Weekend Series Start tonight

We are now officially two months into the MLB season. After an off day for most of the league, teams are settled and ready for their weekend series to start. This is how these games are shaping up. 

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Pittsburgh Pirates

In a matchup between the two surprise teams of the season, this meeting at PNC Park will definitely have great baseball. The second place 25-19 Diamondbacks are led by Cy Young candidate Zac Gallen gets the bump tonight and looks to improve upon an already incredible season. The 23-20 Pirates are only a game back of the Brewers and a good series could propel them into first place. 

Milwaukee Brewers @ Tampa Bay Rays

An interleague matchup between two first-place teams takes place in the Trop. The historic Rays who are on pace for 120 wins are looking to keep the ball rolling after dropping two to the Mets. They give the ball to their big lefty Shane McClanahan tonight. The Brew Crew look to keep their lead in the tight NL Central as a bad series could see them fall in the standings. 

New York Yankees @ Cincinnati Reds

The Yankees are starting to heat up as they continue their road trip. They hope to stay out of the headlines after a series with the Blue Jays riddled with cheating allegations. They are 7-3 over their last 10 games as they give struggling Clark Schmidt another go at things in Cincinnati. After a relatively hot start, the Reds have started to cool down and have settled into a cozy 4th place in the NL Central. They hope to stay at the Cubs rate, who face a struggling Phillies team. At 19-24, they are only five games out of first place. 

Detroit Tigers @ Washington Nationals

After splitting a two-game set against the Pirates, and squandering the game with their ace pitching, the Tigers sit at a mysterious third in the AL Central. The Tigers were supposed to be the next team up, and in a division as wide open as theirs, they should have a commanding lead. But instead, they sit 5-5 over their past 10. They are three games under .500 and 3.5 out of the first-place Twins. The National’s young core can’t do much in the powerhouse NL East division as they are eight games under .500 and nine games back from the leading Braves.  

Chicago Cubs @ Philidelphia Phillies 

These are two teams that are all aboard the struggle bus. Both teams were very aggressive in free agency, with both teams signing $100,000,000+ contracts to their new shortstops. After getting swept by the Giants, the Phillies’ World Series hangover might be getting out of hand. They sit seven games back of first and three games under .500. The Cubs are maybe even worse off. They are 2-8 over their past 10 games and five games under .500. They give Marcus Stroman the ball and hope to get the series started on a good note. He is facing lefty Ranger Suarez, as this game should have fireworks either way.  

Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays 

The best division in Baseball has not disappointed at this point in the season. The AL East features all five teams with a winning record. The #2 Orioles fly north of the border to face off against the #3 Blue Jays. Both teams would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, so this series very well could be a playoff matchup. The Orioles are 6-4 over their past 10 after splitting a 4-game set with the Angles. They are 12 games over .500 as they give the ball to reliable Kyle Gibson. The Jays are staying in the division after also splitting a 4-game set this time with the Yankees. The Blue Jays’ young core is one of the most fun teams to watch in all of baseball. They give the ball to Japanese wonder Yusei Kikuchi. This series is a must-watch this weekend. 

Cleveland Guardians @ New York Mets

The newly named Guardians have not been the same team as the young home run-hitting Guardians that we knew last year. They just lost two of three to the question mark of the White Sox. They hold second place in the weakest division in baseball, but after this series with the heating-up Mets, that could be a different story. After a monster blast in the bottom of the 10th inning by ‘Polar Bear’ Pete Alonso, the Mets seem to have found a groove as they eeked out a good series win against the best team in baseball Tampa Bay Rays. Cal Quantrill vs Carlos ‘Cookie’ Carrasco should be a good pitching matchup, that is if Currasco can find what we all know he has. 

Seattle Mariners @ Atlanta Braves 

After losing two to the Red Sox, the Mariners look to limit the damages as they go up against another powerhouse team in the Braves. The Mariners give the ball to rookie Bryce Miller, who has been absolutely lights out. He rocks a .47 ERA and hopes to hold it against the star-studded Braves lineup. The Mariners are 4th in the AL West and right on the Angles tails. The Braves have a 4.5-game lead over the second-place Miami Marlins and give the rock to Bryce Elder who is sporting a 3-0 record and a 1.94 ERA. They have the MVP favorite Ronald Acuña Jr and are looking forward to another deep playoff push. 

Colorado Rockies @ Texas Rangers

To the dismay of everyone that lives in Colorado, the Rockies are a laughing stock and haven’t fielded a competitive team in over a decade. They face off against the new and improved Texas Rangers. They are 9 games above .500 and have a two-game lead in the division. Martin Perez takes the bump as the Rangers expect to take care of business this weekend. 

Oakland Athletics @ Houston Astros

The Astros are in a similar situation to the Rangers this week. They are playing an uncompetitive team who have ulterior motives. The Astros are two games back from the Rangers so if either team drops a game, the other will benefit greatly from the blunder. The Astros are getting back a key part of their lineup as star second basemen Jose Altuve makes his season debut tonight. He has been out since breaking his thumb in the World Baseball Classic. 

Kansas City Royals @ Chicago White Sox

A great pitching matchup highlights an otherwise not-so-great matchup tonight in Chicago as Zach Grenkie faces off against Michael Kopech. Grenkie signed a one-year deal with the Royals in what seems to be his swan-song season. He is chasing 3,000 strikeouts and is only 86 K’s away. He faces a mediocre White Sox team that should help pad his stats. Kopech, the once highly-touted prospect faces the 14-win Royals lineup in what should be a low-scoring affair. 

Los Angeles Dodgers @ St. Louis Cardinals

In the only series that is not starting today, the Dodgers look to bounce back after getting trounced 16-8 last night. The Cardinals seem to have finally found their gear after a historically bad start. Nolan Arenado now has homered in five straight games and has at least one RBI in eight straight games. The struggling Steven Matz takes the bump for the Cardinals and faces the incredible Dodgers lineup. The red-hot Dodgers are 7-3 in their past 10 and have a comfortable lead in the NL West. They give the ball to Tony Gosling tonight. 

Minnesota Twins @ Los Angeles Angels

Joe Ryan, Carlos Correa, and the Twins fly out to Los Angeles to take on Shohei, Trout, and the Angels. The First place Twins have been doing more than enough in their subpar division to have a 3.5-game lead in the Central. Meanwhile, the 23-22 Angels seem to be doing a lot but can’t crack the Astros above them. They sit in third after splitting a great series against the Orioles. Reid Demiters welcomes Joe Ryan in Anaheim. 

Boston Red Sox @ San Diego Padres

Xandar Bogarts will play against the Boston Red Sox for the first time in his 10-year career tonight as the Red Sox travel to San Diego. The Red Sox have had a great season thus far, they are four games over .500 and would be tied for first or in second in every other division. But the monstrous AL East is too good to just be four games over .500. The Padres surprisingly sit in fourth in the NL West and have clearly yet to mesh as a team. They are 7.5 games out of first and four games under .500. Blake Snell who hasn’t been himself takes the mound against James Paxton, recently back from Tommy John Surgery. 

Miami Marlins @ San Fransisco Giants

The surprisingly second-place Miami Marlins fly across the country to face the Giants in a matchup that has implications for other teams. No matter who wins the series, the other team is almost guaranteed to fall in the standings. Both teams are hot, and coming off of a sweep. Good baseball should be played at Oracle Park in San Fransisco. Sandy Alcantara, the reigning Cy Young has not been that form of himself this year, as he looks to find his grove. He faces Anthony DeSclafini and the Giants lineup.