If there’s one thing I’ve learned about April baseball, it’s that making predetermined judgments about teams and players is not often a wise decision. It takes more than a few weeks to really get a sense of what’s going on. Sometimes it takes a few months.
For instance, if you had told me that the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros would be on a combined nine-game losing streak entering their first meeting of the year on April 10, I would have found that difficult to believe. Yet, here we are on April 10, 2026, and both clubs enter play on lengthy losing streaks with work to do in the AL West. I would have expected the No. 1 matchup on the top-five series list below to be a battle among franchises off to nice starts. That’s not the case this weekend in Seattle.
Either way, whether hot starts or cold starts, there’s no question that, based on importance and intrigue, the top matchup on this weekend’s series preview has to be Houston at Seattle.
No. 1: Astros (6-7) at Mariners (4-9)
Series length: Four games (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
Whoa. Talk about a series of surprises. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Houston enters play this weekend with the worst team ERA in the American League at 6.05. That’s a hair better than Washington’s 6.06, saving the ‘Stros from claiming the highest earned run average in MLB.
Of course, it could all change this weekend in Seattle if the Mariners can figure out how to hit again. Seattle has scored only 40 runs in 13 contests. What blows my mind, and probably yours, is their MLB-low .184 batting average. My friends, that is not a typo. The M’s are the only team hitting under .200 this year, and it’s not even close. The next lowest team batting average is the Angels’ .201 mark. What is happening in the Pacific Northwest? All I need to know to better understand this enigma is that the three biggest offensive threats from last year’s Mariners squad that went to the ALCS (Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, and Josh Naylor) are batting a combined .130 at the dish with three extra-base knocks. What’s crazier is that Raleigh has all three of those extra-base hits (Two doubles and a homer). I know Rodriguez usually doesn’t flex his muscles until the second half, but come on now, this is a serious concern if you’re a Mariners fan.
I suppose this sets up the main question of this upcoming four-game series. Will it be Houston’s lousy early-season pitching getting the better of Seattle’s unimaginable poor hitting, or vice versa? Maybe both? Maybe this will be a series split, and neither team gains an edge. Let’s be honest, no one could have predicted what we’re seeing from both squads so far.
Who will gain the upper hand? No idea, but I’m going to tune in and find out.
No. 2: Guardians (8-5) at Atlanta (8-5)
Series length: Three games (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Let’s move on to a series between two franchises that are playing good ball early on. Every time I think of Cleveland versus Atlanta, memories of the 1995 World Series come to mind. Both teams entered the Fall Classic as division champs that season, and if the playoffs started today, the same would be true.
Now, I’m not going to get too dramatic here and start comparing the current pitching staffs on both sides to those from the glory days of Atlanta and Cleveland baseball. In ’95, these clubs had the top ERA’s in their respective leagues. We’re talking about starting pitchers like Orel Hershiser, Charles Nagy, and Dennis Martinez atop the Guardians rotation, while Atlanta had their three legendary names: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz. That’s not what we’re looking at today. However, after three weeks of play, Atlanta leads MLB with a 2.03 ERA, while Cleveland’s 3.13 earned run average ranks fifth.
Again, it’s early. We all know neither pitching staff is close to what these teams had 31 years ago, but it’s fun to get a little giddy from time to time about some of these early-season rankings. Cleveland will send Slade Cecconi (2 GS, 0-1, 5.23 ERA) to the bump in Friday’s series-opener. He’ll take on Atlanta’s best starting pitcher so far, Bryce Elder, who hasn’t surrendered a run over 13 frames this year.
No. 3: Rangers (7-5) at Dodgers (9-3)
Series length: Three games (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Another interleague battle between first-place clubs takes place at Dodger Stadium this weekend. We knew coming in that, if healthy, Texas would have a formidable rotation with Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and newly acquired southpaw MacKenzie Gore. However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the Rangers’ bullpen, which ranks second in MLB with a 1.55 ERA over 46 1/3 frames.
The Rangers are coming off an impressive three-game home sweep of the Mariners and now begin a 10-game road trip out west against the Dodgers, the A’s, and another series against Seattle. This will be a great test for a veteran team still trying to figure out its offensive identity. They’ll face a Dodgers squad with the largest division lead in MLB at 2 1/2 games. A team that leads all of baseball with 21 homers, a .287 batting average, and is tied for the best run differential at +34. Let’s see how the Rangers’ pitching staff fares against, arguably, MLB’s top offensive squad.
No. 4: Rockies (6-7) at Padres (7-6)
Series length: Four games (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday) *Padres won Thursday’s contest, 7-3
What a dramatic start to this series on Thursday, after an Xander Bogaerts walk-off grand slam gave San Diego first blood.
My guess is that it’s probably going to be rare air to find the Colorado Rockies on this top-five list going forward. But let’s give credit where it’s due, especially to the Rockies’ early-season pitching. Colorado has finished at the bottom of MLB in team ERA for the last four seasons. Just to see their name in the middle of the pack (currently ranked 13th with a 3.62 ERA) is a shocker, albeit likely a short one when it’s all said and done.
As it stands right now, the Rockies’ 6-7 record has them in fourth place and out of the NL West’s basement. If this team can finish in fourth or better for the first time since 2021, while also losing fewer than 100 games for the first time since ’22, then at least it’s an improvement. I don’t believe in this franchise, nor do I think they’ll finish anywhere but last place in the division once again. However, maybe they can at least perform respectably and possibly play spoiler to the other four teams in the NL West as the season progresses. Right now, they deserve some attention, especially in a division series versus the Friars.
San Diego has gone 11-3 against the Rockies since the start of 2025.
No. 5: Diamondbacks (7-6) at Phillies (6-6)
Series length: Three games (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Arizona’s challenging nine-game road trip began well after taking Thursday’s rubber game from the Mets, 7-1. They’ve won four of five contests and will look to keep it going in Philadelphia. Arizona begins a three-game set against a Phillies team returning home from a subpar trip out west, during which they went 3-3 combined in Colorado and San Francisco. Philadelphia is fortunate to be .500 right now, considering their -15 run differential is the second-worst mark in the National League.
I’m keeping my eye on Sunday’s likely pitching matchup between Arizona’s veteran right-hander Zac Gallen (3 GS, 1-1, 3.00 ERA) and Philadelphia’s rookie, Andrew Painter (2 GS, 1-0, 4.82 ERA). This is a duel between two pitchers trying to prove themselves early on.
Gallen re-signed with Arizona on a one-year deal worth just north of $22 million after a difficult 2025 campaign. Excluding his first start on March 26 versus the Dodgers (L, 4 IP, 4 ER), he’s pitched well (2 GS, 11 IP, 1 ER). As for Painter, he’s coming off a rough outing against the Giants (4 IP, 4 ER, 9 H), and for all the hoopla around his name since the Phillies drafted him in 2021, I’m still waiting to see if he can truly bounce back from 2023’s Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. If so, then maybe Sunday will be his breakout performance.
We all know Phillies fans aren’t considered the most patient group of spectators. Let’s hope Painter pitches well in his second home start of ’26. The last thing he needs is the boo birds.
Missed the top five
White Sox (5-8) at Royals (5-8): Four games *White Sox won Thursday’s opener, 2-0
Pirates (7-5) at Cubs (6-6): Three games
Marlins (8-5) at Tigers (4-9): Three games
Angels (6-7) at Reds (8-5): Three games
Twins (7-6) at Blue Jays (5-7): Three games
A’s (5-7) at Mets (7-6): Three games
Yankees (8-4) at Rays (5-7): Three games
Giants (5-8) at Orioles (6-6): Three games
Nationals (4-8) at Brewers (8-4): Three games
Red Sox (4-8) at Cardinals (7-5): Three games
