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:

Ryan O’Reilly is expected to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs before the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, Kyle Dubas general manager announced at the NHL General Managers meetings which were held in Manalapan, Florida, on Tuesday. O’Reilly was hit in the hand by a shot from Auston Matthews in the second period of a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on March 4 and was said to be out for four weeks.  The NHL regular season ends on April 14. “We’ve gotten pretty fortunate with that one,” Dubas said, “just with the type of break that it was and the fact that he was able to play and play a lot and play well for us off the hop, and then the fact that he’s probably scheduled to return before the playoffs. So, he’s going to have time to ramp back up again.” The Maple Leafs’ center resumed skating on Wednesday, working with the team’s skills coach and left the ice before practice. “Yeah he’s been feeling good anytime I’ve seen him bouncing around the facility,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He’s been feeling good since the surgery. Today was the scheduled day for him to get back on the ice so everything is progressing that way. I didn’t follow up much but I don’t think he was handling pucks or anything like that today. It was more just about getting the legs moving.” Read: NHL Expert Picks; New Jersey Devils VS Tampa Bay Lightning Predictions Today Ryan missed three games and was placed on long-term injured reserve, which means he will be out for 24 days and 10 games. Ryan O’Reilly was bought in a three-team trade with the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild on February 17th. “It’s part of the risk that you take when you acquire somebody late in the year, but it could happen to any of the players on your team at any time,” Dubas said. “I think you just have to accept that it’s part of the risk when you’re evaluating those things. O’Reilly spots five points (three goals, two assists) in eight games since he joined the Maple Leafs, plus a hat trick in a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on February 21 and 24 points (15 goals, nine assists) in 48 games this season. He won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy voted as MVP of the playoffs with the Blues in 2019. Sheldon Keefe the Maple Leafs’ coach said on March 7th that he expected Ryan O’Reilly to come back before the playoffs. “Obviously when we get him, you get excited and you know what he can bring, so to lose him certainly it’s tough and disappointing,” Keefe said. “But we acquired him to be healthy and ready to go for the playoffs and that will be the case. So, to that end, it’s not bad in terms of what the bigger picture is, and especially with the nature of the injury, he won’t miss much time actually on the ice and skating and, and all of that.” The Toronto Maple Leafs (40-18-9) are second in the Atlantic Division, with a three-point lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning. They also bought, Noel Acciari (Blues) and Sam Lafferty (Chicago Blackhawks), and defensemen Jake McCabe (Blackhawks), Luke Schenn (Vancouver Cannucks), and Erik Gustafsson (Washington Capitals) ahead of the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline on March 3. See also: NHL Expert Picks; Ottawa Senators VS Colorado Avalanche Predictions Today

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout said he is looking forward to the fun interactions with contemporaries while playing in his first World Baseball Classic. But the overall objective for him is winning. Trout when speaking to the media via Zoom on Friday discussed his expectations for the upcoming Classic, where he would captain a Team USA that is looking to retain its title as champion. “The main reason we’re here is to win this thing,” Trout said. “All the other stuff is great – being able to play with each other and getting to know each other a little bit more. But there’s only one thing on our mind and that’s trying to win this whole thing.” Read: MLB: A Look At All International Signing Day Deals Mike still deals with regret for not participating in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Watching from a distance, nothing down everything from the unique atmosphere to the joy and pride players felt representing the United States during an impressive run that ended in a victory over Puerto Rico in the championship game. “I’m always having fun on the baseball field,” Trout said. “But when they were out there making them plays and winning, that’s what I regretted. I should have been out there. I wanted to do it and then I didn’t want to do it. I was kind of up in the air about it. But I just wanted to be a part of it.” Trout playing for Team USA has already made a significant impact on what is expected to be a stacked roster. Briefly, after he announced it during All-Star Week last July, the three-time AL MVP award winner said several “big name” players from other teams reached out to him about joining the list. The list of players chosen for Team USA for the Classic is packed with stars like Mookie Betts, Pete Alonso, Nolan Arenado, Tim Anderson and Paul Goldschmidt, to mention a few. “A lot of players reached out,” he said. ”It’s going to be something special getting to represent Team USA and go out there with the whole country behind you.” He said he believes the names on the USA roster can defeat any team provided they play their game. Still, he knows that every team in the tournament has a roaster filled with star players too, including Team Japan, which has his teammate and friend Shohei Ohtani. With high expectations for both the U.S. and Japanese teams. It is most likely that the two teams will square off at some point next month. “Talking to Shohei about [Team Japan], he tried to tell me that he doesn’t think he’s the best player on the team,” Trout said. “There’s no way that there’s somebody better than Shohei. But he knows his baseball players. I’m looking forward to that matchup if we get there and have to face them.” Related News: Former Los Angeles Starting Pitcher Matt Harvey Looking To Make An MLB Comeback