Cardinals Battle Dodgers, Cubs Face D'backs

Cardinals Battle Dodgers

(St. Louis, MO) -- Lance Lynn will toe the rubber tonight for the Cardinals as the Dodgers come to town for a three-game set. St. Louis sits one game behind the Brewers in the National League Central and a half-game up on the Reds. The Pirates are two-and-a-half games behind the Cardinals.

Adam Wainwright will not take the mound this weekend against the Dodgers. The pitcher will get an extra day off after throwing in the All-Star game on Tuesday. Wainwright was scheduled to face off against Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers in a duel between two of the top arms in the National League. Joe Kelly will throw on Saturday with Carlos Martinez facing Kershaw on Sunday.

Cubs Face Diamondbacks

(Phoenix, AZ) -- The Cubs start the second half of the season tonight on the road against the Diamondbacks. Edwin Jackson goes to the hill for Chicago against his former team. Arizona counters with Trevor Cahill in the first of three games at Chase Field.

White Sox Host Astros

(Chicago, IL) -- The White Sox begin the second half of the year tonight against the Astros. Jose Quintana gets the nod for Chicago against Scott Feldman of Houston. The three-game series goes through Sunday.

Yankees Remain America's Favorite Baseball Team

(New York, NY) -- The New York Yankees continue to dominate, perhaps not on the field, but in the hearts of Americans. The team is once again topping a Harris Poll list of favorite baseball teams -- a spot they've held since 2003. However, the Yankees are also the team people least want to see in the World Series, and lead that list by an overwhelming 40-percent of the vote. The Boston Red Sox follow at number two on both lists. They've been America's second-favorite team since 2009, and 14-percent don't want to see them make back-to-back trips to the Fall Classic. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants have soared in popularity, rising to third place after ranking 10th last year. In addition, 17-percent predict the Giants will win the World Series, putting them at the top of that list.

The Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves round out the top five on the "favorite teams" list. The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers are tied for sixth place, with the Milwaukee Brewers taking the number eight spot. The Minnesota Twins rank ninth. The Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals share tenth place.

Efforts Continue To Rename Freeway After Tony Gwynn

(Poway, CA) -- Efforts continue to rename a major freeway in the San Diego area after the late Padres legend Tony Gwynn. City officials say they continue to work with Caltrans and state lawmakers about renaming a nearly 2 1/2 mile stretch of eastbound Interstate 15 after Gwynn. The westbound side of the 15 between San Diego and Poway is already called the Ted Williams Parkway. Poway Mayor Don Higginson says he wants the city to pay tribute to Gwynn after the baseball legend gave back so much to the community before his death earlier this year.

Friday, July 18 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB National League

6:05 p.m. - Colorado Rockies at Pittsburgh Pirates

6:05 p.m. - Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals

6:10 p.m. - San Francisco Giants at Miami Marlins

6:35 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves

7:15 p.m. - Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals

8:40 p.m. - Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks

9:10 p.m. - New York Mets at San Diego Padres

MLB American League

6:07 p.m. - Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays

6:08 p.m. - Cleveland Indians at Detroit Tigers

6:10 p.m. - Kansas City Royals at Boston Red Sox

7:10 p.m. - Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox

7:10 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins

9:05 p.m. - Baltimore Orioles at Oakland Athletics

9:05 p.m. - Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

MLB Interleague

6:05 p.m. - Cincinnati Reds at New York Yankees