Rangers, Mariners Open Three-Game Series Monday Night On ESPN

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN launches another week of MLB action Monday night with an AL West showdown between the Mariners and Rangers.

Monday night’s edition of Monday Night Baseball presented by USAA will see the Rangers hosting the Seattle Mariners in the opening game of a three-game series between the American League West opponents.  Hisashi Iwakuma (14 – 9) is slated to get the start for the Mariners while  Yu Darvish (4 – 3) will get the start for the Rangers.  Iwakuma’s last time on the mound was Aug. 24 against the Yankees.  He took the loss in the game, pitching six innings and allowing three runs on six hits over that time.  He also allowed 3 earned runs, two walks and one home run during his time on the mound, earning just 3 Ks along the way.

Yu Darvish’s last time on the mound was Aug. 24 against Cincinnati. The Rangers got the win in the game, 6 – 5.  He had his share of struggles in his six innings on the mound.  All five of the Reds’ runs in the game came against Darvish over just four hits.  He also allowed five walks and three earned runs while picking up five Ks.  By comparison, Reds pitcher Tim Adleman didn’t fare much better, allowing five runs and five hits, four earned runs, and three home runs while picking up just one K.  That pushed Adleman’s ERA to 3.68 so far on the season.

This week’s three-game home stand against the Mariners bodes well for the Rangers.  That is because Texas, who is 6 – 4 in its last 10 games, has shined at home this season going 41 – 21 at home so far while Seattle has had a harder go of it.  The Mariners are 4- 6 in their last 10 games and are currently in the midst of a two-game skid.  Seattle is 32 – 34 on the road so far versus its slightly better 36 – 28 home record so far.

Coverage of Monday night’s series opener between the Rangers and Mariners begins at 8pm ET.  Dave Flemming will have the call for the full national telecast.  He will be joined in the booth by analysts Eduardo Perez and Dallas Braden for additional commentary.  The broadcast will be preceded by Baseball Tonight at 7pm ET.

More information on Monday night’s game is available online now along with all of the latest MLB headlines at:

 

 

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/mlb

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBTN

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Cubs, Pirates Face Off In Key NL Central Matchup Tonight On MNB

Courtesy: ESPN

The Pittsburgh Pirates took 2 of 3 against the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend, winning 4 – 1 and 5 – 1 Friday and Saturday respectively.  But the Reds got a bit of revenge Sunday night, taking the last of the teams’ 3-game series 6 – 5 in extra innings.  Now after that tough loss the Pirates look to regroup as they are set to face yet another NL Central foe this week in the form of the Chicago Cubs.  The teams face off this week in a 3-game series that begins tonight.  And ESPN will have full coverage of the series’ opener in this week’s edition of Monday Night Baseball presented by USAA.

Tonight’s game (and the series in whole) will have major implications for both teams even this early in the season.  That is because there’s more than just NL pride on the line.  The team’s cross city rivals, the White Sox, currently sit at 18 – 8 on the season so far.  The Cubs on the other hand are 17 – 6 so far on the season.  In the NL ranks, the Cubs are currently trying to hold off the second place Washington Nationals (17 – 7).  A win tonight (and wins Tuesday and Wednesday) would help the Cubs pad their lead over the Nats.  It would also help the Cubs in their rivalry with the White Sox.  On the other side of the ball, a win in tonight’s series opener (combined with wins Tuesday and Wednesday) would help the Pirates as they battle with the Phillies and the Cubs for position.

Gerrit Cole is currently expected to start for the Pirates tonight.  He is 2- 2 so far on the season.  His last time on the mound was six days ago on April 26^th against Colorado.  The Pirates routed the Rockies in that game 9 – 4 with Cole pitching six innings.  Cole didn’t have the greatest game, allowing 4 runs and 2 earned runs on 8 hits, and 1 home run.  He walked 2 and struck out 3.  This was all against 27 total batters.  Thanks to good fielding on Pittsburgh’s side and just as many problems for Colorado’s bullpen, the Pirates were able to pull off the win.

Starting for the Cubs tonight will be Jason Hammel.  Hammel is currently 3 – 0 on the season.  He has had plenty of time to rest and prepare for tonight’s game.  That’s because his last time on the mound was seven days ago against the Reds.  The Cubs blanked the Reds in that game 9 – 0.  Hammel was credited with the win having pitched 6 innings.  He was in top form in the game, too, allowing 0 runs on only 3 hits.  He walked only 2 of the 23 batters that he faced and struck out 7 while allowing 0 home runs and 0 earned runs.  Red pitcher Alfredo Simon meanwhile struggled mightily in the game, pitching only 2.2 innings before being pulled.  In that short time, he allowed 8 runs, 8 earned runs, and 2 home runs on 10 hits.  He walked only 1 of the 18 batters that he faced and struck out only 3.  So needless to say that Hammel will be on his A-game tonight.

Adding to the interest for tonight’s game (and this week’s series) is that while Pittsburgh and Chicago are evenly matched in their home records—Pittsburgh is 7 – 4 at home so far this season to Chicago’s 7 – 3—the visiting Cubs are 10 – 3 on the road so far to Pittsburgh’s 8 – 6 road record.  Chicago is 7 – 3 in its last 10 games while Pittsburgh is 8 – 2 in its last 10.  So when all of the numbers are added up, they show tonight’s game to be full of fireworks for both sides.  The same can be said of Tuesday and Wednesday’s games, too.

Dave Flemming will be in the booth for tonight’s game.  He will be joined by analysts Dallas Braden and Eduardo Perez for additional commentary.  ESPN Deportes will simulcast the game for the network’s Spanish-speaking audiences.  More information on tonight’s game is available online now along with all of the latest MLB headlines at:

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/mlb

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBTN

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Adds NL, AL Matchups To Its MNB, WNB Broadcast Schedule

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN has added two more games to its Major League Baseball broadcast schedule.

On Monday, April 18^th, the Cubs and Cardinals will face off live on ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball presented by USAA.  The game is the series-opener in a three-game set between the NL Central opponents.  The game will also mark the midway point of what will be a six-game home stand for the team.   No announcement has been made at this time in regards to starting lineups or pitching rotations for either team in the game.  The other three games in that run will see the Cardinals host another NL Central opponent, the Cincinnati Reds.  Currently the Reds sit second in the division just behind the Cubs.  Dave Flemming will be in the booth for the game.  He will be joined by analysts Curt Schilling and Eduardo Perez for additional commentary.

Also added to the network’s MLB coverage, the defending MLB champion Kansas City Royals will host the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, April 20^th on ESPN’s Wednesday Night Baseball presented by Hankook Tires.  Currently the Royals sit fourth in the AL Central, one game back from the division-leading Tigers.  The White Sox and Indians currently sit in second and third respectively in the division.  The game will be the second in a three-game set between those two teams.  Coverage is expected to begin at 7pm ET on ESPN.  Jon Sciambi will be in the booth for the game.  Analysts Rick Sutcliffe and Eduardo Perez will also be on hand for additional commentary.  As an additional note, this game will be a full national telecast.

Both the NL Central matchup on the 18^th and the AL Central game set for the 20^th will be simulcast on television on ESPN Deportes and online via WatchESPN.  More information on both of these games is available online along with all of the latest MLB headlines at:

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/mlb

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBTN

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.comphilspicks and “Like” it.

ESPN Sets Its Sights On NL Playoff Race Sunday And Monday On SNB, MNB

Courtesy: ESPN

August, for most people, is part of what is known as the “dog days of summer.” It is one of the hottest times of the year weather-wise. It is also one of the hottest times of the year for Major League Baseball. That is because things really start to get heated in the race for the playoffs. And this weekend things will definitely get hot in the Big Apple as the Mets host the Nationals on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell in a National League showdown that will definitely have playoff implications for both teams.

Sunday’s game will be the closer in a three-game series between the NL East foes. The series kicks off Friday evening at Shea Stadium. Noah Syndergaard is expected to take the mound for the hometown boys while Jordan Zimmerman is expected to start for the Nats. Syndergaard’s last time taking the mound was Tuesday against the Padres and was credited with the win in that game. He pitched eight innings, allowing only three hits, no runs, no earned runs, and no walks En route to the win. He also struck out nine batters and allowed no home runs.

Zimmerman’s last time on the mound was Tuesday against Miami. Zimmerman took the loss in Miami’s 4 – 1 win over the Nats. He allowed eight hits, three runs, three earned runs, and two walks over six innings and struck out only two batters before being pulled in the seventh.

The Nationals currently lead the National League East division with the Mets trailing in second place by only a single game. Right now the Mets sit precariously in seventh place in the National League standings only a spot ahead of eighth place Arizona, who sits right now at 48 – 51 on the season. New York currently sits 52 – 48 on the season and split its last ten games going 5 – 5 along the way. However, the team is currently in the midst of a three-game win streak that includes a win Tuesday night against the Padres in New York. Tuesday’s game is part of a three-game home stand against the Padres that wraps Thursday night at Shea Stadium. By the numbers, the Mets are much better at home (35 – 16) than on the road (17 – 32). That bodes well for the Mets as the team continues its home stand this weekend against the Nats as they, too are better at home than on the road, going 28 – 19 at home and 24 – 27 on the road so far this season.

Dan Shulman will have the call for Sunday night’s game between the Mets and Nats. He will be joined by his SNB cohorts-analysts Curt Schilling and John Kruk—in the booth. Reporters Buster Olney will also be on hand with all of the latest news and updates on the game and from around the league. Broadcast is scheduled to begin at 8pm ET. It will be preceded, as it is each week, by Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet, at 7pm ET. Karl Ravech will anchor the broadcast and will be joined by analyst Rick Sutcliffe and reporter Nicole Briscoe. Those that won’t be near a TV Sunday night can still catch both broadcasts online via WatchESPN. Sunday’s game will be simulcast in Spanish via ESPN Deportes for ESPN’s Spanish-speaking audiences.

*             *             *

Monday night on ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball presented by USAA, the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates open a three-game series between the NL Central foes. This series, too has playoff implications as both teams are in the hunt for the post-season with Pittsburgh currently sitting second in the National League at 58 – 41, five and a half games back from the NL-leading Cardinals. Chicago sits sixth in the National League standings at 52 – 47. Pittsburgh has split its last ten games, going 5 – 5 along the way and has won its last two games. Before hosting the Cubs next Monday, Pittsburgh looks to finish off the Twins tonight in the teams’ two-game series before heading to Cincinnati to face the struggling Reds in a four-game series that wraps this Sunday night. While Pittsburgh is far better at home than on the road, the team’s series against Cincinnati could improve its road record if the Reds’ struggles continue. And that could play into Pittsburgh’s momentum as it opens its series against the Cubs Monday night. Dave O’Brien will have the call for Monday’s game. He will be joined in the booth by analysts Aaron Boone and Dallas Braden for additional commentary and coverage.  Monday’s game will be simulcast on television and online via ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and WatchESPN. Currently there is no information regarding who will take the mound for the Pirates or Cubs for Monday’s game. Fans on both sides of the ball can keep up with that information online now along with all of the latest baseball news at:

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/mlb

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Adds Reds, Cubs Matchup To Its SNB Broadcast Schedule

ESPN announced the latest addition to its weekly Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell broadcast schedule this week. On June 14th, ESPN’s flagship baseball broadcast will come live from Chicago as the Cubs host the Reds in an NL Central showdown.

ESPN’s June 14th broadcast will be the closer for the teams’ four-game series, which kicks off Thursday, June 11th. Details for each team’s starting lineup will be released soon. Cincinnati (21 – 27) just finished a three-game sweep of the NL East-leading Washington Nationals on Sunday going 8 – 2 against the Nats. Cincinnati won Friday’s game 5 – 2 and went 8 -5 on Saturday. Cincinnati’s win today came courtesy of a 6-run deluge from the Reds in the 7th inning after a relatively quiet day on both sides of the bat. Before that, Washington had only allowed 2 total runs from Cincinnati. One came in the 4th and the other in the 5th. The Nats’ bullpen struggled in Sunday’s game, with starter Tanner Rourke allowing 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 2 home runs, and 2 walks in 6 innings pitched. He struck out only 1 batter along the way. Things weren’t much better for the rest of Washington’s bullpen as Matt Grace and Aaron Barrett combined to allow a total of 6 runs, 5 hits, and 6 earned runs. Grace also allowed 2 walks in his time on the mound before being pulled. On the other side of the ball, Cincinnati starter Michael Lorenzen had a slightly better day, allowing only 1 hit and striking out 4 over 6 innings. He had his share of struggles, though. He walked 6 batters, allowed 2 runs, and 2 earned runs over that span of time.

There’s no time to rest for Washington as it prepares for a 7-game home stand beginning Monday night with a three-game series against the Miwaukee Brewers. That series will be followed up by a 4-game series against the Cubs. The Reds only get a day to rest on Monday before hitting the road again on Tuesday, this time to face the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series in the city of brotherly love. After that, it’s back home for a three-game home-stand against San Diego and then another three-game run against Philadelphia at Great American Ballpark before that long 4-game stretch against the Cubs, which will lead up to ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell broadcast on the 14th that will see that series’ final game.

Courtesy: ESPN (L – R) Dan Shulman, John Kruk, Curt Schilling

Dan Shulman will have the call for the June 14th broadcast of Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell. He will be joined in the booth by analysts Curt Schilling and John Kruk. Buster Olney will also be on hand during the game for additional coverage. Those not near a TV during the game can catch it on their local ESPN Radio affiliate. Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton will have the call for ESPN Radio. Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet will precede Sunday night’s game. It will air at 7pm ET on ESPN with Karl Ravech anchoring the broadcast. He will be joined by analyst Aaron Boone and reporters Tim Kurkjian and Nicole Briscoe. There’s lots of other action on the diamond in the weeks leading up to that June 14th broadcast including the the Cardinals on the road against the Dodgers on June 7th and the Angels hosting the Tigers tonight, May 31st. The current broadcast schedule, for those that would like to know, of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell is listed below.

Sunday Night Baseball upcoming schedule:

Date Game

May 31 Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim presented by Taco Bell

June 7 St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers presented by Taco Bell

June 14 Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs presented by Taco Bell

June 21 San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers presented by Taco Bell

June 28 Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals presented by Taco Bell

July 5 TBD

July 12 St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates presented by Taco Bell

July 19 Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim presented by Taco Bell

More information on ESPN’s MLB coverage is available online now along with all of the latest MLB news at:

Website: http://espn.go.com/mlb

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

AL Central, NL Central Matchups Take Center Stage This Weekend On ESPN’S MLB Coverage

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell closes out its 25^th season of MLB coverage this weekend when the NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals host division foes the Cincinnati Reds.

Sunday night’s matchup will be the closer in a three-game series between the NL Central foes. Dan Shulman will have the call for Sunday night’s broadcast. He will be joined by analysts John Kruk, Curt Schilling, and reporter Buster Olney for commentary. Coverage of the game is scheduled to begin at 8pm ET. Before Shulman and his SNB colleagues bring audiences Sunday’s season-ending broadcast, Karl Ravech and MLB Hall of Famer (and Cincinnati Reds great) Barry Larkin will have all of the latest baseball headlines on Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet live at 7pm ET. For those that won’t be near a TV, the game will be simulcast on ESPN Radio affiliates nationwide and online at WatchESPN. Spanish-speaking audiences can catch the game on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes Radio.

Tonight, ESPN2 will have another matchup with even bigger playoff implications as the Kansas City Royals host the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game series between the AL Central foes. Detroit currently leads the Royals by only half a game. And it looks to end its current two-game skid as it comes into Kansas City today in that series’ first game. This weekend’s series looks to be a close one as the Royals and Tigers are evenly matched. Detroit is 43 – 35 on the road while Kansas City is 41 – 36 at home. Interestingly enough, Kansas City is 4 – 6 in its last 10 games while Detroit is 7 – 3 in its last 10 games. Dan Shulman and company will be on hand for tonight’s broadcast. Hakem Dermish and analysts Alex Cora and Mark Mulder will have all the latest from around the league before the game at 7pm ET on Baseball Tonight. Fans can also catch the series’ second game live Saturday on their local ESPN Radio affiliate. Jon Sciambi will have the call for that game. He will be joined by Jim Bowden for additional commentary. The duo will also have full coverage of Sunday night’s game between the Cardinals and Reds.

More information on this weekend’s MLB coverage is available online at

Website: http://espn.go.com/mlb
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Announces Latest Addition To Its Sunday Night Baseball Schedule

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN has added another game to the schedule of its 25^th anniversary season of Sunday Night Baseball.

Officials with the network announced Thursday that the currently first-place San Francisco Giants will host the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday, July 27^th on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell. Coverage of the game is scheduled to start at 8pm ET on ESPN. It will be preceded by ESPN’s weekly pre-game broadcast of Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet at 7pm ET. Karl Ravech will host the pre-game broadcast. He will be joined by MLB Hall of Famer and former Cincinnati Red Barry Larkin, and John Kruk. Dan Shulman will anchor the broadcast of the game itself. He will be joined in the booth by analyst John Kruk and reporter Buster Olney.

The broadcast of the Giants/Dodgers July 27^th game will be simulcast on ESPN Radio. Jon Sciambi and analyst Chris Singleton will have the call for the game. Spanish-speaking audiences can catch the game on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes Radio. And all audiences can follow the game online via WatchESPN.

Next up on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell schedule, the Angels host the Rangers. The Rangers have proven so far this season to do better on the road than at home while the opposite has proven to be the case for the Angels. That means Sunday’s game is sure to be quite the interesting matchup for viewers.

Games selections for Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell broadcasts in August and September will be made two weeks in advance of their airings. The current schedule of games for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell is listed below.

Upcoming Sunday Night Baseball schedule:

Date	Game
June 22	Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
June 29	Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
July 6	Tampa Bay Rays at Detroit Tigers
July 13	New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
July 20	Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals
July 27	Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
Aug 3	New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

 

More information on all of ESPN’s upcoming slate of games and all of the latest MLB news is available online now at http://espn.go.com/mlb and http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Announces Latest Addition To Sunday Night Baseball Broadcast Schedule

Courtesy: ESPN

Officials with ESPN announced this week the latest addition to the network’s Sunday Night Baseball schedule.

Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves will host Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on the Sunday, June 15^th edition of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell. The game is scheduled to be broadcast at 8pm ET on ESPN. Dan Shulman will anchor the broadcast. He will be joined by analyst John Kruk and reporter Buster Olney for additional commentary.

The matchup of the Braves and Angels will also be simulcast on ESPN Radio. Jon Sciambi will anchor the broadcast. He will be joined by analyst Chris Singleton for the broadcast. Spanish-speaking audiences will be able to hear the game live on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes Radio.

Along with its broadcast on television and radio, baseball fans can also catch the matchup between the Braves and Angels online via WatchESPN. The latest schedule of games on tap for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell is listed below.

Date	Game
June 1	Pittsburgh Pirates at Los Angeles Dodgers
June 8	Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers
June 15	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Atlanta Braves
June 29	Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
July 13	New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
July 20	Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals
Aug 3	New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

Additional games in June and July will be made three weeks prior to their broadcast. Games for August and September will be announced two weeks in advance to their broadcast.

Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell is preceded each week by Baseball Tonight Countdown presented by Chevrolet at 7pm ET. Karl Ravech anchors the broadcast and is joined by Hall of Famer Barry Larkin and John Kruk.

More information on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell and Baseball Tonight Countdown is available online at http://www.facebook.com/ESPNBaseballTonight and http://espn.go.com/mlb. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Pirates Host Cards This Weekend On ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s 25^th season covering Major League Baseball rolls on this Sunday as the Worldwide Leader in Sports comes to Pittsburgh for a matchup of the Pirates and Cardinals. It all starts at 7pm ET with ESPN’s Baseball Tonight live on ESPN.

Sunday night’s 8PM ET broadcast of the Pirates/Cardinals matchup on Sunday Night Baseball is an important landmark for ESPN as it will be the first time since July 28, 1996 that ESPN has broadcasted a Sunday Night baseball game live from PNC Park and the first time since that day that ESPN has broadcasted its weekly pre-game program, Baseball Tonight. Dan Shulman will anchor Sunday’s broadcast. He will be joined by analyst John Kruk and reporter Buster Olney. Jon Sciambi will anchor ESPN Radio’s simulcast of Sunday night’s broadcast. He will be joined by analyst Chris Singleton for the game. Sunday’s matchup between the Pirates and Cardinals will also be available on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes Radio.

Jon Hamm, start of Disney’s new movie Million Dollar Arm is scheduled to appear on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight live at 7pm ET as part of the network’s lead up to Sunday night’s game. Along with being an actor, Hamm is also an avid baseball fan. He will join Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech and MLB Hall of Famer Barry Larkin for Sunday evening’s broadcast live from PNC Park. Baseball Tonight will broadcast live on Federal Street near the Roberto Clemente Bridge.

The Cardinals will head back to St. Louis after Sunday night’s game and prepare to host Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs on ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball Presented by USAA live at 8pm ET. Dave O’Brien will anchor Monday’s broadcast. He will be joined by analyst Aaron Boone and reporter Tim Kurkjian. Monday’s game will be preceded by ESPN’s weekly Monday night pre-game show Baseball Tonight. Karl Ravech will anchor the broadcast, which begins at 7:30pm ET. He will be joined by John Kruk and Ozzie Guillen. Monday night’s game (and Sunday’s) will also be available on ESPN Deportes, online and via all mobile internet platforms.

More information on ESPN’s 25^th Anniversary season of MLB coverage is available online now at http://www.facebok.com/ESPNBaseballTonight and http://espn.go.com/mlb. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Networks Announce Changes For 2014 MLB Season

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN kicks off its 25th season covering Major League Baseball today. In celebration of the anniversary, ESPN has announced a number of changes and additions to its coverage. The very first of those changes and additions is a rebranding of its flagship program, Sunday Night Baseball. Sunday Night Baseball has been rebranded as Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown. The name change has been implemented in order to better coincide with ESPN’s weekly national game of the week. Karl Ravech will continue to anchor the broadcast. And MLB Hall of Famer/analyst Barry Larkin will join Ravech for most episodes.

The rebranding of Sunday Night Baseball is just the tip of the iceberg for the changes being made to ESPN’s MLB coverage in its 25th season. Along with the rebranding of the network’s flagship show, several episodes of Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown will be broadcast live on-site from key locations near select games throughout the season. The live broadcasts will allow fans to show their pride live on television and viewers to get a taste of the live Baseball Tonight atmosphere. It all begins opening night from PetCo Park in San Diego at 6:30pm.

The new live, on-site broadcasts of Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown are the cornerstone of ESPN’s re-branded broadcasts for its 25th season of coverage. Along with the new live, on-site broadcasts, viewers will also see some new faces on this year’s telecasts. ESPN added new commentators for its telecasts during the offseason. Veteran manager Eric Wedge has been added to the Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown roster as has former perfect game pitcher Dallas Braden. Braden will join ESPN’s weekly broadcast as an analyst. Wedge will contribute regularly to the show, too.

MLB great and former manager Ozzie Guillen joined ESPN Deportes throughout the 2013 MLB season. His role has been expanded this season. Guillen will contribute both to ESPN Deportes and ESPN’s English-language platforms this season, including regular appearances on Baseball Tonight. Eduardo Perez returns to the broadcast side of the game after spending the past two seasons in the dugout. Perez will contribute largely to MLB broadcasts on ESPN Deportes. Both Guillen and Perez will join Manny Acta and Alex Cora in ESPN’s growing stable of bilingual MLB analysts.

As the 2014 MLB season progresses, audiences can stay tuned in to ESPN as the Worldwide Leader in Sports will televise special holiday games on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day, as well as at least one Wild Card game, in addition to NY and all tie-breaker games. Making the deal even sweeter, ESPN will have rights to four Postseason Impact games in late September. This will allow ESPN to present the top games and storylines from around the league heading into the postseason. The schedule for ESPN’s special holiday broadcasts is provided below.

Holiday Date Time (ET) Game
Memorial Day Mon, May 26 1 p.m. Boston Red Sox at Atlanta Braves
4 p.m. New York Yankees at St. Louis Cardinals
Independence Day Fri, Jul 4 3 p.m. New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins
TBD TBD
Labor Day Mon, Sep 1 TBD TBD
TBD TBD

If the weekly Sunday night broadcast of MLB games isn’t enough for fans, ESPN will also offer audiences a special “seamheads” edition of Baseball Tonight every Thursday night at 10pm ET. ESPN MLB Insiders Tim Kurkjian, Buster Olney, and Jayson Stark will serve as the panel for the program. They will discuss all even more insight than is offered every Sunday night, including: advanced stats, ranking, and breaking news and rumors throughout the season. They will be joined occasionally by Keith Law and Grantland’s Jonah Keri.

ESPN is going to have expansive and in-depth coverage of MLB baseball this season, as is obvious by now. But it’s still not all that fans have to expect from the Worldwide Leader in Sports during the 2014 MLB season. ESPN will also present specially produced vignettes each week across its TV and internet platforms that celebrate each of the league’s teams. The first of those vignettes will air tonight, March 30th. It will focus on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The final touch to ESPN’s massive list of changes for this season of MBL coverage involves coverage on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes +. ESPN Deportes increases its broadcast schedule to more than eighty regular season games. That is sixty-five games more than in previous seasons. ESPN Deportes + will also include exclusive Spanish-language coverage of thirty regular season games.

More information on all of the latest on the ESPN family of networks’ MLB coverage is available online at http://espn.go.com/mlb. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.