MLB on Sling TV: Yankees at Blue Jays on TBS, Cardinals at Cubs on ESPN; Sunday’s Action on FOX Sports Regional Networks
(all times Eastern, starters subject to change)
New York Yankees (Pineda 6-11, 4.94) at Toronto Blue Jays (Estrada 9-9, 3.62)
1pm ET on TBS
The Yankees headed into the weekend with their once high playoff hopes dashed. After running their record to 76-65, and getting within 3 games of 1st place in the AL East, the Bombers lost 7 of 8 to fall 8 games out of the East, and 3 games out of the Wild Card. At this point Yankee fans are just hoping that Gary Sanchez can stay hot long enough to win the Rookie of the Year award, despite playing just a third of the season. The Blue Jays went into the weekend atop the Wild Card heap at 83-69 and in control of their own destiny.
Michael Pineda leads the AL in strikeouts per 9 with 10.59, but he’s also 9th in the league in earned runs allowed with 90. He’s been much better in the second half, going 3-3 with a 4.22 ERA, but it hasn’t been enough to keep New York afloat.
Marco Estrada’s last outing was probably his best start of the year, as he held the Mariners scoreless with 7 innings of 1-hit ball, while fanning 8. But that performance came on the heels of an ugly stretch of 7 starts that saw him last just 33 ⅔ innings with a 6.95 ERA, and 31 strikeouts vs. 16 walks and 8 homers.
St. Louis Cardinals (Martinez 15-8, 3.16) at Chicago Cubs (Lester 18-4, 2.36)
8pm ET on ESPN
Carlos Martinez got hurt late last year, on September 25th in fact, putting a serious kink in the Cardinals’ playoff run, as they fell 3 games to 1 to the Cubbies. But Martinez returned this spring and built on 2015’s breakout season by pitching even better, emerging as the staff ace, his 4.6 WAR being higher than the other four starters’ combined 2.5. Hopefully he can stay healthy long enough to get the Cardinals, who went into the weekend a half-game out the second Wild Card, into the postseason.
Jon Lester has quietly pitched his way into the Cy Young race, by going 8-0 with a 1.05 ERA in his last 9 starts. The voting will likely come down to him and Max Scherzer, who are tied atop the NL with 18 wins. Lester has 3 fewer wins, and his ERA is .46 lower, but Scherzer’s pitched 26 more innings, has 83 more strikeouts, and the fancy stats like WAR (6.4 to 5) and FIP (3.15 to 3.40) give him the advantage. Scherzer won the award in 2013 while with the Tigers, and finished 5th each of the last two seasons, while Lester has twice finished 4th, in 2010 and 2014.
Watch the New York Yankees vs. the Toronto Blue Jays at 1pm ET on TBS by subscribing to Sling Orange or Sling Blue, then the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Chicago Cubs at 8pm ET on ESPN on by subscribing to Sling Orange.
And here’s the action from the FOX Sports regional networks across the land…
New York Yankees (Pineda 6-11, 4.94) at Toronto Blue Jays (Estrada 9-9, 3.62)
1:07pm ET on YES
Atlanta Braves (Teheran 5-10, 3.18) at Miami Marlins (Fernandez 15-8, 2.99)
1:10pm ET on FOX Sports Florida & FOX Sports South
Boston Red Sox (Rodriguez 2-7, 4.98) at Tampa Bay Rays (Odorizzi 9-6, 3.73)
1:10pm ET on Fox Sports Sun
Chicago White Sox (Rodon 7-10, 4.29) at Cleveland Indians (Tomlin 12-8, 4.75)
1:10pm ET on SportsTime Ohio
Kansas City Royals (Volquez 10-11, 5.40) at Detroit Tigers (Boyd 6-4, 4.16)
1:10pm ET on FOX Sports Detroit
Arizona Diamondbacks (Shipley 4-4, 5.49) at Baltimore Orioles (Bundy 9-6, 4.13)
1:35pm ET on FOX Sports Arizona
Cincinnati Reds (Finnegan 9-11, 4.10) at Milwaukee Brewers (Peralta 7-10, 5.21)
2:10pm ET on FOX Sports Wisconsin
Seattle Mariners (Walker 6-11, 4.32) at Minnesota Twins (Santiago 12-8, 4.65)
2:10pm ET on FOX Sports North
Los Angeles Angels (Wright 0-3, 7.04) at Houston Astros (Musgrove 3-4, 4.71)
2:10pm ET on FOX Sports North
Texas Rangers (Lewis 6-3, 3.40) at Oakland Athletics (Cotton 1-0, 1.50)
4:05pm ET on FOX Sports Southwest
San Francisco Giants (Cain 4-8, 5.64) at San Diego Padres (Richard 3-3, 2.98)
4:40pm ET on FOX Sports San Diego
FOX is available live to Sling Blue subscribers in select markets; FOX Sports Regional Networks are available to Sling Blue subscribers in those regions. All stats courtesy of ESPN and Baseball Reference