4/27/26

NL Least

Well one of the most intriguing division races has been…not so intriguing to start the season. Atlanta has bounced back in a huge way and became the first team to reach 20 wins over the weekend and now have a 6 1/2 game lead in the division, the largest in any division in baseball. Their biggest competitors have fallen completely flat and gifted the Braves a chance to runaway with the East early.

Philadelphia was flagged coming into the season because of their aging roster and losing Ranger Suarez to free agency. They did bring back Kyle Schwarber but that didn’t change the aging problem. They are fortunate to get Zack Wheeler back over the weekend for his first start since August 15th of last season. Their -54 run differential is far and away the worst in the sport and that is mostly due to their pitching. The injury bug has hit them as well with J.T. Realmuto and Jhoan Duran both on the IL but nothing is going right in the City of Brotherly Love.

Wow the New York Mets just can’t do anything right. They are proof that throwing money at a roster doesn’t always work as their 9-19 record is tied with Philadelphia for the worst record in the game. They snapped a 12-game losing streak to win a series with Minnesota this week just to be swept by Colorado over the weekend. Right as Juan Soto returned from injury, Francisco Lindor landed on the IL along with free agent acquisition Jorge Polanco. The rotation has no depth and they have scored the fewest runs in the game. It is so ironic the difference between the Dodgers and the Mets when both emphasize spending money. The Mets might truly be cursed.

LCS Struggles

We will exclude the Los Angeles Dodgers from this conversation as once again they are towards the top of baseball in every good statistic. The other three teams that played in the League Championship Series last season are not. Milwaukee is not in a terrible position as they have a winning record at 14-13 but are at the bottom of the stacked NL Central. The rotation got hit when they dished Freddy Peralta but they seem to just churn out pitchers ay will. They play a different brand of offense, emphasizing small ball with bunts and base stealing and a contact-oriented approach. However, they can’t rely on beating up on mediocre teams in their division and have to be better across the board along with the rest of the division.

In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays led in the 9th inning of game 7 against the Dodgers before losing in extra innings. They went out and got Dylan Cease to bolster the pitching staff but the bullpen has not been good to begin the season. The offense also hasn’t been as good with guys like Addison Barger and Ernie Clement getting off to slow starts. Now it was a tremendous hot streak that started in June for the Jays last year that led them to the Fall Classic so it might not be time to panic yet.

Seattle came agonizingly close to making their first World Series in franchise history before George Springer ripped their hearts out. The Mariners entered the season as the favorites in the American League due in large part to their stacked pitching staff. A rotation as deep as any in baseball is only going to get better as Ryan Sloan and Kade Anderson are on the way and Emerson Hancock is enjoying a breakout year. The bullpen has been lacking with some early struggles, but the offense has been bad. Cal Raleigh is off to a slow start while J-Rod is starting to get going earlier than usual. Josh Naylor has not got things going yet and key addition in the offseason in Brendan Donovan has missed a lot of time due to various issues. They did just earn a sweep of St. Louis so the M’s could be turning things around but they need to be better with runners on base.

Red Sox Fire Alex Cora

Well this one was a late addition to this week. Boston shocked the baseball world by firing manager Alex Cora. Cora spent seven years and a month as the Red Sox manager and won a World Series in his first year in 2018. He had a record of 620-541 and made the playoffs in three seasons. Now Boston’s start hasn’t been good as they were 10-17 when he was let go on Saturday. However, Cora is well known and loved by Red Sox players and fans and this seems to be kicking a hornets nest that was a mile away from where you were at. This already hasn’t sat well with the team or fans and if things don’t change it will get really ugly, really fast. Boston’s new regime is making a statement early, but only time will tell if it is a statement that helps in the long term or a sign of a tough stretch in Boston.

Mason Miller’s Historic Start

The last time Mason Miller gave up a run was August 6th of last season. That is 34 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball by the most intimidating closer in the sport today. Miller will light up the radar gun with triple digits every time he throws a fastball and has a wipeout slider that right-handed batters have no chance against. In 13 innings this season, Miller has struck out 27 batters and that includes back-to-back innings without a strikeout. Many fans knew of Mason Miller when he was in Oakland with the A’s, but after being traded to San Diego last season he has become a household name. Fans turn off the TV if their team is trailing San Diego going into the 9th because the game is already over. He is still just 27-years-old and the Gardner-Webb alum is well on his way to being the best closer of the 2020s and potentially the 2030s.

Dodgers Biggest Competition

There really is no secret that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the heavy favorites to win a third consecutive World Series and anything else would be quite a surprise. Now they did go seven games with Toronto in last year’s Fall Classic after dominating the Yankees in 2024. The American League has a few contenders that can give them fits, but what about the National League?

Three teams stand out as the biggest hurdles potentially for the LA Dodgers threepeat. The first comes inside their own division in the San Diego Padres. San Diego has given the Dodgers fits before in the postseason and had them on the brink of elimination in 2024 before the Dodgers got hot. Bullpen depth gives the Padres a chance to shorten games and the lineup is still potent albeit in a different way than in year’s past. Also, that Mason Miller guy we just talked about is pretty good.

Next up are the Atlanta Braves. After a very disappointing season last year, the Braves have roared out to an incredible start and actually beat the Dodgers to the 20-win mark. If their lineup is clicking, they can find ways to score against anybody. Ronald Acuña Jr. looks like an MVP again and Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and Michael Harris are all bouncing back. The rotation can still be shaky but Chris Sale leads them and Spencer Strider will get their eventually which will help take away some of the stress on the bullpen.

Last are the Chicago Cubs. Now no, the Cubs don’t currently lead the NL Central, they trail the Cincinnati Reds. However, it seems to be a matter of when and not if the Cubs take over that division. The NL Central is much stronger this season than in year’s prior as every team sits with a winning record currently. Chicago’s lineup is by far the best in that division and a good lineup is a necessity to beat the Dodgers. Pete Crow-Armstrong hasn’t even gotten going yet but Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, and Alex Bregman are carrying the load along with other lesser known guys like Michael Busch and Moisés Ballesteros are breaking out. They have to address the rotation at the deadline as they wait for Justin Steele to get back, but that lineup gives them a chance against anyone.

Three Series to Watch This Week

Chicago @ San Diego (4/27-4/29, Three Games)

Following that storyline, the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres will square off in a three-game series this week. Outside of Atlanta, these two teams have the best chance of taking down the Dodgers in the playoffs. Chicago is still lacking the pitching depth to be taken too seriously with Cade Horton out for the season and waiting on the return of Justin Steele. San Diego has plenty of pitching depth since signing Lucas Giolito last week and they also have the best closer in the sport. We have also seen San Diego give LA fits in the playoffs over the last six years and San Diego can also prove to be a thorn in the side of their NL West rivals in the regular season as well.

Boston @ Toronto (4/27-4/29, Three Games)

These next two series are interesting for separate reasons. First, the Boston Red Sox will travel to Toronto for a three-game series with the reigning American League Champions. Both teams were seen as playoff caliber teams coming into the season but neither has performed as such so far this season. Boston is in the cellar in the AL East while Toronto sits in fourth just a game and a half ahead of the Sox. Alex Cora was fired over the weekend as they try to look for a spark while Toronto is seeming to get things going after back-to-back series wins. If they get a third in a row, it could light the fire under them to go on a run.

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (5/1-5/3, Three Games)

Now we go to the opposite end of the spectrum as two teams not anticipated to be contenders will meet in an NL Central battle. Cincinnati made the playoffs last season due to the Mets meltdown but sit at the top of the stacked NL Central and have lost just two series, one to the Angels and one to the Pirates. Pittsburgh has been pretty average since their hot start but did just get a series win over Milwaukee over the weekend. Chicago will be in the mix as well, but the pitching this weekend favors the Reds as they will miss Paul Skenes. The second series between the two could propel Pittsburgh or keep the Reds red-hot.

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