What to watch in MLB this weekend (April 24–26): Top series, pitching matchups and giveaways

We’re nearly through the first full month of the 2026 MLB season, and we’ve already seen quite a few twists and turns with some teams off to surprisingly great starts while teams we expected to contend have stumbled out of the gates. 

We’re due for even more twists and turns this weekend, with all 30 teams set to take the field Friday-Sunday and a ton of big matchups on tap. 

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

With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, we’re keeping a very close eye on all the games and matchups taking place this weekend. As we do every weekend, we’ve put together our Triple Play, where we dive into the three top series, starting pitching matchups, hot hitters and promotional giveaways for those heading to the ballpark this weekend with an eye on some sweet merch just for walking through the gates. 

Three top series to watch

With 45 total games taking place between Friday and Sunday, there are a ton of opportunities for baseball fans to see their favorite teams and players in person. There are some huge games and series on tap, and we’re going to highlight three notable ones here.

Detroit Tigers at Cincinnati Reds

Two playoff teams from a year ago square off in an interleague clash with the Reds hosting the Tigers. Cincinnati is tied for the NL Central lead at 16-9 as all five teams in the division are over .500 as the Reds aim to take yet another step forward after surprisingly making the postseason in 2025. The Tigers, on the other hand, are also tied for their division lead at 14-12 after starting 4-9 to begin the season. Detroit has won 10 of 13, winning three of its last four series while splitting the one series the team didn’t win.

Both these teams have very high ceilings, with the Tigers boasting an elite 1-2-3 punch atop the rotation with Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez and Casey Mize. The Reds are awaiting the return of ace Hunter Greene, but Andrew Abbott, Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder are leading the way. Valdez and Abbott square off on Friday.

The Reds are actually among the worst scoring teams in baseball entering the weekend, which is a bit surprising considering the talent the lineup boasts. The Tigers, on the other hand, rank in the top half of the league in runs scored. Whether Cincy’s bats can handle Detroit’s arms will go a long way in determining how this series unfolds. 

Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers

On paper, this appears to be the series of the week with two division leaders squaring off. The Dodgers are 17-8, tied with the Padres for the NL West lead. The Cubs are knotted up with the Reds for the NL Central lead at 16-9. 

The Dodgers are looking every bit the part of the reigning champs in the early stages of the season. Max Muncy has been red-hot at the dish and has eight homers, and Shohei Ohtani has started to heat up at the dish after a bit of a slow start there, though he’s been excellent on the mound. Los Angeles has struggled a bit more of late, losing two straight series to the Rockies and Giants. The team has still won six of its last 10, though.

The Cubs are one of the hottest teams in the game having won nine in a row and coming off consecutive sweeps of the Phillies and Mets. Prized offseason addition Alex Bregman has started to find his form at the plate, and Ian Happ and rookie Moises Ballesteros have also provided some big thump at the plate. Shota Imanaga and Edward Cabrera are looking like All-Star caliber arms in the early stages of the season, too. Imanaga starts on Sunday. 

Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers

We highlighted two series with NL Central teams, so how about we do another one – this time with two division teams? The Pirates and Brewers are the “bottom feeders” in an NL Central that features five teams above .500, with Pittsburgh 14-11 and Milwaukee 13-11. That’s not too surprising given the division had three playoff teams a year ago, but it’s still very interesting.

It’s good for baseball and Pittsburgh to see the Pirates enjoy a nice start to the year. Yes, they’re just 5-5 over their last 10 and just dropped two of three to the Rangers, but it really does look like Pittsburgh has the makings of a playoff-caliber team. The pitching, headlined by Paul Skenes, ranks among the best in baseball and the lineup, a sore spot for years, is finally potent enough to keep up with the team’s arms.

As for the Brewers, they had an insane second-half run last year to win the NL Central and make the NLCS, losing in four games to the Dodgers. Despite ranking 27th in home runs, the Brewers are eighth in total runs scored entering Friday as they just simply make a lot of contact, get on base and wreak havoc – they’re first in walks drawn and stolen bases. The pitching has been good but not great, ranking 13th in team ERA, but the team sends its two best arms – Brandon Woodruff and Jacob Misiorowski – to the hill this weekend. The Pirates have their ducks in a row, too, with Skenes and Mitch Keller set to counter those two.

The Brewers dominated this series 10-3 last year, and the Pirates will need to play better against their top in-division competition in order to be taken more seriously as the season progresses. This will be another good test after Pittsburgh took two of three from both the Reds and Cubs earlier this season.

Three standout pitching matchups

If you’ve read any of our other Triple Play features, you know there are few things I love more than a good starting pitching matchup. Thankfully we’ve got no shortage of those this weekend. We’ll keep it to three breakdowns, though, with one for each day.

Friday: Paul Skenes (Pirates) vs. Brandon Woodruff (Brewers)

Skenes giving up five runs in less than an inning of work on Opening Day feels like a lifetime ago, especially considering he’s been as dominant as anyone since. He’s allowed just three total runs over his last four outings, pushing his ERA down to 3.27 on the year. Skenes hasn’t racked up the lofty strikeout numbers we’re used to seeing from him, but he’s getting outs at an elite clip while keeping runs off the board, and at the end of the day, that’s what an ace is there to do. 

Woodruff has also been great for the Brewers, especially over his last two starts. The veteran right-hander has given up two runs over 13 innings in those last two outings with 10 strikeouts, which comes on the heels of giving up five runs (three earned) in his second outing of the year against Boston. Overall, Woodruff owns a 3.42 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 23 2/3 innings of work. Woodruff has been overshadowed a bit by the young flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski, but he’s looking every bit the part of a frontline starter and will look to continue that momentum for Friday’s outing. 

Saturday: Zack Wheeler (Phillies) vs. Bryce Elder (Braves)

Elder is off to an incredible start to the year with a 1.50 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP in his first five starts, and he’s a big reason why the Braves boast one of the best pitching staffs in MLB this year. Elder’s hot start alone is reason enough to highlight this matchup, but let’s be real, all eyes for Saturday’s battle will be on Wheeler, who is making his 2026 season debut. 

The Philadelphia ace missed the postseason last year as he underwent surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, and the two-time Cy Young runner-up is re-joining his team at the right time. The Phillies desperately need a shot in the arm after a horrific start to the year. While Wheeler can only do so much given he will only pitch every five games – and likely be on a pitch count to start the year – he has been one of baseball’s top starters for quite a while now, and Philly needs all the help it can get right now. 

Sunday: Reid Detmers (Angels) vs. Seth Lugo (Royals)

Lugo finished second in Cy Young voting for the Royals in 2024 as one of the top starters in all of baseball. He missed a bit of time last year and was good, not great, with an ERA of 4.15 compared to the 3.00 mark he posted in 2024, but it appears Lugo is back in his All-Star form in 2026. Lugo has dominated across his first five starts with a lowly 1.15 ERA and 0.926 WHIP. He’s yielded more than one run in a single start just once, and he hasn’t allowed a single home run. The Royals have been disappointing to begin the year, but it certainly hasn’t been Lugo’s fault, even if Kansas City is 2-3 in his starts. 

Detmers is back in the Angels’ rotation after enjoying a nice bounceback year in 2025 as a member of the bullpen. The young lefty is pounding the zone more than he has in any of his six seasons, and he’s missing plenty of bats with a 9.7 K/9 rate. After giving up three runs in 4 2/3 innings to begin the year, Detmers has alternated good and OK starts, with two being quality starts and giving up 10 runs in 10 1/3 in the other two. Based on how his year has gone, Sunday’s matchup could be another great day for Detmers, especially considering the Royals have had one of MLB’s worst lineups to begin 2026.

Three hot hitters to watch

Several hitters are heading into the weekend dialed in at the plate, but these three bats in particular stand out.

Astros OF/DH Yordan Alvarez

He’s back! Alvarez missed considerable time last year due to injury and his numbers were nowhere near what we’re used to seeing. But the star Houston slugger is doing his thing in 2026.

The three-time All-Star is boasting a gaudy .347/.466/.779 (1.245 OPS) line along with an MLB-leading 11 home runs and 26 RBIs. He’s been especially dangerous at the plate of late with a .393/.414/.893 (1.307 OPS) line with four home runs and eight RBIs since last Friday. He’s simply not missing pitches, as he’s struck out just 11 times in 26 games and only a single time since last Friday. The Astros are in a bit of a tailspin, but that’s due to the pitching. Alvarez and Houston visit the Orioles in Baltimore this weekend.

Mariners C Cal Raleigh

The Mariners desperately need more help at the plate in order to shake off a surprisingly bad start to the year, and it looks like their top slugger is starting to wake up.

Raleigh’s overall numbers in 2026 hardly look the part of an MVP runner-up – .198/.281/.386 (.667 OPS) – but he’s been starting to click at the plate of late. In six games since last Friday, Raleigh owns a .292/.370/.708 (1.079 OPS) with three home runs. It’s notable that all three of those homers came in Seattle’s most recent series with the A’s, and that they were all solo blasts. 

Raleigh getting going is a good sign for the Mariners, but boy do they need more runners on base when he gets up to the plate.

Chicago White Sox 1B Munetaka Murakami

Murakami has been on another planet of late, hitting five home runs with 10 RBIs since last Friday, giving him 10 on the year. He shockingly didn’t homer on Thursday, snapping a streak of five games in a row with a long ball. Murakami is slashing an absurd .387/.457/.871 over his last seven games.

The White Sox are 10-15 and don’t appear to be heading towards contention this year, but Murakami is certainly appointment viewing at this stage of his career, especially with how well he’s been swinging the bat of late. 

Three elite giveaways

Weekends are already a great time to head to the ballpark, but what about securing some awesome merch before the game even begins? These are three standout giveaways taking place this weekend. 

Texas Rangers Nathan Eovaldi City Connect bobblehead – First 10,000 fans on Friday, April 24 against the Athletics

The Rangers have an elite pitching staff, and while Eovaldi hasn’t gotten off to the best start in 2026, he’s a proven arm who was a major reason the Rangers won their first World Series title in 2023. Texas celebrates Eovaldi with a bobblehead giveaway on Friday, and the star right-hander will be donning the team’s new City Connect uniform, which the Rangers will debut on the field on Friday when they host the A’s in a battle of early AL West contenders.

Cincinnati Reds: Team HOF fleece blanket – All fans on Saturday, April 25 against the Tigers

The Reds will induct four new members into their team Hall of Fame on Saturday, with World Series-winning manager Lou Piniella as well as team stars Brandon Phillips, Reggie Sanders and Aaron Harang all being enshrined. Fans in attendance will not only get to witness a special pre-game ceremony before Saturday’s game against the Tigers, but every fan in the stands will take home a special fleece blanket celebrating the team’s 2026 Hall of Fame class.

Atlanta Braves: Michael Harris II mini bobblehead – First 3,000 kids on Sunday, April 26 against the Phillies

Harris, Atlanta’s star center fielder, is one of the game’s most electrifying players, especially when it comes to his defense. Harris regularly makes spectacular plays in the field, and a special bobblehead available on Sunday shows the young outfielder making a play at the fence. This bobblehead is a mini one, and it will be handed out to the first 3,000 kids in attendance for the series finale against the Phillies.