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 both sides sit in the division they share, with each marked.
Tampa Bay Rays87-58.600W2
New York Yankees83-62.572W2
Boston Red Sox80-67.544L2
Toronto Blue Jays73-74.497L1
Baltimore Orioles71-76.483W1Taken 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.
Tampa Bay Rays
Yandy Díaz#2RHB.305Designated hitter
Jonathan Aranda#8LHBFirst base
Junior Caminero#13RHB.281hotThird base
Liam Hicks#34LHB.282hotCatcher
Victor Mesa Jr.#25LHBRight fieldBoston Red Sox
Roman Anthony#19LHBDesignated hitter
Mickey Gasper#30SHB.264hotCatcher
Wilyer Abreu#52LHB.256Right field
Trevor Story#10RHBShortstop
Nick Sogard#20SHB.266coldFirst base
