How about those Pirates? Coming off a three-game weekend sweep over the Orioles, sparked by the debut of their top prospect, Konnor Griffin, made for an impressive showing by Pittsburgh. Consider that Griffin went hitless over the final two contests of the series (0-for-6 combined on Saturday and Sunday), yet the Buccos still won on a walk-off knock on Saturday by Nick Yorke, and cruised to an 8-2 victory in Sunday’s finale.
Pittsburgh enters the new week on an MLB-best five-game winning streak. With a record of 6-3, they’ll welcome San Diego to town for three matches beginning Monday. There’s no way I can keep this series off the top five list below. The question is…will it be No. 1? Let’s find out.
No. 1: Dodgers (7-2) at Blue Jays (4-5)
Series length: Three games (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
In answer to my question above, no, Pittsburgh versus San Diego will not be No. 1 on the list. They might not even make No. 2. We’ll get to that later.
There’s really no choice but to have last year’s Fall Classic representatives at the top. It was an epic seven-game series in which Toronto led 3 games to 2 before going home for the final two contests. Then came Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s amazing Game 6 pitching performance for the Dodgers to even the series at three games apiece, followed by his remarkable 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief in Game 7 to help his team capture its second consecutive World Series title.
Now, these clubs meet again for the first and only time during the regular season. I’d love to say that both franchises are entering with a lot of positive momentum. However, the truth is, only the Dodgers can realistically make that statement after rallying from five runs down on Sunday to finish off a series sweep of the Nationals in Washington.
Despite the Blue Crew entering this series with a 7-2 record, they received bad news on Sunday about their shortstop, Mookie Betts. Betts was sent to the IL with an oblique strain and could miss four to six weeks. The Dodgers will start southpaw Justin Wrobleski on Monday, followed by the aforementioned Yamamoto on Tuesday, and are expected to send Shohei Ohtani to the bump in Wednesday’s series finale.
As for the Blue Jays. Well, being swept over the weekend by the American League’s worst team last year, while also losing their starting catcher, Alejandro Kirk, to a fractured thumb in Friday’s loss to Chicago, doesn’t exactly bode well for them. Toronto’s expected starting pitchers for this series are Max Scherzer (Monday), Kevin Gausman (Tuesday), and Dylan Cease (Friday).
It should be a great atmosphere at Rogers Centre. It’s the must-watch series of the week.
No. 2: Mariners (4-6) at Rangers (4-5)
Series length: Three games (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
Ladies and gentlemen, what can I say? I’m a sucker for good pitching matchups, and that’s exactly what we have in this three-game set about to begin in Texas on Monday. It’s true, neither squad is playing up to par in the early going. The Mariners are coming off a series loss to the Angels, while the Rangers have lost four straight after being swept at home by the Cincinnati Reds. But still, this is a series between two AL West clubs with lots of pitching talent and in need of wins. Does it get any better than the following?
Monday – (Texas) Jacob deGrom versus (Seattle) Logan Gilbert
Tuesday – (Texas) Nathan Eovaldi versus (Seattle) George Kirby
Wednesday – (Texas) MacKenzie Gore versus (Seattle) Bryan Woo
If there’s a more enticing three-game series to watch based on the pitching duels alone, I’m not seeing it. Which team comes out of this series victorious is anyone’s guess.
No. 3: Padres (4-5) at Pirates (6-3)
Series length: Three games (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
Now it’s time to talk about those Pirates. Coming in at No. 3, I’m going with the hottest team in baseball against the always dangerous San Diego Padres. Make this the third series on the list with some potentially great starting pitching matchups.
On Monday, Pittsburgh sends Bubba Chandler to the mound against San Diego’s Germán Márquez. Neither pitched well in their opening starts. Chandler walked six batters over 4 1/3 frames versus the Reds last week, and though the 23-year-old didn’t allow a run in his no-decision, he looked rusty. As for Marquez, the former Rockies right-hander pretty much looked like the same guy we saw in Colorado during his first start in a new uniform against San Francisco on March 31 (L, 3 1/3 innings, 4 ER, 8 H, 1 K). Both pitchers have a lot to prove in the opener.
What excites me the most in this series will be Tuesday’s matchup between the two aces, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes and San Diego’s Nick Pivetta. If there’s such a thing as being due for a great outing, then look no further than Skenes versus Pivetta. Skenes looked solid in his win over Cincinnati last week following his disastrous season-opener against the Mets. However, Skenes only went five innings against the Reds, and even though he surrendered just one run, I’m ready for a longer outing from last year’s NL Cy Young winner. As for Pivetta, he was knocked around for six runs over three innings in a loss to Detroit on Opening Day before rebounding for five scoreless frames in a win over the Giants last Wednesday. Let’s hope both pitchers perform well over at least six innings apiece. As I said, both players are due for ace-like performances.
Wednesday’s finale will pair San Diego’s Michael King (2 GS, 0-1, 3.38 ERA) versus Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller (2 GS, 1-0, 1.50 ERA).
No. 4: Tigers (4-5) at Twins (3-6)
Series length: Four games (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
This is only one of two four-game series this week (the other being No. 5 below). It’s also a matchup between two AL Central rivals off to subpar starts. There are a few intriguing pitching matchups to keep an eye on, such as Monday’s opener between Detroit’s Casey Mize and Twins veteran right-hander Joe Ryan. I prefer the battle of sub-1.00 ERAs on Tuesday between Tarik Skubal (2 GS, 1-1, 0.69 ERA) and Taj Bradley (2 GS, 1-0, 0.87 ERA), but take your pick. Both are worth a gander.
Here’s my biggest question about both teams, not only in this series, but for the rest of the campaign. Will their top hitters be good enough in the long run to keep these franchises afloat in the playoff picture? Let’s be honest, when Detroit’s Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter are all hitting below .200 so far, while the team’s best overall hitter has been rookie Kevin McGonigle, I’m not overly confident going forward. The same can be said for Minnesota’s league-worst .192 batting average, thanks in no small part to the oft-injured so-called stars of the team, Byron Buxton (.182/.233/.415 slash line) and Royce Lewis (.167/.310/.500 slash line). If that’s the best we’re going to get from both teams, then we’re in for a low-scoring four-game series. Who, if anyone, is going to break through offensively for these clubs? It will be interesting to follow.
No. 5: Reds (6-3) at Marlins (6-3)
Series length: Four games (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Welcome back to the top five, Miami Marlins. You made the cut last Friday after your 5-1 start, and here you are again making the list after an impressive come-from-behind victory to avoid a sweep at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
The Reds are pitching well through nine games. They enter Monday with the fifth-best team ERA in MLB at 3.25. At 6-3, they sit in a tie for second place in the NL Central with Pittsburgh, one game behind Milwaukee. This is another example today of a team that hasn’t hit well so far in ’26. Cincy’s hitting .209 as a team, and aside from first baseman Sal Stewart’s .367 average, only one other player is hitting over .250.
It’s going to be a tough challenge for the Reds this week in Miami. This is a team with a whole new outlook on baseball life following two impressive starts from their former Cy Young winner, Sandy Alcantara (zero runs allowed over 16 innings pitched). Cincy will have to wait until Tuesday to face Alcantara in what should be an outstanding duel between Miami’s ace and their expected starter, Andrew Abbott (0-1, 2 GS, 3.09 ERA).
Also, keep an eye on Marlins hit-machine Xavier Edwards. The 27-year-old shortstop, currently tied for the MLB lead with a .471 batting average, has a league-best nine-game hitting streak on the line entering Monday. Edwards has struck out only three times in 37 plate appearances this year.
Missed the top five
Cubs (4-5) at Rays (4-5): Three games
Royals (4-5) at Guardians (6-4): Three games
Cardinals (5-4) at Nationals (3-6): Three games
Brewers (7-2) at Red Sox (2-7): Three games
Orioles (3-6) at White Sox (4-6): Three games
Astros (6-4) at Rockies (3-6): Three games
Atlanta (6-4) at Angels (5-5): Three games
Phillies (5-4) at Giants (3-7): Three games
A’s (3-6) at Yankees (7-2): Three games
Diamondbacks (5-5) at Mets (6-4): Three games
