ESPN To Feature Its Own Battle Of Red Vs. Blue Friday In Postseason Impact Game

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN has added another matchup to its 2016 MLB postseason coverage schedule.

The Blue Jays and Red Sox will face off live this Friday on ESPN. The game, the first in the teams’ three-game weekend series, will be the network’s key MLB Postseason Impact Game telecast presented by Exxon and Mobil.  Broadcast of the game is expected to begin at 7:10pm ET.

Neither team has announced its rotation for the game or who will take the mound.  The weekend series will have extra meaning for Red Sox fans and for star David Ortiz.  That is because this weekend’s series is the last regular season series at Fenway Park for Ortiz.

Ortiz announced ahead of the 2016 season that this season would be his last before he hangs up his cleats and bat for good.  Ortiz will go out on a high note, though as the Red Sox have already clinched a spot in the postseason. So his final season will be extended at least a little bit longer.

Dan Shulman will have the call for Friday’s game.  He will be joined in the booth by analysts Aaron Boone and Jessica Mendoza for additional commentary.  The game will be blacked out in the Boston market.

Friday’s game is just the latest in ESPN’s 2016 MLB season broadcast schedule.  The Indians and Tigers will be live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes+ in a Wednesday double header schedule. The Rockies and Giants cap the night beginning at 10pm ET.  The Indians and Tigers will be live again on ESPN and ESPN Deportes+ at 1pm ET on Thursday.

More information on the ESPN networks’ 2016 MLB regular and postseason coverage is available online now at:

 

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

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBTN

 

 

 

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ESPN Reveals First Slate Of MLB 2016 Postseason Broadcasts

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN is carrying its audiences into Major League Baseball’s 2016 post season.

The worldwide leader in sports has announced that it will cover a handful of games in Major League Baseball’s 2016 post season beginning with an NL West showdown between longtime rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.

The NL West opponents will face off live on ESPN2 beginning at 10pm ET.  The Dodgers currently lead the division while the Giants are five and a half games back.

On Friday, ESPN will carry coverage of the Cubs and Cardinals beginning at 2pm ET.  The Cubs have already clinched the National League Central title and sit atop the MLB standings.

The AL Central-leading Indians will be on the road against the Tigers in one more of ESPN’s post season games on Sept. 29.  Coverage of that game is expected to begin at 1pm ET.  The Tigers currently sit more than seven games back from the Indians in the AL Central race.

More MLB Postseason Impact Games on ESPN will be announced soon.  Each game will be streamed online live via WatchESPN along with their coverage on television.

More information on the ESPN networks’ MLB postseason 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

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.

TBS To Feature AL Central Showdown on ‘Sunday MLB On TBS’

Courtesy: Turner Sports

TBS’ Sunday MLB on TBS returns this weekend with a matchup of 1 versus 2 in the American League Central.

The Tigers and Indians will round out a three-game weekend series Sunday afternoon live on TBS. Cleveland will play host to the Tigers in the series.  Coverage of Sunday’s game begins at 1pm ET.

Trevor Bauer is expected to get the start for Cleveland in Sunday’s AL Central showdown while Daniel Norris is expected to take the mound for Detroit.  Norris’ last time on the mound was September 12 against Minnesota. Detroit got the win in that game, 4 – 2.  Norris had a strong night on the mound, allowing only two runs on five hits over six innings, two earned runs, two walks, and 2 home runs.  He had 11 Ks along the way

Only three days have passed since Bauer’s last time on the mound.  That game was Tuesday against the White Sox.  Bauer took the loss in the game, allowing six runs on six hits over 5.1 innings and one walk.  He allowed six earned runs and had seven Ks.

This weekend’s series between the Tigers and Indians is hugely important for both teams as the regular season is winding down very quickly.  The Tigers sit second in the AL Central, six games back from the division-leading Indians.  Cleveland has been strong at home this season, going 47 – 25 so far while Detroit has been lackluster at best on the road going 36 – 36 so far this season on the road.

Detroit has been far better at home, going 42 – 35 at home so far this season. On the other side of the coin, Cleveland is 37 – 37 on the road so far this season.  So the numbers favor Cleveland in this weekend’s series, including Sunday’s game between the divisional foes.

Ernie Johnson will have the call for Sunday’s game.  He will be joined in the booth by analyst Ron Darling and co-analyst and MLB Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. for additional commentary.

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ESPN To Present Special MLB Double-Header On July 4th

Courtesy: ESPN

Baseball is the great American past time.  So it is just fitting that on America’s birthday, the nation’s leading sports network will help celebrate the nation’s birthday with a special double-header MLB broadcast.

ESPN opens Monday’s double-header schedule at 4pm with a National League West divisional matchup between Colorado and San Francisco.  The game will be the opener in a three-game series between the teams.  There is no word at this time on who will take the mound for the Giants, who will play host to Colorado for the length of the series.  Right now Tyler Anderson is expected to get the start for Colorado.  Anderson is winless so far in his starts with Colorado.  His last time on the mound was June 29^th against Toronto.  Toronto won that game 5- 3 with Anderson taking the loss.  He allowed 3 runs on 8 hits over 6.1 innings in that game.  He only struck out 6 of the 27 batters that he faced, allowing 2 walks, 2 earned runs, and 1 home run along the way, too.  The odds look to be in the Giants’ favor for Monday’s game when one looks at the teams’ numbers.  San Francisco currently sits atop the NL West at 51 – 32 so far on the season.  Its record also makes it one of the top teams in the league heading into the All-Star Break.  Its home record so far this season is 24 – 16 versus Colorado’s current road record of 19 – 23.  Dave Flemming will have the call for Monday’s game.  He will be joined in the booth by Rick Sutcliffe and Eduardo Perez for additional commentary for the game.

The second game on ESPN’s July 4^th double-header pits the Tigers against the Indians in their own divisional showdown beginning at 7pm ET.  The teams Cleveland will play host to the Tigers in the first game of a three-game series between the AL Central opponents.  Cleveland currently sits atop the divisional standings while Detroit trails a distant six and a half games back in third.  Detroit has struggled on the road so far this season, sitting currently at 20 – 22 in its road record. Cleveland meanwhile is 23 – 12 at home so far this season.  On a side note the Indians have been just as successful so far this season on the road, sitting at 26 – 19 so far in that record.  The team is 9 – 1 in its last ten games.  There is no word on who will take the mound for Cleveland in Monday night’s game.  Detroit has Daniel Norris currently listed to take the mound for the series’ opener.  The 23 year-old doesn’t have a lot of experience yet this season.  He is only 1 – 0 so far on the season.  So Monday’s game would be a chance for him to really make a big impact on a national stage.  His last time on the mound was June 29^th against Miami.  He was credited with the win in that game, having pitched five innings.  He had a relatively good game allowed over that time, too, allowing a total of 8 hits but only 2 runs.  He also struck out 8 of the 24 batters that he faced while allowing only 2 earned runs, 1 walk and no home runs.  By comparison, Miami’s Tom Koehler struggled over the course of his 3 innings on the mound.  He allowed 5 runs on 8 hits, 5 earned runs, 1 walk, and only struck out 2 of 19 batters that he faced.  Considering that, Norris had an impressive outing, giving him plenty of motivation for Monday night’s game.  Adnan Virk will have the call for Monday night’s game.  He will be joined in the booth by analysts Dallas Braden and Tim Kurkjian.  Monday’s double-header will be followed up by Baseball Tonight at 10pm on ESPN.  Those that won’t be near a TV for Monday’s double-header schedule can still catch both games online via WatchESPN.

On a related note, ESPN Radio will carry the Orioles an Dodgers at 8pm in a cross-conference game.  Roxy Bernstein and Raul Ibanez will have the call for the game.  More information on Monday’s MLB broadcast schedule 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 Announces Early Details For MLB 2016 Season Coverage

Courtesy: ESPN

Winter has just started. But don’t tell baseball fans. Officials with ESPN announced today that its weekly Sunday night baseball broadcast will return for its 27th season in 2016.

ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball returns for its 27th season next year. The Worldwide Leader In Sports will premiere its 27th season of Sunday Night Baseball on Sunday, April 3rd at 8:30pm with a World Series rematch between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals. The game will be preceded earlier in the day with a doubleheader beginning at 1pm ET on ESPN. The first game on tap is an NL Central faceoff between the Pirates and Cardinals. The second of the day’s games, on ESPN2, will be between The Blue Jays and Rays. That game is scheduled for a 4pm ET start time. Both games will be simulcast online via WatchESPN. They are part of a two-day, seven-game season-opening schedule of games that will feature every team that appeared in the 2015 post season. ESPN’s full season-opening schedule is noted below.

ESPN MLB season-opening schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Telecast	Network(s)
Sun, Apr. 3	1 p.m.	St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates	ESPN, WatchESPN
Sun, Apr. 3	4 p.m.	Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sun, Apr. 3	8:30 p.m.	New York Mets at Kansas City Royals	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
Mon, Apr. 4	1 p.m.	Houston Astros at New York Yankees	ESPN, WatchESPN
Mon, Apr. 4	4 p.m.	Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers	ESPN, WatchESPN
Mon, Apr. 4	7 p.m.	Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres	ESPN, WatchESPN
Mon, Apr. 4	10 p.m.	Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	ESPN2, WatchESPN

 

After the special season premiere of the network’s flagship MLB broadcast, each week’s broadcast will come to audiences every Sunday night at 8pm ET on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN Radio, and WatchESPN. No concrete schedule has been released at this time. However, it is known that ESPN’s coverage in 2016 will include multiple appearances from a number of teams expected to contend for the MLB championship. Those teams include: Boston, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants. Also expected in the 2016 is an ongoing career retrospective of Red Sox great David Ortiz as he embarks on his final season. There will also be a focus on the continued rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees as the teams will meet three times in 2016, including back-to-back weeks. Those weeks are the weeks of May 1st, 8th, and 17th. The Dodgers and Giants will also be the center of focus at points in the 2016 season as their equally legendary rivalry rolls on. As if all of this isn’t enough, fans will get to see now former Dodgers ace Zach Greinke make his Sunday night debut with the D’Backs in 2016 and the return of the Houston Astros to SNB. The Pittsburgh Pirates will also go under the lights in 2016. It will mark the third consecutive year that Pittsburgh has been featured on SNB. The current schedule of games for ESPN’s 2016 SNB is listed below.

Early-season Sunday Night Baseball schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Telecast	Network(s)
Sun, Apr. 3	8:30 p.m.	New York Mets at Kansas City Royals on Opening Night	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
Sun, Apr. 10	8 p.m.	New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
Sun, Apr. 17	8 p.m.	San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
Sun, Apr. 24	8 p.m.	Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
Sun, May 1	8 p.m.	New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
Sun, May 8	8 p.m.	Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
Sun, May 29	8 p.m.	Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets	ESPN2, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
Sun, June 12	5 p.m.	St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
	8:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
Sun, July 10	8 p.m.	Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio
Sun, July 17	8 p.m.	Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio

*remaining Sunday Night Baseball game selections will be made two to three weeks out.

Along with the weekly SNB broadcast, ESPN’s weekly MLB pre-game broadcast of Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Coundown presented by Chevrolet will return in 2016, too. Each broadcast will begin at 7pm ET.

More information on the ESPN networks’ 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.

ESPN’s E:60 Returns Tonight

ESPN’s E: 60 returns with a whole new season tonight.

ESPN kicks off its Fall 2014 season of E: 60 tonight beginning at 8pm ET.  Tonight’s season premiere presents two in-depth feature that come from the NFL.  The first of the pair focuses on Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and the second on the Seattle Seahawks’ polarizing cornerback Richard Sherman.

On the heels of the Ray Rice case, E: 60’s Jeffri Chadiha sits down with Jamaal Charles and discusses the murder of his wife’s cousin Kasandra Perkins.  Perkins was murdered by her husband Jovan Belcher, who was also a teammate to Charles.  Belcher turned the gun on himself after killing his wife in December of 2012.  It is now believed that Belcher’s actions may have been the result of CTE or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.  Charles discusses the terrible tragedy as well as his own tough childhood, growing up as part of a large family and more in that interview.

In the second of the night’s premiere features, Kenny Mayne talked with Richard Sherman.  The outspoken Seattle Seahawks cornerback has made headlines since the buildup to last season’s Super Bowl.  But as Kenny Mayne reveals, there is a whole other side to Sherman that few if any know of.  Mayne reveals in his talk with Sherman that he [Sherman] demands success of himself not just on the gridiron but off the field, too.  Sherman reveals in his interview with Mayne that much of his drive for excellence goes back to his younger days growing up in Compton, California.  He also discusses how his days playing at Stanford played a role in his development, too.  It is an intimate portrait of a man much deeper than the one most people know of.

Along with the interviews with Sherman and Charles, there is also a feature on “Morganna, The Kissing Bandit.”  The famed figure rose to fame in the 1970s and 80s, well before the rise of Youtube and viral videos as she would run out onto the field at MLB games, kissing players.  She disappeared suddenly in the 90s.  Now fifteen years after she disappeared, “Morganna, The Kissing Bandit” has re-emerged.  She sat down with E: 60’s Wright Thompson to discuss her reputation and how it was a troubled personal life that led her to become the famed figure.

The figures scheduled to appear on tonight’s season premiere of ESPN’s E: 60 are but a handful of the names set to come on the network’s hit show this season.  Also expected to appear this season are: Detroit Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer, NFL superstar Gerald McCoy, famed pitcher Randy Johnson, Dallas Cowboys’ tight end Jason Witten, and New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.  The complete schedule for this season is noted below.

Fall Highlights of E:60

Date and Time (ET)	Scheduled stories include*
Tue. Sept. 30 (8:00pm)	Jamaal Charles, Richard Sherman
Tue. Oct. 7 (8:00pm)	Max Scherzer,
Tue. Oct. 14 (7:00pm)	Gerald McCoy, Randy Johnson
Tue, Oct. 21 (8:00pm)	Jason Witten
Tue. Oct. 28 (8:00pm)	Rob Ryan
Tue, Nov. 4 (8:00pm)	Cam Newton

*Air dates & stories subject to change

 

More information on this season of E: 60 is available online now at:

Website: http://e60.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/espne60

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.