UNDATED (AP) – There are three day games being in Major League Baseball this afternoon. In Detroit the Tigers are looking to gain some ground on idle Chicago in the American League Central race as they face the Blue Jays. The Tigers, who have 12- game winner Justin Verlander on the mound, start the day two games back of the Sox.
The other two matinee affairs are in the National League as Colorado plays the Mets in New York and St. Louis is home to Houston. The first game doesn’t mean much but the second game features one of the two teams currently holding down a National League Wild Card spot. The Cardinals, at 67 and 56, are a half game up on Pittsburgh and a game in front of the Braves for a wild card berth.
The rest of the schedule is being played this evening and the best matchup has Atlanta playing the Giants in San Francisco. The Giants are fresh off a three game sweep of the arch rival Dodgers, while the Braves just dropped two of three to the Nationals in Washington. The Giants currently lead the NL West by 2 1/1 games over the Dodgers, while the Braves are 6 back of the Nats in the East.
Your remaining games tonight have Minnesota playing at Texas, Cincinnati at Philadelphia, the Angels at Boston and Tampa Bay at home to Oakland. The Rays can gain ground on idle New York in the AL East. Starting the night, the Rays are just three games back of the New Yorkers.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee has indefinitely suspended star wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers for an unspecified violation of team rules.
Rogers was an all-Southeastern Conference selection last year with 67 catches for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns.
The junior from Calhoun, Ga., doesn’t appear on the depth chart Tennessee released Thursday for its Aug. 31 season opener with North Carolina State at the Georgia Dome. Cordarrelle Patterson, a transfer from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, likely would start in Rogers’ place.
Rogers was expected to team up with Justin Hunter to form the SEC’s top receiving tandem as Tennessee attempts to bounce back from a 5-7 season. Hunter caught 17 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns last year before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Sept. 17.
FedEx playoffs begin
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) – The first stop of the FedEx playoff starts today with the opening round of The Barclays at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y. Tiger Woods, with three wins this year on the PGA Tour, tops the 125 qualifiers for the opening event. Jason Dufner, second in the regular-season points list, is skipping the event while No. 3 Rory McIlroy is taking part.
For the first round, Woods and McIlroy are playing together for the first time in a PGA event.
The top 100 after The Barclays will be eligible for the Deutsche (DOY’-cheh) Bank next week in Norton, Mass.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto at Detroit 12:05 p.m.
L.A. Angels at Boston 6:10 p.m.
Oakland at Tampa Bay 6:10 p.m.
Minnesota at Texas 7:05 p.m.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Colorado at N-Y Mets 12:10 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
Houston at St. Louis 12:45 p.m.
Cincinnati at Philadelphia 6:05 p.m.
Atlanta at San Francisco 9:15 p.m.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Green Bay at Cincinnati 6:00 p.m.
Jacksonville at Baltimore 6:30 p.m.
Arizona at Tennessee 7:00 p.m.