I must be nuts. I have to be. When you see the list of the top five series below, you might feel the same. How is it possible for Justin to leave off a matchup that has two clubs with the best combined record of any series this week? What do I mean by that? Atlanta (45-21 record) travels to the Windy City to take on the Chicago White Sox (34-31). Combined, these franchises are 79-52. There is no other series with a better combined winning percentage, and somehow I’m leaving it off this week’s top five.
Why? The White Sox have made the top five list in the last two MLB Series Previews. And to follow up on that honor, they dropped both series in which they were mentioned. The first came to Minnesota early last week, and the most recent came against the Phillies this past weekend. Chicago lost two of three contests to each squad. They haven’t played well of late, despite their solid record.
If I were to mention the White Sox for a third straight time, my fear is that I’d repeat the same information given in the last two articles regarding their incredibly brutal schedule this month. A schedule that doesn’t let up at all this week, with Atlanta and the Dodgers coming to town. That’s not to say their series with Atlanta won’t be interesting. However, given that Georgia’s team has a 9 ½-game lead in the NL East, there’s really not much more I can say beyond what was already mentioned in Friday’s MLB Series Preview about how dominant they have been. They were the best team in baseball heading into the weekend, and after sweeping Pittsburgh at home, that hasn’t changed.
As I said. I must be nuts. Let me try to justify the five series ranked ahead of Atlanta versus Chicago, beginning with…
No. 1: Yankees (38-26) at Guardians (37-30)
Series length: Three games (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
They meet again for the second time in a week. This series ranked No. 1 on the list last Monday, and once again, I feel there’s no matchup more worthy of the top spot this week.
I understand that Cleveland is coming off a rubber-game loss at Texas on Sunday, in which they were crushed 10-0. They lost that series 2-1, and their +1 run differential for the season is only the sixth-highest in the American League. For comparison’s sake, the Yankees have an AL-best +96 run differential.
Yet, as always, Cleveland finds itself right in the mix for an AL Central crown. Last week, the Guardians won two of three contests at Yankee Stadium. In that series, Cleveland’s star José Ramírez went 7-for-13 at the dish with four extra-base knocks and five runs scored. Meanwhile, the Yankees were without their top player, Aaron Judge, who, as I’m sure most everyone reading this knows, landed on the 10-day IL last week with a stress fracture in his rib. He won’t be back anytime soon.
Once again, I love the expected pitching matchups in this series. Last week, we saw the Guardians’ offense get the better of Cam Schlittler (L, 4.1 IP, 4 ER) and Gerrit Cole (L, 5.1 IP, 4 ER). Schlittler won’t be pitching in this series, but Cole will have a chance at redemption in Game 2 on Tuesday. If there are three better days around the majors this week for potential great duels on the bump, let me know.
Monday: NYY – Will Warren (12 GS, 7-1, 3.22 ERA) vs. Gavin Williams (13 GS, 9-3, 3.20 ERA)
Tuesday: NYY – Gerrit Cole (3 GS, 1-1, 2.00 ERA) vs. Slade Cecconi (14 GS, 3-5, 4.92 ERA)
Wednesday: NYY – Carlos Rodón (5 GS, 1-2, 2.88 ERA) vs. Parker Messick (13 GS, 6-2, 2.40 ERA)
No. 2: Dodgers (42-24) at Pirates (34-32)
Series length: Three games (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
The only downer in a series like this, which pairs franchises with some true superstar arms, is when none of them are matched up on the same day. Wouldn’t everyone love to see Paul Skenes face Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, undeniably three of the top 10 starting pitchers in MLB? I would, and I get kind of bummed out about not seeing more matchups involving the best hurlers in the game.
There used to be something magical about watching the best of the best go at it over seven-plus epic frames. It’s so rare in today’s game that when a series like this one gets underway, and the schedule has Skenes pitching in Tuesday’s opener and Ohtani scheduled for the second contest on Wednesday, I find that annoying. Another lost opportunity to build up a regular-season game that would undoubtedly draw more viewers if, say, Skenes faced Ohtani at some point this week. Instead, Dodgers southpaw Eric Lauer (2-5, 5.74 ERA) will face Skenes, and Pittsburgh’s Jared Jones (1-0, 4.82 ERA) takes on Ohtani. To think that just one day apart in the rotation keeps us from seeing what would have been the most hyped pitching duel of the ’26 season between Skenes and Ohtani is kind of sad for baseball.
Anyway, this series still gets the No. 2 slot because these clubs are legitimate playoff contenders right now. I’m not sure if Pittsburgh can make up 7 ½ games on Milwaukee in the NL Central, but I do believe this is the type of series at their home park, which could tell us a whole heckuva lot about whether this squad is a playoff contender or pretender. Pittsburgh was just swept on the road by MLB’s best team, and after losing that series in Atlanta, the Buccos have a very favorable schedule following this three-game set with Los Angeles. The Pirates welcome the Miami Marlins for three matches this weekend, followed by a six-game road trip next week versus the A’s and Rockies. That’s three straight series against teams with sub-.500 records. This is the beginning of a huge two-week stretch for a Pirates squad only a half-game out of an NL wild card spot.
No. 3: Phillies (35-30) at Blue Jays (32-34)
Series length: Three games (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
There’s something about the Phillies and Blue Jays that I believe scares the rest of the league. Neither has truly gotten going yet. Remember, these are two teams that had very high expectations coming into the ’26 campaign. We’re talking about a Philadelphia team that hasn’t missed the playoffs since ’21, and a Jays franchise that was one inning away last year from its first World Series title since 1993.
After winning 94 games in ’25, the Blue Jays haven’t found much of a groove at all this season. They’ve been hovering around .500 since April. They are 5-5 over their last 10 games, and offensively, they rank in the bottom half of MLB in runs scored and OPS, a far cry from the last year, when Toronto ranked in the top five in those same categories. Yet, at 32-34, the Jays are only a half-game out of a wild-card spot. Let’s not forget that two-time Silver Slugger, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., hasn’t flashed anything close to the .488 career slugging percentage we’re used to seeing from the first baseman. Entering this series, Guerrero has only 14 extra-base knocks despite owning a respectable .287 batting average. Where’s that extra-base power? My guess, it will come, and when it does, Toronto takes off.
Then we have the Phillies, who got off to a poor 12-19 start before winning 23 of their next 34 games since the start of May. At 35-30, Philadelphia sits in the National League’s second wild card position, and even though it’s going to be a tall task to catch Atlanta in the NL East at 9 ½ games back, if there’s one team in the division that has the firepower to do so, it’s probably the Phillies.
As I said at the top, despite the combined records, these are two clubs that no one wants to face in the postseason. I believe this could be a World Series preview if these contenders are playing at their best come October. This is an intriguing interleague series. Monday’s opening game pitching matchup will see MLB’s ERA leader, Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez (13 GS, 7-2, 1.46 ERA), take on Toronto’s Patrick Corbin (11 GS, 2-2, 3.98 ERA).
No. 4: Brewers (40-23) at Athletics (31-34)
Series length: Three games (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
This isn’t a knock on either franchise, but the main reason I have this series in the top five is because of where it’s being played. As Steve Drumwright said this morning on MLB News & Moments, this three-game set will take place at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin, Nevada, the home of the Athletics Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators.
The field dimensions at Las Vegas Ballpark are a little longer in all directions than what the Athletics are used to at their current home, Sutter Health Park in Sacramento. The biggest difference between the stadiums is in right field, where Sutter Health Park’s 325 feet is 15 feet shorter than Las Vegas’s 340. Las Vegas Ballpark has a seating capacity of 10,000.
Most importantly, this series and the A’s next one against the Colorado Rockies later in the week are being played in Las Vegas as sort of a preview of what’s to come in 2028, when the franchise officially moves into a new $2 billion domed stadium currently being built on the Las Vegas Strip. The new park has yet to be named, but is expected to seat up to 33,000 people when it opens.
As far as the quality of this series. Not bad at all. The Brewers lead the NL Central, and are five games ahead of St. Louis, while the A’s are 2 ½ games behind Seattle in the AL West and one game behind Texas for the third wild card position.
No. 5: Cardinals (35-28) at Mets (29-36)
Series length: Three games (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Look, it’s still relatively early in the season. I can’t count the Mets out just yet. They are seven games under .500, but only five games behind the Diamondbacks for a National League wild card spot. They just won two of three contests in San Diego, one of the many teams they are chasing for one of those three wild-card positions. New York is 7-3 over its last 10 games and 19-15 since the beginning of May. This is an important stretch for the Metropolitans. Following this series, New York hosts first-place Atlanta for three matches before embarking on a road trip next week to face playoff contenders Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
The Cardinals have a modest four-game winning streak, which is currently the longest going in the majors. They are coming off a nice three-game sweep of the Reds at home, and are the National League’s top wild card team at the moment. In the second series of the campaign, St. Louis won two of three meetings against New York at Busch Stadium.
Could I have put Atlanta and Chicago ahead of this series? Yes, absolutely. But don’t worry, Atlanta fans, it’s very likely that their upcoming series this weekend with the Mets will rank in the top five on Friday. That is, of course, if New York doesn’t fall flat on its face and get swept in this fairly important three-game set with the Redbirds. Stay tuned.
Missed the Top Five
Mariners (34-32) at Orioles (31-35): Four games
Red Sox (27-36) at Rays (37-25): Three games
Astros (30-37) at Angels (25-41): Three games
Reds (31-33) at Padres (33-31): Three games
Nationals (33-33) at Giants (27-39): Three games
Twins (30-37) at Tigers (27-39): Three games
Diamondbacks (34-31) at Marlins (31-35): Three games
Rangers (32-33) at Royals (27-39): Three games
Atlanta (45-21) at White Sox (34-31): Three games
Cubs (34-32) at Rockies (24-42): Three games
