Dodgers games against Cubs & Giants tabbed for exclusive ESPN telecasts

ESPN announced the first two months of Sunday Night Baseball matchups on the network plus a handful of other telecasts, with two Dodgers games included in the group.

The Dodgers at the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sunday, May 8 (a 4:08 p.m. PT start), as well as the Dodgers hosting the Giants on Thursday, July 21 at Dodger Stadium (7:08 p.m.) will be exclusive ESPN telecasts. The latter is the first day back for MLB after the All-Star Game, which this year is two days earlier at Dodger Stadium for the first time since 1980.

ESPN has a new Sunday Night Baseball broadcasting crew this year, with Karl Ravech on play-by-play alongside analysts David Cone and Eduardo Perez. Reporter Buster Olney is the lone on-air holdover from last year.

Here are the list of announced Sunday Night Baseball games on ESPN:

• April 10: Red Sox at Yankees
• April 17: Braves at Padres
• April 24: Brewers at Phillies
• May 1: Phillies at Mets
• May 8: Dodgers at Cubs
• May 15: Giants at Cardinals
• May 22: White Sox at Yankees
• May 29: Phillies at Mets (ESPN2)
• July 3: Cardinals at Phillies
• July 10: Yankees at Red Sox
• August 21: Red Sox at Orioles (Little League Classic)

There are still 14 Sunday ESPN telecasts to fill, which will be announced throughout the season.

All Sunday Night Baseball games, plus the Thursday, July 21 game, are broadcasts exclusive to ESPN, which means there are no local telecasts, so no SportsNet LA for these two Dodgers games.