MLB viewing guide: Tuesday schedule spotlight
Matt Garza returns to the mound while Wade Davis and Matt Cain try to get their seasons back on track.
Day | Home SP | Visit. SP | Time | Where |
21-May | Wandy Rodriguez (4-2), 3.25 ERA, 4.68 FIP | Matt Garza (2013 debut) | 7:05 pm ET | CSN, ROOT Sports |
Now that he's completed his rehab from a strained left lat with Triple-A Iowa, Garza is finally ready to return to the Cubs. He looked quite impressive in his two starts, throwing 9-1/3 innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts and no walks. Garza could become valuable trade bait for the Cubs if he can demonstrate that he's still an above-average starter, though, Francisco Liriano proved last summer that, at the deadline, sometimes such proof is unnecessary.
Day | Home SP | Visit. SP | Time | Where |
21-May | Corey Kluber (3-2), 5.40 ERA, 3.39 FIP | Max Scherzer (5-0), 3.98 ERA, 2.44 FIP | 7:05 pm ET | FOX Sports-Detroit, SportsTime Ohio |
The Indians took two of three from the Tigers in Detroit when they met on May 10-12, but Scherzer beat Kluber in the opener, 10-4. The Tribe’s on a roll with five wins in a row and a 15-4 record in May, but they still rank dead-last in league attendance. Cleveland fans have been tricked by hot starts in each of the past couple seasons, so it might take more than a few weeks for them to come around to this team.
Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports
Day | Home SP | Visit. SP | Time | Where |
21-May | Yu Darvish (7-1), 2.97 ERA, 2.78 FIP | Dan Straily (1-2), 7.27 ERA, 4.19 FIP | 8:05 pm ET | FOX Sports-Southwest, CSCA |
This game appears to be a mismatch, even though the A's beat out the Rangers for the division title last year. Straily has struggled in 2013 while Darvish might be the leading candidate to start the All-Star Game for the AL, and Oakland has a sub-.500 record on the road while Texas has lost just six games in Arlington. However, one of those six losses occurred Monday night, as the A's blew out Josh Lindblom and the Rangers' bullpen. Darvish will obviously be more difficult to score against than Lindblom, but don't count Oakland out.
Day | Home SP | Visit. SP | Time | Where |
21-May | Bud Norris (4-4), 4.32 ERA, 4.15 FIP | Wade Davis (3-3), 5.98 ERA, 4.88 FIP | 8:10 pm ET | FOX Sports-Kansas City, CSN |
The Royals have played so poorly over the past couple weeks that their 17-10 start seems like a distant memory. Since beating the White Sox on a walk-off single by Alex Gordon on May 5th, they have gone 3-11, and a loss on Monday night to the lowly Astros put them under .500 for the first time since April 6th. Davis was a big part of the James Shields/Wil Myers deal, but he has disappointed Royals fans. Playing against the Astros gives him a chance to right himself and stop the Royals' four-game losing streak.
Day | Home SP | Visit. SP | Time | Where |
21-May | Matt Cain (3-2), 5.43 ERA, 5.30 FIP | Stephen Strasburg (2-5), 2.83 ERA, 3.40 FIP | 10:15 pm ET | MASN2, CSBA |
Cain’s horrid start to 2013 continues to puzzle Giants fans. Some of his misfortune can be blamed on an unusually high 2.1 HR/9 rate-his career rate is 0.8 HR/9. Opposing batters are hitting his fastball and curveball hard, even though he has not lost any zip on either pitch. Cain’s strikeout rate is around his career marks, and his walk rate is only a little higher than it was in his career-high 4.8 fWAR year in 2011.
