Hurricane has forced Fox to scramble with Saturday baseball coverage

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Not only has now Hurricane Irene postponed the Saturday night Phillies-Marlins game, but it has also scrambled Fox's national TV coverage plans. The Mets-Braves game in New York was supposed to be the featured game, but now Philadelphia and New York-area viewers (not to mention Lehigh Valley cable subscribers) will get the less than scrintillating Detroit-Minnesota matchup at 4. That matchup is only attractive because Justin Verlander is going for his 20th win of the season, and perhaps Phillies fans can view it as an opportunity to scout Detroit, a potential World Series opponent.

Here's the release from Fox on who's getting what.after the postponement of the Mets-Braves game.
SATURDAY’S BRAVES/METS GAME POSTPONED
REVISED FOX BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Due to the anticipated impact of Hurricane Irene, Saturday's Braves/Mets game in New York will not be part of tomorrow's FOX Saturday Baseball schedule. The game was postponed by the Mets this afternoon and will not be part of FOX's 4:00 PM ET broadcast window.

Markets that had been assigned to Braves/Mets have been reassigned to one of FOX's three remaining games: Detroit-Minnesota, Colorado-LA Dodgers or Pittsburgh-St. Louis. The MLB on FOX pregame shows now originates from Target Field in Minneapolis.



Verlander Goes for 20th Win on the FOX SATURDAY GAME OF THE WEEK at 4:00 PM ET

Tigers/Twins – Pirates/Cardinals – Rockies/Dodgers



FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK FOCUSES NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ON VERLANDER – For the 2011 season, one pitcher has been a head and shoulders above the rest. The Tigers’ Justin Verlander has amassed a 19-5 record while leading all of baseball in IP, K, wins and ranks third in ERA. The Detroit right-hander is scheduled to take the mound on Saturday, Aug. 27 (4:00 PM ET) as the Tigers take on the Twins. Two more enticing matchups round out FOX Sports’ Saturday slate. In St. Louis, Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman and the Cardinals look to close the gap on the Brewers in the NL Central as they meet the Pirates. Also, the Rockies take on the Dodgers in Los Angeles.



The MLB on FOX pregame show originates live from the Target Field in Minneapolis with host Chris Rose.



GAME PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST COV.

Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins Mario Impemba & Bert Blyleven 61%

Target Field – Minneapolis, MN

MARKETS INCLUDE: Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Hartford, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Washington, West Palm Beach

Probable Pitchers: Justin Verlander, RHP (19-5, 2.28 ERA) vs. Carl Pavano, RHP (6-10, 4.54 ERA)



Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals Dan McLaughlin &Mitch Williams 28%

Busch Stadium – St. Louis, MO

MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Greenville, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tulsa

Probable Pitchers: Jeff Karstens, RHP (9-7, 3.09 ERA) vs. Chris Carpenter, RHP (8-8, 3.57 ERA)



Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers Daron Sutton & Eric Karros 10%

Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles, CA

MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Denver, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, San Diego

Probable Pitchers: Kevin Millwood, RHP (1-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. Chad Billingsley, RHP (10-10, 4.07 ERA)





-- FOX SPORTS --

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