ESPN Kicks Off 2015 MLB Post Season Coverage Tonight

Courtesy: ESPN

The 2015 MLB Playoffs are here!

In only a couple of hours, ESPN will kick off its coverage of the 2015 MLB post season. It all begins with a live broadcast of the American League Wild Card Game presented by Hankook Tires at 8pm ET tonight. Tonight’s AL wildcard game will pit the New York Yankees, who are no stranger to the post season, against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium. Whoever wins tonight’s game will go on to face Kansas City in the ALDS. That series kicks off October 8th. While both teams come into the post season on equal footing–NY is 45 – 36 at home while the Astros as 45 – 36 on the road–Houston would seem to have at least a little bit more of an advantage having gone 6 – 4 in its last ten and taken two of three against the D-backs over the weekend. NY meanwhile finished off the regular season on a three-game skid after having been swept by the Orioles over the weekend. The Astros will be hungry to keep the wins coming while the pinstripers will be looking heavily to get back on the winning track.

Jessica Mendoza will have the call for tonight’s game on ESPN. She will be the first-ever female analyst to call an MLB post season game. She will be joined in the booth by fellow analyst John Kruk and his Sunday Night Baseball co-host, veteran play-by-play man Dan Shulman. ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney will also be on hand for tonight’s game with all of the latest in-game news. Baseball fans not near a television need not worry about missing tonight’s broadcast. That is because the game will be simulcast on ESPN Radio stations across the country. Dave O’Brien and Aaron Boone will have the call for ESPN Radio. It will also air live online via WatchESPN and on ESPN Deportes for ESPN’s Spanish-Speaking audiences. And tomorrow night, ESPN Radio will also have full coverage of the National League Wild Card Game between the Pirates and Cubs. Coverage begins at 8pm ET. Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton will have the call and commentary for the game. More information on ESPN’s MLB coverage 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

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.

Red Sox, Angels Face Off This Week On SNB; Mets, Nats Follow Monday On MNB

Courtesy: ESPN

The Home Run Derby is done. Home field advantage for the World Series is set. All that being done, it’s time for the boys of summer to get back to work and buckle down as Major League Baseball makes its way toward the homestretch. That work includes a matchup of the Red Sox and Angels this Sunday on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell.

This week on Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell, ESPN will present a showdown of two American League opponents as the now two-time All-Star Game MVP Mike Trout leads the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at home against the visiting Boston Red Sox. The game is the third in a four-game series between the teams. Curretly no details have been announced in regards to who will take the mound for either team in Sunday’s game. Currently, the Red Sox sit in last place in the American League East at 42 – 47, six and a half games back from the division leading New York Yankees. Boston is 6 – 4 in its last ten games and 20 – 24 on the road versus the Angels’ 25 – 18 home record so far this season. The Angels currently lead the AL West at 48 – 40, but leads second place Houston by only half a game. L.A. is 7 – 3 in its last ten games.

Dan Shulman will have the call for Sunday’s game. He will be joined in the booth by analysts Curt Schilling and John Kruk. Reporter Buster Olney will also be on hand for all of the latest in-game news and more. Sunday’s broadcast will be preceded, as it is each week, by Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet. Karl Ravech will anchor the broadcast and will be joined by analyst Aaron Boone and ESPN MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian. Those that won’t be near a television Sunday night can still catch the game and Sunday Night Countdown online via WatchESPN.

Following Sunday night’s broadcast, the Nats will host the Mets in an NL East faceoff on Monday Night Baseball presented by USAA that could potentially have playoff implications. The game first of a three-game series between the divisional foes. As with Sunday’s game between the Angels and Red Sox, no details have been announed as of yet in regards to who will take the mound on either side. The Mets currently sit second in the NL East, two games back from the Nats, who currently sit at 48 – 39 on the season. The Nats are 5 – 5 in their last ten games, having won their last two games. The Mets are 47 – 42 on the season and 7 – 3 in their last ten games. They are currently in the midst of a four-game win streak as they prepare to face the Cardinals in a three-game series beginning this Friday, July 17th. The broadcast is scheduled to begin at 7pm ET on ESPN and WatchESPN. It will be anchored by Dave O’Brien. He will be joined by Aaron Boone and Dallas Braden.

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.

Cardinals, Cubs Face Off In NL Central Showdown This Week On ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN has a big game on tap for this weekend’s edition of Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell.

This  ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell, the league-leading St. Louis Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs in a pivotal NL Central showdown. The game, which could have potential playoff implications as the first half of the season winds down, will be the closer in a three-game series between the NL Central foes. The Cardinals currently sit at 48 – 24 on the season and 7 – 3 in their last ten games. The Red Birds are currently riding high on a six-game win streak. Chicago is third in the division, eight and a half games back from St. Louis, sitting currently at 39 – 32. The team is 5 – 5 in its last ten games and is currently looking to end its two-game skid. Sunday’s broadcast is expected to begin at 8pm ET. The game will be simulcast on ESPN Deportes for the network’s Spanish-speaking viewers. And those that won’t be near a TV during Sunday Night’s game can still catch it online via WatchESPN and on the radio on ESPN Radio. Dan Shulman will have the call for Sunday’s game. He will be joined by analysts Curt Schilling and John Kruk in the booth. Reporter Buster Olney will also be on hand with all of the latest in-game news. As with every broadcast of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell, Sunday’s broadcast will be preceded by Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet at 7pm ET. Karl Ravech will anchor the broadcast and will be joined at the desk by analyst Aaron Boone and ESPN MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian. The broadcast will be simulcast online via WatchESPN.

The second game in the Cubs-Cardinals weekend series will air live on ESPN Radio Saturday night at 6pm ET. Jon Sciambi and Chris Singleton will have the call for Saturday night’s game.

Carlos Martinez is currently expected to take the mound for St. Louis in Sunday’s game. His last time on the mound was Tuesday’s game against the Marlins. St. Louis won that game 4 – 3. He pitched seven innings in the game, allowing eight hits, three earned runs, one walk, and struck out nine batters en route to the team’s win.

Jason Hammel is expected to start for Chicago in Sunday’s game. Hammel’s last time on the mound was Tuesday against the Dodgers. The Cubs won that game 1 – 0 over the Dodgers. Hammel Pitched 7.2 innings, allowing 2 hits along the way, no runs or earned runs, only two walks, and struck out six men.

Monday night on ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball presented by USAA Adam Jones and the Baltimore Orioles will host Prince Fielder and the Texas Rangers on ESPN. Fielder just hit his 300th home run tonight as the Rangers face the Blue Jays. It makes Fielder and his famed father only the second father/son duo since Bobby and Barry Bonds to hit 300 home runs each. Monday night’s game is the first in a four-game series that will run thought next Thursday, July 2nd. Dave O’Brien will have the call for the game. He will be joined in the booth by Eduardo Perez and Mark Mulder in the booth for additional commentary. The game will be simulcast on ESPN Deportes for ESPN’s Spanish-speaking audiences. It will also simulcast online via WatchESPN for those that won’t be close to a television during the course of the game.

Bud Norris is expected to start for the Orioles in Monday night’s game. Norris’ last time on the mound was Wednesday against the Red Sox. Baltimore dropped that game 5 – 1 with Norris pitching 5.2 innings in the game. He allowed seven hits, five runs, no earned runs, one walk, one home run, and struck out three batters in his time on the mound.

Wady Rodriguez is expected to start for Texas in Monday night’s game. His last time taking the mound was Wednesday against Oakland. He struggled in that game, allowing eleven hits, right runs, eight earned runs, three walks and two home runs over the course of four innings and striking out only four batters. By comparison, Rodriguez’s team-mate Anthony Bass only allowed two hits and one walk over the course of four innings, striking out five batters along the way. He allowed no runs, no earned runs, and no home runs in that time, too.

More information on ESPN’s Major League Baseball coverage is available online 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 Heads To The Big Apple This Week For Sunday Night Baseball Broadcast

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s weekly baseball broadcast of Sunday Night Baseball heads back to the Big Apple this weekend as the Yankees take on the Mets in the third of a three-game series between the teams this weekend.

Dan Shulman will anchor Sunday’s broadcast. He will be joined in the booth by analysts Curt Schilling and John Kruk, and reporter Buster Olney. Audiences that won’t be near a TV during the game can also catch it on their local ESPN Radio station and online via WatchESPN. Jon Sciambi will have the call for ESPN Radio. He will be joined by Chris Singleton. It will also be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes for all of ESPN’s Spanish-speaking audiences. Sunday night’s televised broadcast will be preceded by its weekly early pre-game show Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet at 7pm ET. Karl Ravech will anchor Sunday night’s broadcast. He will be joined by analyst Aaron Boone and ESPN MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian. Nicole Briscoe, the newest addition to ESPN’s MLB broadcast team, will also be on hand with coverage during Baseball Tonight. Audiences can also catch game two of the teams’ series this weekend on ESPN Radio. Jon Sciambi will have the call for that game, too. He will be joined by Chris Singleton for that game, too.

Before Sunday night’s broadcast, fans will also be treated to a pair of games featuring the Washington Nationals. The ‘Nats currently sit third in the NL East, four games back from the Mets, who currently lead the division at 10 – 3. Washington has gone 5 – 5 in its last ten games and has performed slightly better at home than on the road going 4 – 3 at home and 2 – 4 on the road. Speaking of that record, the first of Washington’s games on ESPN this week will see the Nats at home against the NL Central leading Cardinals Wednesday night. The Nats’ second game on ESPN this week will see the team on the road against Atlanta next Monday, April 27th at 7pm ET. Jon Sciambi will have the call for Wednesday night’s game. He will be joined by analysts Rick Sutcliffe and Doug Glanville for the game. Next Monday night’s game will be the network’s game of the week on Monday Night Baseball presented by USAA. It will be called by Dave O’Brien. He will be joined Aaron Boone and Mark Mulder for the broadcast on ESPN. And for those not near a TV, the game will also be available online via WatchESPN. The complete broadcast schedule for this week and next week’s games is noted below complete with broadcast times and platforms.

Date Time (ET) Show / Commentators Network (s)
Wed, Apr 22 7 p.m.    St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals    Jon Sciambi, Rick Sutcliffe, Doug Glanville ESPN, WatchESPN
Sat, Apr 25 3 p.m.     New York Mets at New York Yankees–Jon Sciambi, Chris Singleton ESPN Radio
Sun, Apr 26 7 p.m.    Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown Presented by Chevrolet—Karl Ravech, Aaron Boone, Tim Kurkjian ESPN, WatchESPN
8 p.m. New York Mets at New York Yankees Presented by Taco Bell–Dan Shulman, Curt Schilling, John Kruk, Buster Olney ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, WatchESPN
Mon, Apr 27 7 p.m. Monday Night Baseball presented by USAA: Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves–Dave O’Brien, Aaron Boone, Mark Mulder ESPN, WatchESPN

Fans can get all of the latest MLB news and coverage from ESPN online every day at:

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

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

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 Opens 25th Anniversary Season Of MLB Coverage This Weekend

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN hits a major mark this weekend.

The Worldwide Leader in Sports begins its 25th season of Major League Baseball coverage beginning this Sunday night. ESPN opens its 25th anniversary season covering Major League Baseball live from San Diego, California. Chase Headley and the Padres host Yasiel Puig and the Los Angeles Dodgers live on ESPN’s MLB Opening Night Presented by Scotts at 8pm ET on ESPN in the network’s season opening broadcast. Dan Shulman will have the call. He will be joined by analyst John Kruk and reporter Buster Olney for the broadcast. The game will be broadcast on ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio, and ESPN Deportes. Before the game starts, ESPN will air a special 90-minute edition of Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown beginning at 6:30pm live from Petco Park in San Diego with Karl Ravech, Jon Kruk and MLB Hall of Famer/ESPN analyst Barry Larkin. Larkin and Ravech will hit the road after Sunday’s broadcast for a special Opening Day edition of Baseball Tonight live at 12pm ET live from Great American Ballpark.

Sunday night’s Opening Night broadcast will be followed up Monday with an Opening Day double header broadcast. Game one will come live from Pittsburgh as reigning NL MVP Andrew McCutchen and the Pirates host Starlin Castro and the Chicago Cubs. The broadcast is scheduled for a 1pm ET start time. Sean McDonough will anchor the broadcast. He will be joined in the booth by analyst Aaron Boone and reporter Tim Kurkjian. The second game on the day will see Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds host NL Central foes and defending National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals. Dan Shulman will have the play-by-play for the game. He will be joined by Jon Kruk and Buster Olney for the trio’s second game in less than twenty-four hours.

If ESPN’s Opening Day double header isn’t enough for baseball lovers, ESPN2 will have a triple-header beginning at 3pm ET. Game one on the day’s schedule will see David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox hosting Chris Davis and the Baltimore Orioles at the famed Fenway Park. Dave O’Brien will anchor the broadcast. He will be joined in the booth by analysts Rick Sutcliff and Eric Wedge, and reporter Pedro Gomez. Troy Tulowitzki and the Colorado Rockies will host Giancarlo Stanton and the Miami Marlins in the second game of the three-game schedule. SportsCenter’s Steve Levy will call the play-by-play action for the game. He will be joined by analyst Eduardo Perez for more insight. The last game of the day on ESPN2’s triple header schedule will see Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners on the road against Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. That game is scheduled for a 10pm ET start time. Jon Sciambi will have the call. Analyst Doug Glanville and reporter Jessica Mendoza will also be on hand for more coverage throughout the game.

All of ESPN’s games and Baseball Tonight can be watched online through all computers and mobile internet via WatchESPN. Specific games will also be on ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes +, and ESPN Radio.

More information on ESPN’s Opening Night and Opening Day coverage is available online at http://espn.go.com. 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.