What to watch in MLB this weekend (April 17–19): Top series, pitching matchups and giveaways

It’s been a very fun start to the 2026 MLB season as we’ve seen a good mix of pleasant surprises, shockingly slow starts and, of course, perennial contenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers do what we’re accustomed to seeing. 

The action rolls along this weekend with all 30 teams in action, and there are plenty of intriguing matchups on tap for baseball fans interested in visiting the ballpark this weekend. 

​​SeatGeek’s “Triple Play” for MLB games this weekend

With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, you know we’re keeping a close eye on every team and series that’s going on this weekend. For this weekend’s Triple Play, we dive into three top series, pitching matchups, hot hitters and even promotional giveaways for those looking to snag some awesome swag at the ballpark between Friday and Sunday.

Three top series to watch

With all 30 teams set to take the diamond this weekend, there really is no shortage of big games on the schedule. These three series really stand out, however, including a massive National League East showdown between two longtime rivals that appear to be heading in different directions this year. 

Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies have been a mainstay in the playoff picture the last few years while the Braves are aiming to get back to the postseason after a shockingly poor year in 2025. It’s Atlanta, however, that looks the part of a World Series contender in the early stages of 2026 as the Braves are 11-7 and have won three straight series while the Phillies are 8-10 and have lost six of their last eight games.

Things could not be going more different for these two longtime NL rivals. The Braves are tops in MLB in team ERA and are near the top of the league in total runs scored. The Phillies on the other hand have one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball right now with a 4.92 team ERA while ranking in the bottom 10 in runs scored. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are off to good starts, but few other Philly hitters are making big impacts at the dish. The Braves have gotten big contributions from Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson, Dominic Smith and Ozzie Albies, and they’ve gotten off to a great start while waiting for Ronald Acuna Jr. to get hot as the former MVP has an OPS of .725 entering the weekend. 

Philadelphia went 8-5 against Atlanta last year en route to an NL East crown, but it certainly doesn’t look like the Braves will be an easy win like they were in 2025. This series is the first of many between these two teams, and it features maybe the best starting pitching matchup of the entire weekend, which we’ll get to here soon.

New York Mets at Chicago Cubs

Both these teams entered the year with high expectations and find themselves in last place in their respective divisions heading into the start of a three-game series. 

The Mets have really missed Pete Alonso, who left for Baltimore in free agency, as they’re 7-11 and rank near the bottom of MLB in runs scored and home runs hit. Chicago is 9-9, which isn’t too bad at this stage of the year, but the NL Central looks like it’s going to be crowded, so the Cubs will need to start playing better in order to keep pace with their division rivals. The Cubs rank in the top 10 in total runs scored, and their team ERA is respectable at 3.88, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they start to make a run soon. 

The Mets are hoping this series is a launching pad for their big bats not named Juan Soto. While Soto has an OPS over .900, Francisco Lindor and offseason additions Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien all have OPS marks in the .500s. The Cubs are also hoping a recent surge from Alex Bregman will provide an even bigger boost to the lineup (more on him later). 

Minnesota Twins at Cincinnati Reds

The Reds emerged as a surprise playoff team a year ago as their young core of talent did just enough to secure the final NL Wild Card spot before falling to the eventual-champion Dodgers. Cincy was expected to contend again this year, and the team is off to a good start at 11-8 after a series win over the Giants. 

The Reds’ hot start has been thanks in large part to their pitching, which ranks among MLB’s best with a team ERA of 3.61. The lineup, which features some big names, has yet to click, though, ranking in the bottom five of total runs scored. 

While the Reds had high expectations, the same couldn’t be said of the Twins, who had an epic fire sale at last year’s trade deadline after falling out of contention. Despite having a rather uneventful offseason, the Twins have been one of the more pleasant surprises in MLB in the early stages of the 2026 season, entering Friday atop the AL Central at 11-8. A big reason for their success has been the long ball, with Minnesota ranking near the top of MLB in home runs with nine players with multiple homers and four with three, including Byron Buxton free-agent addition Josh Bell. 

The Twins will send ace Joe Ryan to the bump to begin the series, and the Reds have All-Star Andrew Abbott tabbed to pitch on Saturday. 

Three standout pitching matchups

If you’re like me, you always take a look at the starting pitching matchup before buying a ticket and heading to the stadium. There are a ton of big pitching matchups on tap this weekend with firepower on both sides, so we’re going to highlight one for each day Friday-Sunday here. 

Friday: Jacob deGrom (Rangers) vs. Logan Gilbert (Mariners)

Stetson University is a smaller college in Florida, but it has been a premier baseball school when it comes to developing elite pitching. Stetson has been home to two Cy Young winners in Corey Kluber and Friday’s Texas starter, deGrom. It’s also developed a first-round pick in Seattle’s Gilbert, who will oppose deGrom for the second time this year. 

The two Stetson products pitched very well in that matchup, a 2-1 Texas win on April 6. Gilbert took the loss despite allowing just two earned runs in six innings – a quality start – while deGrom gave up a single hit – a Cal Raleigh home run – in five innings while striking out six on just 78 pitches. That game was in Texas while Friday’s matchup is in Seattle. Gilbert, a 2024 All-Star, is 1-2 with a 4.18 ERA in four starts this year, and deGrom owns a 2.87 ERA in his first three starts of the year as Texas is certainly keeping a close eye on the veteran right-hander’s pitch count. He’s coming off six innings against the Dodgers on Sunday. 

The Rangers swept the last meeting between these AL West rivals, and the Mariners will be looking for revenge and to start to move up the standings in their bid for a second straight division title. 

Saturday: Chris Sale (Braves) vs. Cristopher Sanchez (Phillies)

Arguably the two best left-handed pitchers in baseball not named Tarik Skubal square off in Philly on Saturday night in what I believe is the best starting pitching matchup of the weekend. Sale won the NL Cy Young in 2024 before injuries limited him to just 21 starts last year, while Sanchez has emerged as a true frontline starter for the Phillies, finishing second in NL Cy Young voting last year after finishing 10th in voting 2024. 

Sale has made four starts thus far and three have been dominant. The veteran strikeout artist recovered from giving up six runs in just four innings against the Angels by spinning six innings of one-run ball versus the Guardians in his most recent start. He gave up a single run over his first two starts in 12 innings pitched. 

We touched on the Phillies’ pitching woes earlier, but that certainly isn’t Sanchez’s fault. The star southpaw owns a 2.02 ERA, allowing two or fewer runs in each of his four starts this season. He enters Saturday’s start after tossing a quality start against the Cubs, pitching six innings and allowing two runs while punching out eight Chicago hitters. There’s a good chance hitters have a tough time at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday. 

Sunday: Framber Valdez (Tigers) vs. Garrett Crochet (Red Sox)

Two of baseball’s premier southpaws square off in Boston with Valdez leading the Tigers into Fenway Park against Crochet and the Red Sox. 

Both pitchers have done well in three starts with one blowup start along the way. Valdez has given up one or fewer runs in three of his four outings this season for his new team but allowed eight runs two starts ago. As for Crochet, who finished second in AL Cy Young voting last year, he had one of the worst starts of his career in his last outing, giving up 10 earned runs while recording only five outs. Interestingly enough, both these star pitchers’ rough outings came at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. 

Crochet entered the year as the top competition to Tarik Skubal for the AL Cy Young, and he’ll need to work hard to get his ERA down after his blowup outing. Valdez has certainly given the Tigers a boost in the rotation behind Skubal, and they’re aiming to get well above the .500 mark after entering the year as the favorite in the AL Central. 

Three hot hitters to watch

A handful of star bats are heading into the weekend locked in at the plate, and these three hitters stand out as especially worth watching.

Chicago Cubs 3B Alex Bregman

The Cubs’ prized offseason addition was Bregman, a veteran third baseman with two World Series rings, a ton of postseason experience, a veteran approach at the plate and a whole lot of extra-base hits and home runs on the back of his baseball card. The early results for his time in Chicago have been lackluster, however, as he enters the weekend with a .243/.321/.338 slash line – a far cry from his .272/.364/.478 career line. 

Well, it was only a matter of time before Bregman got rolling at the plate, and since last Friday, he’s 8-for-22 (.364) with six RBIs and a pair of walks to just three strikeouts. Finding some hits is a good sign for the veteran slugger, but the next step is turning those hits into extra-base hits as all eight of those hits since last Friday are singles. So far this year, just three of Bregman’s 18 hits have been extra-base hits. Bregman and the Cubs will look to really get rolling this weekend against the Mets after dropping two series in a row. 

Pittsburgh 2B Brandon Lowe

The Pirates desperately needed more thump in their lineup for 2026, and Lowe was one of the team’s biggest offseason additions. He’s certainly slugged well to begin the year with seven homers and 16 RBIs, and Lowe has been especially potent over the last week. Dating back to last Friday, Lowe is hitting .333 with four home runs and 12 RBIs as a true force in the middle of Pittsburgh’s lineup. 

The Pirates have the pitching to make a legitimate run at a postseason bid, but the offense remains the biggest question mark. So far, Lowe and fellow offseason addition Ryan O’Hearn have answered the call, both posting OPS marks over .900. This weekend, Lowe gets to face the team he played eight seasons with – the Rays – for the first time in his career.

Los Angeles Angels OF Mike Trout

Apparently, if you want to get Trout hot at the plate, just have him face the Yankees. The star outfielder has nine hits dating back to last Friday, with six of those coming in a four-game set against the Yankees. Most notably, Trout homered five times across those four games, leaving the yard at least one time in each game, bringing his total to seven on the year. 

Trout has been hampered by injuries each of the last five seasons, missing anywhere from 32 to 133 games each of those seasons. So far in 2026, his batting average of .246 may not stand out, but the seven homers and 1.010 OPS certainly do. It’s almost certain Trout won’t keep up this kind of pace when the Angels play the Padres this weekend, but he enters that series as hot as anyone in baseball, particularly in the power department. At the very least, the Yankees are glad to see Trout leave town. 

Three elite giveaways

Heading to the ballpark is always a good time, but it’s even better when you can pick up some sweet merch just for walking in the door. There are plenty of notable giveaways this weekend, with these three in particular standing out.

Los Angeles Angels: “The Mandalorian & Grogu” Angels jersey – First 25,000 fans on Friday, April 17 against the San Diego Padres

In case you didn’t know, “Star Wars” is a big deal, and “The Mandalorian” was a major success as an episodic adventure. Now, the lovable duo of “Mando” and Grogu hit the big screens with “The Mandalorian and Grogu” beginning May 22. The Angels are getting you in the spirit of things with a special jersey giveaway for the first 25,000 fans on Friday. What better franchise to dish this uniform out than the one near Disneyland? 

Pittsburgh Pirates: Paul Skenes Cy Young bobblehead – All fans in attendance on Saturday, April 18 against the Tampa Bay Rays

There may not be a single pitcher who’s had a better two-year stretch to begin his career than Paul Skenes. The former No. 1 overall draft pick rose through the minor league ranks at warp speed, debuting in 2024 and promptly and easily winning Rookie of the Year honors. He followed that up with a Cy Young Award last year, and the Pirates are celebrating the occasion with a special Paul Skenes Cy Young bobblehead on Saturday. Every fan who attends Saturday’s clash versus the Rays will take home this piece of history, and Skenes himself is the projected starter that night, giving fans even more reason to head to PNC Park.

Miami Marlins: Throwback basketball jersey – First 10,000 fans on Sunday, April 19 against the Milwaukee Brewers

Who doesn’t love a good throwback? Throwback jersey nights are always a big deal, and throwback giveaway nights also give fans a major reason to head to the park. The Marlins have a special promotion for Sunday’s matchup with the Brewers as the first 10,000 fans will get a special throwback basketball – yes, basketball – jersey. The look is that of the old Florida Marlins days, making this a fun collector item for Miami fans.