Tampa Bay Rays’ historic win streak eventually came to an end, but there are still many to pay attention to in the MLB landscape. The coming week entails some high-profile matchups, including two matchups between teams that won 100-plus games last season that make up an MLB series.
See the MLS 2023 Regular Season Schedule.
These are 7 MLB series during the week of April 17:
Brewers at Mariners
3 games (Monday – Wednesday)
Head to head: The Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners have not played against each other since June 2019, when the Mariners took two out of three games in Milwaukee.
Both were in the American League from 1977-97, before the 1998 realignment when Arizona and Tampa Bay joined MLB.
Storyline: Will this be the Brewers’ year? Milwaukee’s 11-5 record trails just the Braves (12-4) in the National League, and the Brewers’ +28 differential ranks second in the Majors, behind the Rays (+72).
Milwaukee has made the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, and although it is still early to tell, this year’s team looks as good as can be.
Watch for: Brian Anderson. After Six years with the Marlins, the third baseman has been great in his debut season with the Brewers.
He leads the team with 14 RBIs, and he is one of the three Milwaukee players with an OPS of up to .850 (Rowdy Tellez, Garrett Mitchell).
Phillies at White Sox
3 games (Monday – Wednesday)
Head to head: The Phillies and Sox have not played since August 2019, when the White Sox took two out of three games in Philadelphia.
Storyline: Both sides had high expectations entering 2023, especially the Phillies after their run in the World Series last year. They enter this series with 6-10 records. Although the expanded playoff simplifies things, both teams must work to change things.
Look out for: Brandon Marsh. Philadelphia’s tough start has been no fault of Marsh’s, who broke out in this third MLB season. Marsh has a line of .378/.440/.756, the last one which leads all the players with 40 plate appearances this season.
Blue Jays at Astros
3 games (Monday – Wednesday)
Head to head: Toronto went 4-2 against Houston in 2022, with all four winnings gotten in one run. Toronto took two out of three in each series (one in Houston, one in Toronto).
Storyline: Will the Astros infield live up to expectations at the MLB series? José Abreu, Jose Altuve, Jeremy Peña, and Alex Bregman were supposed to be the best infielders in MLB this season. But Altuve fractured a thumb in the World Baseball Classic, and the other three have OPS values below .700, a core factor in Houston’s disappointing beginning.
Look out for: Matt Chapman. Chapman has dominated all-around this season, heading all skilled hitters with a 1.204 OPS. Via Statcast, his 13 barrels are also the most in the big leagues.
Braves at Padres
3 games (Monday – Wednesday)
Head to head: Atlanta and San Diego have already played this season, with the Padres taking three of four games in Atlanta earlier in April. The Padres were 4-3 against the Braves in 2022.
Storyline: Clash of NL titans: While these teams have not met in a postseason since the 1990s, they have both been mainstays in the playoffs in recent years, with San Diego reaching two of the last three postseasons and Atlanta reaching each of the last five.
It is no surprise that the two sides are part of the favourites to win the NL this season.
Watch out for: Xander Bogaerts. Although it is still early, Bogaerts lived up to his 11-year contract so far. He heads the Padres in a litany of offensive stats, including batting average (.354), on-base percentage (.427) and slugging percentage (.585).
Mets at Dodgers
3 games (Monday – Wednesday)
Head to head: The New York Mets were 4-3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022. They shared a four-game series in Los Angeles, and the Mets took two out of three in New York.
Storyline: Which of these reigning 100-win teams can get back to this level at the MLB series? The Mets and Dodgers were two of MLB’s four 100-win teams last campaign, alongside the Astros and Braves.
However, whether it was because of free agency (e.g. Chris Bassitt, Jacob deGrom, Trea Turner. Justin Turner) or injured players (Edwin Díaz, Gavin Lux, Tony Gonsolin), both sides lost core members and must master how to adapt.
Watch out for: Noah Syndergaard. While he struggled this season (0-2, 5.63 ERA), this will be the first time in a long while that this ex-Met faces off against his old team since he refused New York’s qualifying offer in free agency after the 2021 season. Syndergaard is expected to start on Wednesday.
Angels at Yankees
3 games (Tuesday – Thursday)
Head to head: The Yankees went 4-2 against Los Angeles in 2022. The Yankees won a three-game home series but lost two of three in Los Angeles.
Storyline: Star power. This MLB series fixture will feature two top candidates in the 2022 AL MVP race, with last year’s winner Aaron Judge and runner-up Shohei Ohtani. Mike Trout finished eighth in the voting, despite playing only 119 games.
Ohtani is not expected to start on the mound in this series, but fans will still witness some of the world’s best players strive to outdo each other.
Watch out for: Logan O’Hoppe. Before the season O’Hoppe (a New Yorker) was thought to be the team leader in home runs on a roster with Trout and Ohtani on it. But this is the case for the rookie catcher, whose team-high four home runs have been a pleasant surprise.
Astros at Braves
3 games (Friday – Sunday)
Head to head: The Atlanta Braves went 2-1 against the Houston Astros in 2022, during a three-game series in Atlanta in August. They also had a match in the 2021 World Series, but the Braves won in six games.
Storyline: Atlanta and Houston were two of the four 100-win teams last season, along with the Dodgers and Mets. They were also two of four teams to reach each of the last five postseasons, joining the Dodgers and Yankees.
They also met in the World Series in 2021. These teams have made MLB’s gold standard in recent years.
Watch out for: Ronald Acuña Jr. Acuña was not a part of the World Series win in 2021, as he tore his ACL earlier that year. But he seems back in top shape this season, not just at the plate (.373/.455/.567 line) but with a team-high seven steals.
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