MLB Previews

The Washington Nationals will take the type of dominance they got Saturday out of MacKenzie Gore every day. Well, hopefully not every day, according to manager Dave Martinez. Gore showed why he was one of the centerpieces of the 2022 trade that sent star outfielder Juan Soto to San Diego in exchange for a haul of Padres prospects, striking out 11 over five innings in a 3-1 win in Oakland. But in piling up the

A day after Houston’s newfound workhorse turned in another stellar outing, the Astros hand the ball to a guy who has come through for them for years. And they’re hoping he can lead them to a series win. Right-hander Cristian Javier (1-0, 1.10 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound Sunday when the Astros host the Texas Rangers in the finale of the three-game set between in-state rivals. The reason Houston can take the series

When the Atlanta Braves take the field in South Florida on Sunday, they’ll be looking not only for a series win, but for some more consistency out of their offense. The lack of consistency is why they aren’t going for a series sweep. After putting up an eight-spot in the run column Friday night, Atlanta’s potent lineup managed just one run on six hits against Florida Marlins pitcher Max Meyer on Saturday in a 5-1

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson took pride in completing six innings in his previous start, but that perseverance came at a cost after he allowed six runs in the initial frame. Gibson (1-1, 6.23 ERA) will try to rebound on Saturday when the Cardinals face the Arizona Diamondbacks in the middle contest of a three-game set in Phoenix. St. Louis posted a 9-6 win in the series opener Friday night to start a six-game

Early in every season, there are times when a team won’t have much of an idea of what to expect of the next day’s starting pitcher. That will be the case Saturday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers meet the visiting San Diego Padres in the second game of this three-game series. The Dodgers know that San Diego right-hander Matt Waldron (0-1, 3.86 ERA) throws a knuckleball. Even if Waldron doesn’t consider himself a “knuckleball

The Tampa Bay Rays will look for even more production from a slimmer Harold Ramirez in Saturday’s game against the San Francisco Giants in St. Petersburg, Fla. Ramirez legged out a pair of infield hits on Friday in a 3-for-4 outing that also saw him steal a base. “That’s what happens when you lose some weight, you can run better and faster,” said Ramirez, who scored both runs in Tampa Bay’s 2-1 win over San

It will be experience against youth on the mound Saturday when the Atlanta Braves visit the Miami Marlins in the middle game of a weekend series. The Braves, who won the series opener 8-1 on Friday, will start left-hander Chris Sale (1-0, 3.38 ERA), while the Marlins will go with right-hander Max Meyer (1-0, 2.45). At 35, Sale is a decade older than Meyer. But their careers align in that both are former first-round draft

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Yariel Rodriguez is scheduled to make his major league debut Saturday afternoon against the visiting Colorado Rockies. The 27-year-old Rodriguez arrived from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, and the plan is to activate him Saturday to make the start. The Rockies will counter with right-hander Dakota Hudson (0-2, 2.38 ERA). Colorado used a 20-hit attack to win the opener of the three-game set 12-4 on Friday night. Rodriguez is signed to a

The Oakland Athletics are doing the little things necessary for big things to happen. After losing 102 games in 2022 and 112 last season, the A’s are showing spunk early in 2024. They’ve gained momentum by winning five of their past six games. They have come out on top in back-to-back one-run games, including Friday night’s 2-1, 10-inning decision against the visiting Washington Nationals. The teams will meet again Saturday afternoon, with the Athletics liking