The written preview lands about a day and a half before the game, once the lineups, the injuries and the market have settled. Until then the boards below carry the matchup: recent form, how the two sides compare, and where each of them sits.
The full preview, matchup keys, probable starters and the storylines to watch, posts closer to game time, once lineups are set.
Where each side sits in its own division, with both clubs marked. These two are in different ones, so the tables are separate and the records are not directly comparable.
Tampa Bay Rays87-59.596L1
New York Yankees84-62.575W3
Boston Red Sox80-67.544L2
Toronto Blue Jays73-74.497L1
Baltimore Orioles71-76.483W1
Houston Astros75-72.510W1
Texas Rangers72-75.490L2
Seattle Mariners69-78.469W2
Oakland Athletics59-88.401W1
Los Angeles Angels56-90.384W2Taken from each club's most recent lineup. The official cards post 2 to 3 hours before first pitch, so a name here can still be scratched, and the batting order is the likelier thing to move than the nine men in it.
Los Angeles Angels
Zach Neto#9RHB.244hotShortstop
Mike Trout#27RHB.244Center field
Jose Siri#28RHBRight field
Vaughn Grissom#5RHB.245First base
Christian Moore#4RHBDesignated hitterBaltimore Orioles
Dylan Beavers#12LHB.244Left field
Pete Alonso#25RHB.268coldFirst base
Coby Mayo#16RHBDesignated hitter
Christian Encarnacion-Strand#32RHB.255Third base
Jackson Holliday#7LHB.235Shortstop
