MLB Wednesday scores, highlights, live team updates, news: Braves-Yankees rubber match on tap
It's the Fourth of July, and as you would expect this fine Wednesday is packed with wall-to-wall baseball. Let's light these fireworks ...
Wednesday's scores
Red Sox at Nationals (GameTracker)
Braves at Yankees, 1:05 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Rays at Marlins, 1:10 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Tigers at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Orioles at Phillies, 4:05 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Padres at Athletics, 4:05 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Angels at Mariners, 4:10 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Twins at Brewers, 4:10 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Astros at Rangers, 7:05 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Mets at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
White Sox at Reds, 7:10 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Pirates at Dodgers, 8:10 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Giants at Rockies, 8:10 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Indians at Royals, 8:15 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Cardinals at Diamondbacks, 10:10 p.m. ET (GameTracker)
Big series finale in the Bronx
The first two games of the potential World Series preview between the Braves and Yankees at Yankee Stadium have been quite competitive. The Braves won the opener 5-3 in 11 innings, and the Yankees bounced back in the second game to win 8-5. Thus far, the two teams have combined for nine home runs in this series, and on another hot day in the Bronx the balls figure to continue flying.
CC Sabathia goes for the hosts. He boasts an impressive ERA+ of 140 after 15 starts, and he's got a sub-2.00 ERA since the start of June. On the other side, Julio Teheran goes for Atlanta. In 87 2/3 innings, he's pitched to a 4.21 ERA/93 ERA+. He's coming off six shutout innings against the Cardinals.
Cubs look to keep rolling
The Cubs will take on the lowly Tigers in Wrigley on Wednesday, and they'll be looking to win their sixth straight. As play opens on the Fourth of July, the Cubs trail the Brewers by only one game in the NL Central. The SportsLine Projection Model right now tabs the Cubs for 95 wins and gives them a 62.1 percent chance of winning the division.
Broadly speaking, the offense has been the most pronounced team strength. The Cubs lead the NL in runs scored. Sure, Wrigley has a little to do with that, but they rank second to the Braves in runs scored on the road. In matters related, the Cubs also lead the NL in batting average and OBP and rank second in slugging percentage. They've been particularly potent of late, as Chicago has racked up 65 runs in its last seven games. Survey the lineup, and you'll find that every single Cubs regular boasts a park-adjusted OPS that's better than the league average. Switch-hitting reserves Ben Zobrist and Ian Happ have also been highly productive.
Thanks to that broad potency and what's been a strong bullpen to date, the Cubs can put their deadline resources toward upgrading the rotation. In the meantime, expect that lineup to keep hanging crooked numbers with regularity.
M's aim to win ninth straight
The Mariners, now on pace for 104 wins, will face the downward-spiraling Angels with an eight-game win streak intact. Mike Leake will oppose Garrett Richards. If the Mariners prevail, then the resulting nine-game win streak will be their longest since 2004. More to the point, Seattle has strong designs on making it to the postseason for the first time since 2001.
The goal, of course, is to best the world-champion Astros in the AL West. Although Seattle is just a half-game back, Houston is the solid favorite to prevail. Overall, though, he SportsLine Projection Model gives the Mariners a robust 94.2 percent chance of making the playoffs -- likely via a wild-card berth. In some senses, it's a tough thing to be as good as the Mariners have been and figure to be and be faced with a possible one-and-done affair against the mighty AL East runner-up. But given how long it's been since the M's have tasted playoff baseball, they'll take it.
Quick hits
Live team updates