Reasons to watch the free games of the week

August 18th, 2021

Looking for an excuse to tune into some of MLB's free games this week -- especially the ones that air at a more convenient time? Need a few facts to throw around with friends to sound like you know your stuff? You're in luck. Here are a few quick bullet points to get you ready for the games, which you can stream on MLB.TV. (YouTube's free weekly game airs on the MLB YouTube channel or can be found here.)

We're highlighting just a few of the daily free games that air at a more convenient time across Europe, but there are plenty to check out every night all summer long.

All stats as of Sept. 20

Sept. 23 - Cardinals at Brewers, 19:10 BST / 20:10 CEST

• We've got a potential postseason matchup on our hands! The Brewers will likely clinch the NL Central within the next week, while the red-hot Cardinals are riding an eight-game winning streak that has them three games up on the Reds for the second Wild Card spot.

• St. Louis outfielder Tyler O'Neill is having a breakout season. O'Neill has put his almost-comically large biceps to work to blast 28 home runs and lead the team with an .890 OPS.

• The ageless Adam Wainwright is expected to take the hill for the Cardinals. Wainwright, who recently celebrated his 40th birthday, recently announced he'd be returning to play in 2022. It's not hard to see why he'd want to: He's gone 16-7 with a 2.89 ERA -- arguably his best numbers since he finished third in the Cy Young Award voting in 2014.

• If the Brewers get the lead, watch out. The team is eighth in reliever ERA and they have the unhittable Josh Hader in the bullpen. Hader has a 1.34 ERA, has struck out 92 batters in just 53 2/3 IP and gets whiffs on nearly half his pitches.