3 things to watch this weekend: Battle of aces in L.A.; Santana returns from drug ban
The All-Star break is right around the corner, leaving several teams jockeying for position and bragging rights at the unofficial halfway mark of the season.
Here are three storylines to follow this weekend:
Anemic Mets' offense vs. Dodgers' aces
The slumbering New York Mets will stumble into Los Angeles this weekend to take on the National League West-leading Dodgers. The Mets suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs earlier this week, scoring only a single run in the process. It won't get any easier this weekend for New York, which will now square off with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke on consecutive nights.
The Mets may be catching Kershaw at a good time, however. The reigning National League MVP and Cy Young Award winner has lost three consecutive starts for the first time in his career. This will be Kershaw's first start of the season against the Mets, but he's historically owned them, posting a 5-0 record with a 1.62 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in seven career starts.
| Date | Mets | Dodgers | Time ET |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | Noah Syndergaard (3-4; 3.59) | Clayton Kershaw (5-6; 3.20) | 10 pm |
| Saturday | Matt Harvey (7-5; 2.99) | Zack Greinke (6-2; 1.58) | 7 pm |
| Sunday | Steven Matz (1-0; 2.35) | Mike Bolsinger (4-2; 2.76) | 4 pm |
More hurlers returning to action
Hurlers Jose Fernandez, Matt Cain, and Matt Moore made their season debuts Thursday, and two more notable pitchers are set to return from long absences.
Jake Peavy will take the mound for the San Francisco Giants on Friday night in Washington. The veteran righty appeared in only a pair of April games before going on the disabled list with a back problem, and is ready to go after seven rehab outings in the minors.
The Minnesota Twins will also get a huge boost with the return of Ervin Santana on Sunday in Kansas City. Santana completed his rehab assignment with the Rochester Red Wings following an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Stanozolol. The hard-throwing righty was inked to a four-year, $55-million deal last December - the richest free-agent signing in club history.
Josh Hamilton battles his demons
Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton will face his former team, the Los Angeles Angels, Friday for the first time since the Halos cut ties with him back in the spring following a drug relapse. Hamilton, who is just back after a stint on the disabled list for a hamstring injury, is looking forward to seeing his old teammates that supported him, but has no plans to speak with Angels owner Arte Moreno.
The Angels, who are still feeling the effects of an internal firestorm following the resignation of general manager Jerry Dipoto, are paying more than $60 million of the $80.2 million still owed on Hamilton's five-year, $125-million contract.