Lines to watch
Brigham Young opened as a 6.5-point favorite against Utah State but has since seen the line fall to just a four-point edge.
Weather to watch
Indians at White Sox: There is an expected 12 mph blowing from out toward left center.
Tigers at Orioles: There is a 15 mph wind blowing toward center field.
Yankees at Red Sox: There is a 70 percent chance of rain with a 12 mph wind blowing toward left field.
Nationals at Mets: There is a 40 percent chance of rain with a 15 mph wind blowing toward left field.
Padres at Giant: There is an expected 11 mph wind blowing toward center field.
Who’s hot
The Reds are 13-5 in their past 18 home games.
The over is 6-1-1 in the Pirates past eight games.
The Cubs are 16-5 in their past 21 road games.
The over is 11-4 in the Rockies past 15 games.
Who’s not
The Blue Jays are 4-10 in their past 14 road games
The under is 17-8 in the Indians past 25 games.
The Diamondbacks are 15-41 in their past 56 road games.
Key stat
16: Road wins this season for Pittsburgh. The Pirates are 16-62 on the road this year and must win once in their final three away tilts – all in Miami against the Marlins – to avoid the infamy of becoming the first team to win fewer than 17 road games with a 162-game format.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Texans receiver Andre Johnson’s ankle is worse than ever. Held to just four catches for 64 yards in a loss against the Cowboys last week, Johnson was kept out of practice on Thursday and did only a little light running. He expects to play, but also facing Raiders stud corner Nnamdi Asomugha makes Texans coach Gary Kubiak hesitant at best. "To say that he's a 'no,' I don't see it that way. I think that he's going to be a game-time decision,” Kubiak told HoustonTexans.com. “Obviously, he's sorer than he is now than he was last week at this time or would've taken in some of the practice. He did run some. It's not like he didn't do anything.”
Game of the Day
BYU at Utah State (+4, 51.5)
Notable quotes
“We all know that especially in New York, once the media and the perception becomes a reality, you start fighting against it. And when you are fighting against something that is not necessarily real, you make it real.” – Former New York Giant running back Tiki Barber on the perception that New York coach Tom Coughlin is losing his squad.
Tips and notes
The Rangers are ready to welcome back slugger Josh Hamilton. After taking 60 swings on Thursday -- 40 on soft toss and 20 in batting practice -- he participated in some long toss in the outfield and expects to play all three games this weekend against the Angels. However, the team expects to miss outfielder David Murphy, who likely will miss the rest of the regular season with a left groin strain. "I'm fired up," Hamilton told MLB.com. "I felt like this was a reasonable goal, especially after getting the (anti-inflammatory) injections (10 days ago) and I started feeling better a couple of days after I had them. It's not normal to come back this quick as far as conditioning and stuff like that. You would like to stretch it out a little more. But the circumstances are a little different."
And while the Rangers will be making lineup changes, it will be well into October until the Minnesota Twins expect back slugger Justin Morneau. The Canadian has been sidelined much of the year with a concussion and the former American League MVP could certainly give the team’s lineup another dangerous bat. However, the team expects him back for the American League Championship Series at the earliest if Minnesota advances past the first round. Morneau was hitting .345 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs before taking a knee to the head on July 7 that sidelined him. "Everybody knows it would be great if this guy could help us one way or another," manager Ron Gardenhire told MLB.com. "But he's been out a long time. It's exciting that he's actually feeling good. That's all we wanted. It's not about the baseball part of it. Let's get him out on the baseball field and go from there. No expectations. There's no sense in going any further than that."
Virginia Tech will be without stud running back Ryan Williams for a second-straight game when the team plays at No. 23 North Carolina State on Saturday. The Wolfpack are one of the biggest surprises in the country behind quarterback Russell Wilson, who has 11 passing touchdowns and another rushing to lead NC State to a 4-0 start. Without Williams, the Hokies will be hard-pressed to score with the Wolfpack if the game devolves into a shootout.
Brigham Young opened as a 6.5-point favorite against Utah State but has since seen the line fall to just a four-point edge.
Weather to watch
Indians at White Sox: There is an expected 12 mph blowing from out toward left center.
Tigers at Orioles: There is a 15 mph wind blowing toward center field.
Yankees at Red Sox: There is a 70 percent chance of rain with a 12 mph wind blowing toward left field.
Nationals at Mets: There is a 40 percent chance of rain with a 15 mph wind blowing toward left field.
Padres at Giant: There is an expected 11 mph wind blowing toward center field.
Who’s hot
The Reds are 13-5 in their past 18 home games.
The over is 6-1-1 in the Pirates past eight games.
The Cubs are 16-5 in their past 21 road games.
The over is 11-4 in the Rockies past 15 games.
Who’s not
The Blue Jays are 4-10 in their past 14 road games
The under is 17-8 in the Indians past 25 games.
The Diamondbacks are 15-41 in their past 56 road games.
Key stat
16: Road wins this season for Pittsburgh. The Pirates are 16-62 on the road this year and must win once in their final three away tilts – all in Miami against the Marlins – to avoid the infamy of becoming the first team to win fewer than 17 road games with a 162-game format.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Texans receiver Andre Johnson’s ankle is worse than ever. Held to just four catches for 64 yards in a loss against the Cowboys last week, Johnson was kept out of practice on Thursday and did only a little light running. He expects to play, but also facing Raiders stud corner Nnamdi Asomugha makes Texans coach Gary Kubiak hesitant at best. "To say that he's a 'no,' I don't see it that way. I think that he's going to be a game-time decision,” Kubiak told HoustonTexans.com. “Obviously, he's sorer than he is now than he was last week at this time or would've taken in some of the practice. He did run some. It's not like he didn't do anything.”
Game of the Day
BYU at Utah State (+4, 51.5)
Notable quotes
“We all know that especially in New York, once the media and the perception becomes a reality, you start fighting against it. And when you are fighting against something that is not necessarily real, you make it real.” – Former New York Giant running back Tiki Barber on the perception that New York coach Tom Coughlin is losing his squad.
Tips and notes
The Rangers are ready to welcome back slugger Josh Hamilton. After taking 60 swings on Thursday -- 40 on soft toss and 20 in batting practice -- he participated in some long toss in the outfield and expects to play all three games this weekend against the Angels. However, the team expects to miss outfielder David Murphy, who likely will miss the rest of the regular season with a left groin strain. "I'm fired up," Hamilton told MLB.com. "I felt like this was a reasonable goal, especially after getting the (anti-inflammatory) injections (10 days ago) and I started feeling better a couple of days after I had them. It's not normal to come back this quick as far as conditioning and stuff like that. You would like to stretch it out a little more. But the circumstances are a little different."
And while the Rangers will be making lineup changes, it will be well into October until the Minnesota Twins expect back slugger Justin Morneau. The Canadian has been sidelined much of the year with a concussion and the former American League MVP could certainly give the team’s lineup another dangerous bat. However, the team expects him back for the American League Championship Series at the earliest if Minnesota advances past the first round. Morneau was hitting .345 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs before taking a knee to the head on July 7 that sidelined him. "Everybody knows it would be great if this guy could help us one way or another," manager Ron Gardenhire told MLB.com. "But he's been out a long time. It's exciting that he's actually feeling good. That's all we wanted. It's not about the baseball part of it. Let's get him out on the baseball field and go from there. No expectations. There's no sense in going any further than that."
Virginia Tech will be without stud running back Ryan Williams for a second-straight game when the team plays at No. 23 North Carolina State on Saturday. The Wolfpack are one of the biggest surprises in the country behind quarterback Russell Wilson, who has 11 passing touchdowns and another rushing to lead NC State to a 4-0 start. Without Williams, the Hokies will be hard-pressed to score with the Wolfpack if the game devolves into a shootout.
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