Friday MLB viewing guide: Giants host Dodgers in NL West showdown
The Giants can reclaim the division lead with a sweep of their hated rivals.
Behind a strong start from Jake Peavy, the Giants finished off a sweep of the Diamondbacks with a 6-2 win and now trail the Dodgers by only two games. A sweep of Los Angeles would give San Francisco its first division lead since July 25. They'll attempt to earn the first leg of that by sending Madison Bumgarner to the hill at AT&T Park, where the Giants have won each of their last nine games.
Bumgarner didn't have his best stuff in his last start, but he worked around 10 hits to post his seventh consecutive quality start. Bumgarner failed to record a strikeout, but allowed only three runs en route to earning a win over the Tigers' David Price, who whiffed 11 batters but surrendered five runs.
Hyun-Jin Ryu will be on the mound for the Dodgers. Ryu struck out nine batters in 6⅔ innings in his last outing, a no-decision against Arizona.
Friday’s MLB schedule
| Time (ET) | Game | TV | Reason to watch |
| 1:05 p.m. | Yankees at Orioles | MLB Network, YES, MASN | An Orioles sweep would eliminate the Yankees from AL East contention |
| 7:05 p.m. | Yankees at Orioles | MLB Network, YES, MASN | Alejandro De Aza (.375 average, two home runs and two steals in six games) has been a spark for Baltimore |
| 7:05 p.m. | Cubs at Pirates | CSN Chicago, ROOT Pittsburgh | Pirates starter Gerrit Cole whiffed eight batters and homered in his last start against the Cubs |
| 7:05 p.m. | Marlins at Phillies | FS Florida, CSN Philly | Starting pitchers Henderson Alvarez and Cole Hamels both have sub-3.00 ERAs |
| 7:07 p.m. | Rays at Blue Jays | Sun Sports, Rogers Sportsnet | Jose Bautista: 7-for-23 with three homers, 12 RBI and four walks in last six games |
| 7:08 p.m. | Indians at Tigers | MLB Network, SportsTime Ohio, FS Detroit | The Indians are only 3½ games behind the Tigers in the Wild Card standings after a doubleheader sweep over the Twins Thursday |
| 7:10 p.m. | Nationals at Mets | MASN2, SNY | HBPs and ejections were prevalent Thursday. Could the fireworks carry over? |
| 8:05 p.m. | Braves at Rangers | FS South, TXA-21 | Alex Wood: 1.95 ERA, 53 strikeouts in last eight starts (55⅓ innings) |
| 8:10 p.m. | Red Sox at Royals | NESN, FS Kansas City | Red Sox starter Allen Webster has allowed 15 earned runs in his last 13⅔ innings |
| 8:10 p.m. | Reds at Brewers | FS Ohio, FS Wisconsin | Reds (7-6 vs. Brewers this season) will be looking to play spoiler |
| 8:10 p.m. | Twins at White Sox | FS North, CSN Chicago+ | Twins lead MLB with 202 runs scored since Aug. 1 |
| 8:15 p.m. | Rockies at Cardinals | ROOT Rocky Mountain, FS Midwest | Matt Holliday (6-for-14) and Yadier Molina (5-for-11) have Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa's number |
| 9:40 p.m. | Padres at Diamondbacks | FS San Diego, FS Arizona | Arizona has an MLB-leading 18 rookies on its roster |
| 10:05 p.m. | Astros at Angels | CSN Houston, FS West | Chris Carter leads MLB with 23 homers since July 1 |
| 10:10 p.m. | Athletics at Mariners | CSN California, ROOT Northwest | The A's lead the Mariners by just 1½ games in the AL Wild Card race |
| 10:15 p.m. | Dodgers at Giants | SportsNet LA, NBC Bay Area | San Francisco has won nine consecutive games at AT&T Park |
Relevant links
- Royals Review’s Max Rieper runs down a list of reasons why Kansas City manager Ned Yost is so frustrating.
- How did the Angels get so good? MLB Daily Dish’s Jasper Scherer breaks it down.
- Keep track of the standings and playoff races here.
