3 series to watch this weekend
The second weekend of the 2015 MLB season got a huge boost in star power Thursday night with an announcement out of Chicago's North Side - Kris Bryant has been called into action for the Cubs.
Also on tap are games featuring a litany of aces, including Clayton Kershaw, David Price, Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, Felix Hernandez, Matt Harvey and Adam Wainwright.
Here are three series to watch in what's shaping up to be an exciting weekend of baseball.
Padres at Cubs
Hi, @KrisBryant_23. pic.twitter.com/5W1uTr6sVO
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 17, 2015
| Date | Padres | Cubs | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri | James Shields | Jason Hammel | 2:20 p.m. |
| Sat | Tyson Ross | Kyle Hendricks | 2:20 p.m. |
| Sun | Andrew Cashner | Jon Lester | 2:20 p.m. |
The Cubs recalled the game's top prospect on Thursday and will send him out in the cleanup spot for Friday's game against the San Diego Padres. Bryant hit .425 and knocked out nine home runs in spring training.
He'll get his first chance to build his MLB resume against James Shields, who will toe the rubber for the Padres on Friday. Right-handed hitters are 2-for-22 with seven strikeouts against him this season, but he's been prone to giving up home runs in his career and has already surrendered a pair of long balls this season.
The last two Cubs position players to start in their major-league debuts - Javier Baez and Jorge Soler - each hit a home run.
Orioles at Red Sox
| Date | Orioles | Red Sox | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri | Ubaldo Jimenez | Joe Kelly | 7:10 p.m. |
| Sat | Chris Tillman | Clay Buchholz | 4:05 p.m. |
| Sun | Wei-Yin Chen | Rick Porcello | 1:35 p.m. |
Many were quick to write off the Baltimore Orioles following a 96-win season in which they won their ninth AL East crown and first since 1997.
Chris Davis is looking like the Chris Davis of old, and Adam Jones is tearing the cover off the ball. The Orioles enter the weekend ranked sixth in runs, and will need to put up some crooked numbers against a Boston Red Sox team that ranks second.
Someone to keep an eye on is Red Sox ace-by-default Clay Buchholz, who gets the nod Saturday. Buchholz looked every bit the part of a No. 1 starter in his first start of the year, holding the Philadelphia Phillies scoreless over seven innings of work, but was then chased by the rival New York Yankees in the fourth inning of his second start after surrendering nine earned runs. He carries a 7.84 ERA.
Athletics at Royals
| Date | Athletics | Royals | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri | Sonny Gray | Jeremy Guthrie | 8:10 p.m. |
| Sat | Jesse Hahn | Yordano Ventura | 7:10 p.m. |
| Sun | Scott Kazmir | Danny Duffy | 1:10 p.m. |
The Oakland Athletics enter the weekend as a .500 ball club, but they've played like anything but.
In winning five of their first 10 games, the Athletics won those contests by a combined score of 42-1. Oakland will trot out a pair of starters with sub-1.00 ERAs through their first two starts in Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir.
Unfortunately, those two will miss Saturday's starter for the Kansas City Royals, Yordano Ventura. When not trying to fight Mike Trout, the 23-year-old has gone 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and 0.94 WHIP through two outings.
Ventura was dealt a no decision in his only career start against the Athletics - a 3-2 Kansas City win on Aug. 11.
Other notables: The Chicago White Sox visit the 8-1 Detroit Tigers, the St. Louis Cardinals play host to the Cincinnati Reds in an NL Central showdown, while the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies duke it out in Chavez Ravine for early control of the NL West.