Predictions: Top 5 MLB Games to Watch This Weekend – Where & When To Watch

Spring and summer weekends are a time for rest and relaxation, and what better way to spend your days off is there than to watch some baseball? Whether you’re planning on gathering in the living room with friends and family or if you’re trying to make your way into the ballpark yourself, here are five of the best Major League Baseball games to check out this weekend – and our predictions for the winner.

Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, May 18 @ 8:15 pm EST on nbcsp and fs-m

Pitching matchup: Jake Arrieta (3-1, 2.59 ERA) vs Michael Wacha (4-1, 3.09 ERA)

After finishing the 2017 season at the bottom of the AL East with a 66-96 record, the Phillies have started this season off as one of the most surprising teams in baseball. Sitting in second place in the division at 25-16 behind the almost equally surprising Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia has improved drastically from both an offensive (27th in runs scored in 2017, 12th in 2018) and a defensive perspective (18th in ERA in 2017, 3rd in 2018). Outfielder Odubel Herrera has had one of the hottest bats in baseball over the first month and a half of the season, tearing up opposing pitchers with a .361 batting average, second in the Majors only to Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts. Herrera has shown flashes of top-level play in the past, but it seems like 2018 may be his breakout season. At 26-years-old, he appears to be the offensive leader the Phillies have needed for a while now. While pitching hasn’t been as big a concern in recent years as their offense, Philly has a pair of aces in Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta, both of whom have excelled so far in 2018. This Friday, Arrieta will be taking on the Cardinals, who have garnered a 23-18 record so far in 2018, which is solid but not overly impressive. Outfielder Marcell Ozuna, their big offensive addition during this offseason, has not performed up to the high standards he seemed to set for himself last season with the Marlins. Thankfully for St. Louis, fellow outfielder Tommy Pham picked up the slask so far this year, hitting for a .302 average with 8 home runs. Their pitching has been solid, though, which has helped make up for their offensive woes, highlighted by an excellent season from ace Carlos Martinez. However, it will be Michael Wacha taking the mound in an attempt to even up this weekend’s series on Friday, so we’ll see if he can keep up the nice pace he has set so far in 2018, which is proving to be one of his better seasons to date.

Predicted winner: Phillies

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Cleveland Indians at Houston Astros, Saturday, May 19 @ 4:10 PM est on mlb network, sportstime ohio, and att Sportsnet-sw

Pitching matchup: Corey Kluber (6-2, 2.34 ERA) vs Dallas Keuchel (3-5, 3.10 ERA)

It’s always great to watch two of the best teams in any sport face off, and that’s exactly what we’ve got with this matchup. After two extremely successful regular seasons which both ended in postseason disappointment in 2016 and 2017, Cleveland has been looking to finally edge out their competition and take home their first World Series championship since 1948. 2018 hasn’t looked like their year so far, though, as they sit at 21-21, albeit atop the lackluster AL Central. The Indians haven’t been bad by any means, as the rank in the MLB’s upper half in both runs scored and allowed, but they most certainly aren’t living up to their potential. The Astros, on the other hand, have looked like the defending champions that they are, sitting atop the AL West while ranking first in runs allowed and sixth in runs scored behind ridiculous seasons from pitchers Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, as well as the continued success of offensive stars Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Carlos Correa. The Astros are a tough matchup for any team, but they’ve ironically struggled more so in Houston than away from home, and with Indians ace Corey Kluber taking the mound, this looks to be as competitive a game as we’ll see all weekend.

Predicted winner: Indians

Los angeles dodgers at washington nationals, saturday, may 19 @ 7:05 pm est on sportsnet la and masn

Pitching matchup: Rich Hill (1-2, 6.20 ERA) vs Tanner Roark (2-3, 3.33 ERA)

What’s been going on with the Dodgers? The defending NL champs entered the season as potential World Series favorites but have faltered tremendously so far, sitting down at 17-26 and tied for last place in the NL West. Sure, they’ve been bitten by the injury bug, having lost All-Star shortstop Corey Seager for the season as well as not having the services of third basemen Justin Turner yet this year, but even the stars still on the field haven’t played like themselves (save for ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw, of course). Closer Kenley Jansen has established himself as arguably the best reliever in baseball over the past couple of years, but has had a relatively difficult 2018. He has a 3.57 ERA (1.44 runs above his career average) while having blown 2 of 8 save opportunities, along with a significantly lower strikeout rate, having just barely over one strikeout per inning, despite average over a strikeout and a half per inning over the course of his career. Jansen is currently the second-best player on the Dodgers’ active roster, and he needs to get back to his old self if LA is going to improve. The Nationals have also played below expectations, but not nearly to such a drastic degree with a 23-18 record, good for 3rd in a surprisingly competitive NL East. Outfielder Bryce Harper has slowed down a bit after a blazing hot start to the season, but pitchers Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg have continued the success they managed last season. With Scherzer pitching on Friday and Strasburg taking the mound on Sunday, Saturday seems like the best bet for a Dodger win, although it’s really tough to see that happening.

Predicted winner: Nationals

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Arizona diamondbacks at new york mets, sunday, may 20 @ 1:10 pm est on fs-a and wpix

Pitching matchup: Zack Greinke (3-2, 3.46 ERA) vs Noah Syndergaard (3-1, 3.14)

Arizona has been solid so far this season, allowing them to reign over their competition in the NL West, bolstered by a 3.31 team ERA, good for second in the MLB behind Houston. While Patrick Corbin has been their best pitcher so far this season, ace Zack Greinke has still maintained his status as one of the top pitchers in the game, helping the Diamondbacks rotation to become one of the best in baseball. And good thing too, as their offense only ranks 25th in the Majors in runs scored. This will have to improve against the Mets on Sunday, as pitcher Noah Syndergaard hasn’t shown any indications of his game dropping after missing most of last season due to a partially torn  lat muscle. While we all knew the Mets pitching would be solid this year (so long as their rotation stayed healthy), it was actually their offense that carried them through the first few weeks of the season, during which they were the best team in baseball. They’ve slowed down considerably since the start of May, however, and they’ll need to get all of their parts working together if they’re going to regain their status atop the NL East.

Predicted winner: Mets

tampa bay rays at los angeles angels, sunday, may 20 @ 4:07 pm est on fox sports sun and fs-w

Pitching matchup: Undecided vs Shohei Ohtani (3-1, 3.58 ERA)

It’s tough not to recommend a game featuring Shohei Ohtani on the mound. The Japanese import has, for the most part, living up to the massive amount of hype that surrounded him over the past offseason. His pitching has been somewhat inconsistent, looking unhittable at times while seeming kind of average at others. However, you could chalk up some of those more average performances to blisters on his hands, which aren’t a problem anymore. Ohtani has also shined on the offensive side of the ball, and although we won’t get to see him bat in this AL matchup, we will get to see the always incredible Mike Trout. The Angels outfielder has established himself as the best player in baseball over the past five or six years, and he’s holding up that image so far in 2018. The Rays haven’t been anything special this season, with a record of 20-22, sitting at fourth place in arguably the best division in baseball, but let’s be real, we’re watching this game for Trout and Ohtani.

Predicted winner: Angels