Cubs, Cardinals Close Out Series Live This Afternoon On ESPN

Courtesy: ESPN

The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up their four-game series this afternoon live on ESPN.

The National League Central foes are scheduled to take to the field at 4 p.m. ET for the game in a special presentation of Holiday Baseball presented by Hankook Tire.  St. Louis (17-15) has taken two of the series’ games while Chicago (23-18) will look to split the series with the Red Birds.

Johan Oviedo (0-1) is expected to get the start for St. Louis in this afternoon’s game. His last time on the mound was Sept. 2 against Cincinnati.  The Reds won that game 4-3.  Giovannny Gallegos (1-1) took the loss for the Cardinals.

Oviedo pitched 4.2 innings in the game, allowing three hits, one walk and three earned runs while striking out five batters.

Kyle Hendricks (4-4) is scheduled to get the start for Chicago in this afternoon’s game.  His last time on the mound was on Sept. 2 against Pittsburgh.  Chicago won that game 8-2, with Hendricks credited with the win.  He pitched 6.2 innings, allowing one run, one earned run, and two walks on six hits.  Additionally, Hendricks struck out six batters and allowed just one home run.

Chicago leads the NL Central and is fourth overall in the National League, behind Los Angeles, San Diego, and Atlanta.  The Cardinals have defied the odds in the teams’ series, because the team has proven better on the road this season (9-8) than at home (8-7).

Chicago meanwhile has proven equally strong on the road and at home.  The Cubs have gone 13-11 at home and 10-7 on the road so far this season.

Counting the two wins so far against Chicago, St. Louis has won three straight while Chicago is now in a three game slide, so both teams will have a lot for which to play.

Matt Vasgersian will anchor this afternoon’s broadcast on ESPN.  ESPN analyst and MLB World Series Champion Alex Rodriguez will provide additional commentary.  ESPN Senior MLB Insider Buster Olney will have additional news for the game.

Along with its broadcast on ESPN, this afternoon’s game will also simulcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN App.

More information on ESPN’s Major League Baseball 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.

Astros, Dodgers To Close Out Two-Game Series On Sept. 13 Edition Of ESPN’s ‘SNB’

Courtesy: ESPN

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros will face off live next week live on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell.

The cross-conference matchup, scheduled to take place Sept. 13, is the second in a scheduled two-game series between the teams that will take place in Los Angeles.  The first of the games is scheduled to take place Sept. 12.

Coverage of the Sept. 13 game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET.  Matt Vasgersian will anchor the broadcast.  World Series Champion and ESPN analyst Mark Teixeira, along with fellow analyst Tim Kurkjian, will provide additional commentary.

Roxy Bernstein will have the call for the game on ESPN Radio.  Analyst Chris Singleton will provide additional commentary.

ESPN’s Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet will precede the broadcast, starting at 7 p.m.

As with every other game, ESPN’s Sept. 13 broadcast will also simulcast in Spanish on ESPN Deportes and online through the ESPN App.

More information on ESPN’s Major League Baseball 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.

 

Twins-Cubs Matchup Added To ESPN’s ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ Schedule

Courtesy: ESPN

The Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs will go under the lights later this month live on ESPN.

The cross-conference showdown is scheduled to take place Sept. 20 as part of the 2020 season of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell.

Coverage is expected to start at 7 p.m. ET.  Matt Vasgersian will anchor the broadcast.  He will be joined by analyst and World Series Champion Alex Rodriguez for additional commentary.  ESPN Senior MLB Insider Buster Olney will have all of the game’s headlines.

The Sept. 20 game will simulcast on ESPN Radio nationwide.  Jon Sciambi will anchor the broadcast.  Analyst Chris Singleton will provide additional commentary.

The upcoming matchup between the Twins and Cubs will mark the first time in a decade that Minnesota has appeared live on Sunday Night Baseball.  The last time the Twins appeared on the program was Aug. 22, 2010 against the Los Angeles Angels.

ESPN’s upcoming Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell is actually the second game in what will be a double header day of baseball on the network.  The Oakland Athletics will host the San Francisco Giants in the first of the day’s games.

Coverage of the game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET.  Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown will precede the afternoon game at a special time of 3 p.m.  Local blackout restrictions will apply for both games.

More information on ESPN’s Major League Baseball 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.

Rodriguez, Vasgersian To Replace Shulman, Boone On ESPN’s ‘SNB’ Broadcasts

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN will have some new, but well-known new faces this spring when its Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts return.

The worldwide leader in sports announced this week that Yankee great Alex Rodriguez and Matt Vasgersian will join the program’s broadcast team.  Jessica Mendoza will return, too.  Vasgersian will be the program’s new play-by-play announcer, taking the place of Dan Shulman while Rodriguez will serve as analyst, taking over from Aaron Boone.

ESPN announced last summer that Shulman would be leaving the program after last season.  While he stepped away from ESPN’s flagship MLB program, he is still working with ESPN covering Major League Baseball on its ESPN Radio broadcasts.  He is also busy covering college basketball for ESPN.

Boone meanwhile will go from the broadcast booth to the dugout after being named the Yankees new manager during the off-season. Both Rodriguez and Vasgersian said in interviews that they were looking forward to joining ESPN’s MLB broadcast team.

“I’m looking forward to this new chapter in my broadcasting career,” Rodriguez said.  “It’s an exciting time in baseball, and now I get that front row seat to tell that story every Sunday night on ESPN as well as calling my fourth post season on Fox where I started this journey.”

Vasgersian agreed.

“Jon and Dan set the bar super high for Sunday Night Baseball play-by-play, so it’s a real thrill for someone who still remembers his first Minor League bus trip in 1991 to have a chair like this one,” he said. “I know firsthand how passionate both Alex and Jessica are about baseball, and I can’t wait to get started with them.”

Mendoza said she was looking forward to working with her new broadcast partners.

“I am incredibly excited to work with both Alex and Matt,” Mendoza said.  “Matt has been a friend for a long time and someone whose work I’ve long admired. Alex’s achievements as a player speak for themselves, and I’ve been greatly impressed by the passion and dedication he has put into his broadcasting career. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”

Stephanie Druley, ESPN Senior Vice President of events and studio production said the new broadcast team was the right fit for ESPN because of its collective experience.

“Alex is one of the most recognizable personalities in all of sports, and he’s made a well-documented impact on the sports media landscape. His dynamic personality and incredible baseball knowledge, combined with Matt Vasgersian’s expertise, enthusiasm and poise, make for terrific additions to Sunday Night Baseball, with existing commentators Jessica Mendoza and Buster Olney,” Druley said.  “We’re excited about the potential for this team and we’re appreciative to our MLB Network and Fox Sports counterparts, as all parties were more than willing to collaborate in order to serve Major League Baseball fans.”

ESPN’s current Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell schedule is noted below.

Schedule:

Date	Telecast
Apr. 1	San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
Apr. 8	New York Mets at Washington Nationals
Apr. 15	Texas Rangers at Houston Astros
Apr. 22	Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers
Apr. 29	New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels** – Olney’s Pick!
May 6	Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
May 13	Washington Nationals at Arizona Diamondbacks
May 20	Cleveland Indians at Houston Astros
May 27*	San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs
July 1	Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
July 22	New York Mets at New York Yankees
July 29	Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
Aug. 19	MLB Little League Classic

*Telecast to air on ESPN2.

Additional Sunday Night Baseball selections for June through September will be made up to two weeks prior to the dates.

This year marks the 29th year of Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.  Each game will be preceded at 7 p.m. on ESPN by Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown presented by Chevrolet.

More information on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball presented by Taco Bell schedule is available online now along with all of the latest MLB headlines at http://www.espn.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.