Potential World Sequence preview highlights this week’s 5 collection to observe

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 subsequent few days.

Listed below are 5 collection to observe for the week of June 15.

Rays at Dodgers
3 video games (Monday-Wednesday)

Head-to-head: This would be the golf equipment’ solely assembly of 2026; the Dodgers gained final yr’s collection, two video games to at least one.

Storyline: World Sequence preview? Hey, perhaps — by document, 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, properly, 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 successful proportion) than on the street (.486).

Be careful for: A few nice pitching matchups are on the playing cards. On Tuesday, it will 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 up Shohei Ohtani (1.06 ERA, 0.84 WHIP) on Wednesday.

Padres at Cardinals
3 video games (Monday-Wednesday)

Head-to-head: The Playing cards and Padres break up a four-game collection again in Could, that one in San Diego; the Padres gained 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 nearly 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 provide a really common pitching workers a shot most nights. By document 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 the moment. Whether or not this collection stays severely aggressive may inform us lots about what’s to return this summer season.

Be careful for: The Cardinals’ offensive surge has been aided vastly by an Alec Burleson residence run binge; by way of Sunday, he is hit 5 in his final six video games.

White Sox at Yankees
3 video games (Tuesday-Thursday)

Head-to-head: The Yankees are 11-2 towards the White Sox because the begin of the 2024 season, however that dominance would not stretch again by way of Chicago’s total rebuild — the 101-loss White Sox really gained 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 staff. (Or, properly, they’re tied with the Guardians, as of Monday morning, nevertheless it nonetheless counts.) Very like 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 are 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 Braves
3 video games (Friday-Sunday)

Head-to-head: The Brewers gained 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 look forward to this October. The Braves are larger 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 Cubs
3 video games (Friday-Sunday)

Head-to-head: Since Interleague Play growth in 2022, the Blue Jays and Cubs are 6-6 towards one another. Toronto gained 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 may nonetheless occur, and it is nonetheless onerous to consider that these two golf equipment — affected by accidents as they each are — are actually 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’ middle fielder is hitting .392/.426/.784 with three doubles, a triple and 5 residence runs.