Baseball on TV This Week: Our Picks for August 3 – 9
The August 3 trade deadline lands on Monday, so this is a week of contenders showing their hand — and the schedule cooperates with a heavyweight national doubleheader, a rivalry with genuine October history, and a Sunday-night showcase. Here's what we'd clear the schedule for, and exactly where to watch each one.
Editor's Picks
Dodgers at Cubs
The best matchup of the week gets two national windows in two days: the two-time defending champion Dodgers (67–40) at the Cubs (61–46), who hold the top NL Wild Card spot. It's a measuring-stick series for Chicago against the team the whole league is chasing.
Why watch: the champions on the road at Wrigley, the Cubs proving their October credentials, and a Dodgers pitching staff patching around injuries. Records as of late July; they move daily.
Cardinals at Yankees
A rare interleague meeting between franchises that have played in five World Series (the Cardinals lead that history 3–2). The 2026 versions are mismatched — the Yankees (61–46) hold an AL Wild Card while weathering Aaron Judge's absence; the Cardinals (53–54) have faded and may be deadline sellers — but the history and the Yankee Stadium stage make it a watch.
Astros at Padres
Sunday Night Baseball closes the week with a genuine contender clash: the Astros visiting the Padres in a national primetime window. Two clubs firmly in their respective playoff pictures, on the biggest weekly stage.
Giants at Rangers
The week opens on ESPN with the Giants in Texas to face the Rangers — an interleague-flavored national window and a good early-week measuring stick for two teams jockeying in the Wild Card mix.
Everything else on this week
That's our shortlist, but with the deadline reshaping rosters on Monday, every contender's series this week carries extra weight. See the complete week, with every first pitch converted to your local time zone, on our full schedule.
New to the 2026 TV maze? Our viewing guides break down exactly where every game lives this year, what's free, and what it costs.
First pitch shown in US Eastern; on the live schedule it converts to your local zone automatically. Listings verified as of publication — see how we check our TV listings.