If you happen to’re simply becoming a member of us from the NBA Finals, welcome again to baseball season. If you happen to’ve been right here all alongside, we’re nonetheless glad to have you ever. In both case, let’s get you caught up on what’s been brewing throughout Main League Baseball of late, and what’s on faucet for the following few days.
Listed here are 5 collection to observe for the week of June 15.
Rays at Dodgers3 video games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head-to-head: This would be the golf equipment’ solely assembly of 2026; the Dodgers received final yr’s collection, two video games to at least one.
Storyline: World Sequence preview? Hey, perhaps — by file, the Dodgers and Rays are the second-best groups of their respective leagues. However that’s about the place the similarities between them finish. The Dodgers are, effectively, the Dodgers, with their big-name bats and arms rolling alongside as regular. The Rays are high-contact, light-hitting and sustaining themselves on shut video games, the type the Dodgers have a present for avoiding. A further problem for the Rays: along with their present 4-7 June swoon, they play a lot better at residence (.727 profitable proportion) than on the street (.486).
Be careful for: A few nice pitching matchups are on the playing cards. On Tuesday, it’s going to be Drew Rasmussen (2.71 ERA, AL-best 0.88 WHIP) towards Justin Wrobleski (7-2, 2.95 ERA) adopted by Shane McClanahan (3.23 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) taking over Shohei Ohtani (1.06 ERA, 0.84 WHIP) on Wednesday.
Padres at Cardinals3 video games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head-to-head: The Playing cards and Padres break up a four-game collection again in Might, that one in San Diego; the Padres received final yr’s season collection by a hair, 4-3.
Storyline: Issues are beginning to look fairly dire in San Diego, the place the Padres now have the worst collective slash line within the Majors (.219/.293/.365, all thirtieth in MLB), and pretty much as good as Mason Miller and Co. are, the Padres’ rotation actually wasn’t constructed with this in thoughts. The Cardinals, in the meantime, are on a little bit of a roll offensively, scoring sufficient to present a really common pitching workers a shot most nights. By file and total place within the standings, these groups are comparable; they’d be the primary and third Wild Playing cards, respectively, if the season ended at this time. Whether or not this collection stays significantly aggressive might inform us rather a lot about what’s to return this summer season.
Be careful for: The Cardinals’ offensive surge has been aided massively by an Alec Burleson residence run binge; via Sunday, he is hit 5 in his final six video games.
White Sox at Yankees3 video games (Tuesday-Thursday)
Head-to-head: The Yankees are 11-2 towards the White Sox for the reason that begin of the 2024 season, however that dominance would not stretch again via Chicago’s whole rebuild — the 101-loss White Sox really received the 2023 season collection, 4 video games to 2. This will likely be their first assembly of 2026.
Storyline: A faceoff between first-place groups, as a result of the White Sox are as soon as once more a first-place workforce. (Or, effectively, they’re tied with the Guardians, as of Monday morning, but it surely nonetheless counts.) Very similar to the Rays, the White Sox have a worthy problem lined up for them right here: though the Yankees’ offense is not at full energy, they’re nonetheless the Yankees at residence, and the White Sox are 14-20 on the street (vs. 24-12 at residence.)
Be careful for: One other very intriguing pitching matchup set for Tuesday evening; shock early AL Cy Younger candidate Davis Martin (9-2, 2.41 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) will tackle perennial candidate (and 2023 winner) Gerrit Cole, making his fifth begin since getting back from Tommy John surgical procedure.
Brewers at Braves3 video games (Friday-Sunday)
Head-to-head: The Brewers received each their 2024 and ’25 season collection towards the Braves, 4 video games to 2; this will likely be their first matchup of 2026.
Storyline: A 2021 NLDS rematch and perhaps a sit up for this October. The Braves are greater sluggers, however in any other case, this can be a fairly even matchup — everybody can hit, everybody can pitch and everybody has a wholesome divisional lead. This needs to be good.
Be careful for: June’s model of Jackson Chourio; the 22-year-old is hitting .414 with 4 doubles, seven homers and 18 RBIs (1.298 OPS) this month.
Blue Jays at Cubs3 video games (Friday-Sunday)
Head-to-head: Since Interleague Play enlargement in 2022, the Blue Jays and Cubs are 6-6 towards one another. Toronto received final yr’s collection, two video games to at least one.
Storyline: We’re far sufficient into the 2026 season to name this one a letdown for each the Blue Jays and the Cubs. However the season can also be younger sufficient that almost something might nonetheless occur, and it is nonetheless exhausting to consider that these two golf equipment — stricken by accidents as they each are — are really third-place groups, given how they fared in 2025.
Be careful for: Pete Crow-Armstrong appears to be heating up with the climate — in June, the Cubs’ heart fielder is hitting .392/.426/.784 with three doubles, a triple and 5 residence runs.
