MLB Games for 9/2

There are some great matchups today. Here are the games for the day.

American League

Baltimore Orioles (73-59) vs. New York Yankees (76-56) 1:05 PM ET

Texas Rangers (78-54) vs. Cleveland Indians (56-77) 1:05 PM ET

Tampa Bay Rays (72-61) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (60-72) 1:07 PM ET

Minnesota Twins (55-78) vs. Kansas City Royals (59-73) 2:10 PM ET

Boston Red Sox (62-71) vs. Oakland Athletics (74-57) 4:05 PM ET

Los Angeles Angels (71-62) vs. Seattle Mariners (64-70) 4:10 PM ET

Chicago White Sox (72-60) vs. Detroit Tigers (71-61) 8:06 PM ET

The Detroit Tigers look for a three-game sweep and a tie atop the American League Central when Justin Verlander takes the mound against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. The Tigers pulled within one game of first-place Chicago with Saturday’s 5-1 win at Comerica Park, where Detroit has won 24 of its last 30 games. The White Sox are 3-17 over their last 20 games at Comerica Park, and they’re 1-for-20 with runners in scoring position with 18 runners left on base in the first two games of the series. White Sox designated hitter Adam Dunn, who was scratched from Saturday’s starting lineup with a strained right oblique, is not expected to play Sunday.

Detroit has won six straight games against Chicago, which has recalled 33-year-old slugger Dan Johnson from Triple-A Charlotte. Johnson, who hit 28 homers with 85 RBIs in Triple-A this season, started in place of Dunn on Saturday. Detroit also took advantage of the expanded rosters by adding several players from the minors, including outfield prospect Avisail Garcia, whose first major league hit was an RBI single on Saturday. Garcia bears a striking resemblance to Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera, who raised his batting average to .332 with three hits on Saturday. Cabrera is making a bid to become the first Tigers player to hit .330-plus in back-to-back years since George Kell in 1949-50.

National League

New York Mets (63-70) vs. Miami Marlins (59-74) 1:10 PM ET

St. Louis Cardinals (72-61) vs. Washington Nationals (80-52) 1:35 PM ET

Cincinnati Reds (81-53) vs. Houston Astros (41-92) 2:05 PM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates (70-62) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (64-68) 2:10 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates were riding a hot streak and on the verge of a playoff spot when they showed up on Friday. The Milwaukee Brewers have cooled them off. The Brewers clinched a series win on Corey Hart’s walk-off homer Saturday and have won 10 of their last 12 contests, pulling to within four games of .500 (64-68). With the two losses, the Pirates have slipped 1 1/2 games out of the second National League wild card spot.

Pittsburgh squandered a pair of bases-loaded opportunities on Saturday before closer Joel Hanrahan served up Hart’s walk-off blast in the 3-2 setback. The Pirates have been trending downward for the last month, going 10-18 since Aug. 3, but a series victory over the Cardinals had improved the club’s outlook. Pittsburgh can look forward to a six-game homestand against the hapless Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros next week. Milwaukee has a much more difficult schedule and looks like a team that can throw a wrench into the playoff race. Hart has homered in both games against the Pirates while Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Braun have both been hot.

San Francisco Giants (75-58) vs. Chicago Cubs (51-81) 2:20 PM ET

San Diego Padres (62-72) vs. Colorado Rockies (54-77) 3:10 PM ET

Arizona Diamondbacks (66-68) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (71-63) 4:10 PM ET

Philadelphia Phillies (64-69) vs. Atlanta Braves (74-59) 5:05 PM ET

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