-2, 3.60), 3:40pm ET on FOX Sports San Diego
Philadelphia Phillies (Eflin 0-2, 6.28) at Arizona Diamondbacks (Bradley 3-3, 4.50), 3:40pm ET on FOX Sports Arizona
Texas Rangers (Martinez 1-1, 5.54) at New York Yankees (Tanaka 5-2, 3.01), 7:05pm ET on FOX Sports Southwest & YES
Cleveland Indians (Salazar 9-3, 2.40) at Atlanta Braves (De La Cruz NA), 7:10pm ET on FOX Sports Southeast & SportsTime Ohio
Los Angeles Dodgers (Stewart NA) at Milwaukee Brewers (Guerra 4-1, 3.67), 8:10pm ET on FOX Sports Wisconsin
Minnesota Twins (Nolasco 3-5, 4.95) at Chicago White Sox (Shields 2-9, 6.22), 8:10pm ET on FOX Sports North
Kansas City Royals (Volquez 7-7, 5.15) at St. Louis Cardinals (Martinez 7-5, 3.02), 8:15pm ET on FOX Sports Kansas City & FOX Sports Midwest
All stats courtesy of ESPN and Baseball Reference