What to watch in MLB this weekend: Aaron Judge faces Logan Webb, Cubs-Dodgers series, AL Central clash

March Madness is a wrap, pro basketball is in that weird liminal space before the playoffs, and the NFL Draft is still a few weeks away with no more pro days left. Other than that one little tiny event — what’s it called? Oh yes, The Masters Tournament — it’s a decidedly baseball-focused weekend as we breeze into mid-April.

And we’ve got an awesome MLB slate to lay around and soak in, headlined by Giants-Yankees, Cubs-Dodgers and a few intriguing divisional sets.

Throwback MLB quote of the week: “My favorite word in English is ‘youneverknow.’” — Joaquín Andújar

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Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Guardians

The AL Central sent three teams to the playoffs in 2024, yet the entire division is now in the lower half of MLB payrolls. It’s a shame there’s such limited investment here because the best of these squads yield some solid baseball. Starting Friday, José Ramírez and the Cleveland Guardians (25th in spending even after winning the division last year) host Bobby Witt Jr.’s Kansas City Royals (20th in salaries, coming off an ALDS run). Both sides are postseason aspirants with potential MVP candidates in their infields.

The Royals have hovered around .500 in this nascent spring. They hit only six homers in their first dozen outings, stumbling to 22nd in runs per game, but have hung tight behind the third-best ERA in the league. Shortstop Witt is still one of the sport’s best, of course, and first baseman and designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino notched a double-digit RBI in just 11 games. This weekend’s opening starter, LHP Kris Bubic, was spectacular in his first two looks. The former first-round pick had a disastrous 2022 (3-13, 5.58 ERA) and threw 46 innings in the past two seasons, but he’s put together consecutive eight-strikeout shutout performances as he takes the bump Friday. The reconstructed left elbow has held up thus far, and the sinker befuddled Brewers and Orioles alike. Righty Michael Lorenzen goes Saturday afternoon; he tossed a no-hitter with the Phillies in 2023.

Ace Cole Ragans gets the Sunday finale. His stuff is great, from the pressurized four-seam heat to a gnarly changeup that has a 63 percent whiff rate through three starts. Ragans struck out 10 in Milwaukee last week, then fanned 11 against Minnesota on Tuesday.

Like their weekend opponents, the Guardians have struggled to put numbers on the boards. They are 24th in runs per game, and five of their nine offensive regulars have registered a negative WAR in the early going. Still, the third baseman Ramírez is an all-decade ballplayer with a quick four home runs (three in one game against the Angels last Friday) and 1B/DH Kyle Manzardo is a budding bat if he can clean up the Ks.

Right-hander Tanner Bibee tries to avenge a nightmarish seven-run blowout to the Angels last time out. He allowed four long balls and eight hits in four innings of labored work. Luis L. Ortiz, Saturday’s probable and a righty signed from Pittsburgh, coughed up an unsightly 8.44 ERA across his first two appearances. Fellow righty Ben Lively gets Sunday’s start, and he’ll try to build off a scoreless five-inning turn versus the White Sox on Tuesday. To be fair, there will be a lot of scoreless turns for the White Sox.

Most homers in both jerseys: Carlos Santana (218 CLE, 23 KC)

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San Francisco Giants at New York Yankees

The Polo Grounds rivalry renews. Aaron Judge and the hot-hitting, torpedo-batting Yanks welcome Robbie Ray, Logan Webb and the Giants’ array of arms. These teams were archenemies as neighbors in New York City, dueling over World Series trophies and eviction notices alike. Even if the animosity has historically calcified, this is still a banger of a series.

The Yankees just snapped a three-game losing streak, taking a gray and cold Wednesday tilt at Detroit by a 4-3 final (they led 4-0 in the bottom of the ninth). Even with the offense held in check by the Tigers’ exacting pitchers (and the Michigan chill), New York still leads all teams in runs and homers per game. Reigning MVP Judge has another Jon Dowd slash line of .354/.446/.792, and it’s been an all-around slugfest up and down the lineup. Ben Rice (1B, DH) looks like a real ascendant at 26 years old, while Paul Goldschmidt has adjusted to his pinstripes at age 37.

But they have a tough draw in San Francisco. Former Cy Young Robbie Ray looks to start his season 3-0 on Friday. The Yankees are .203 all-time against Ray, but they have smashed eight homers in those six starts. Saturday’s assignment, righty Jordan Hicks (1-0, 2.38 ERA), is in the 94th percentile for fastball velocity on Baseball Savant. And Sunday’s starter is the most formidable — right-hander Logan Webb, who finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting last year and was the runner-up in 2023.

First baseman Wilmer Flores’ bat is billowing smoke, with five homers and 27 hits in these early season games. Japanese second-year Jung Hoo Lee has three multi-hit tries in his last five. And outfielder Mike Yastrzemski hit a walk-off ball that splashed nearby kayakers. Here’s one of many considerations for the broadcast moment of the year:

The swing. The call. The celebration. 😍 pic.twitter.com/Z2dnTNxsGE

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 9, 2025

San Francisco gets righties Marcus Stroman and Will Warren on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both have been underwhelming in the early returns. Opening Day starter LHP Carlos Rodón takes Sunday’s mound at 1-2 with a dispiriting 5.19 ERA. He surrendered six runs (five earned) in Monday’s loss to the Tigers.

Most homers in both jerseys: Bobby Bonds (186 SF, 32 NYY)

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Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners

Look, more walk-offs! This is what we in this industry call “the good stuff.”

Walk this way. @CapitalOne | #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/sdCW1WhFZ5

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) April 10, 2025

Outfielder Randy Arozarena’s game-winning walk swung the Astros-Mariners series to the Tridents. Seattle was held scoreless by Houston’s Hunter Brown, only to come alive in the final two frames. It was a feverish, deranged game — the ‘Stros led 4-0 in the eighth, and three-hitter Yordan Álvarez took a would-be grand slam ball to the thick of the warning track. Arozarena hit an actual grand slam in the bottom of the inning.

The Mariners are still a bit rusty at 5-8, but they can compete with anyone if their pitchers are dialed in. Friday’s starter, RHP Bryce Miller, has not fared well against Texas, coming in at 0-3 with an 8.64 ERA in 16.2 innings. But Sunday’s probable, ace Logan Gilbert, is coming off a 220-K season and cruised past these Rangers last year (they hit a typo-worthy .139 in 20 innings of work). Twenty-five-year-old Bryan Woo (Saturday) was in the MLB’s top one percent for walk rate in 2024.

Texas basically took a mulligan after its 2023 championship. The injuries proved insurmountable, and while 78 wins is not a particularly dignified World Series title defense, it’s also not really indicative of this squad’s talent. They enter the KACL coverage map at 9-4 and alone atop the AL West.

Bruce Bochy’s group tore into April with five straight wins but took two Ls to the Cubs before Wednesday’s win at Wrigley. The offense has put up six runs in back-to-back efforts. Shortstop Corey Seager went yard twice on Wednesday. Promising 23-year-old Wyatt Langford had six total bases on Tuesday, but he’ll be shelved from this weekend’s action with an oblique strain. Catcher Jonah Heim delivered the club’s first walk-off of 2025 on Sunday. Outfielder Adolis García still has a penchant for big moments.

Let’s all pray to the baseball deities for Jacob deGrom’s continued availability. The 36-year-old is slated to start the series. The No. 3 pick of 2022’s draft, Kumar Rocker, seeks his first professional win on Saturday. Two-time champion and late-career gem Nathan Eovaldi (1-1, 2.29 ERA) opposes Gilbert on Sunday.

Most homers in both jerseys: Alex Rodríguez (189 SEA, 156 TEX)

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Chicago Cubs at LA Dodgers

Here’s our marquee series, the big names at the top of the music festival poster. After officially commencing the 2025 season with their two-game Tokyo tilt, the Dodgers and Cubs bring it back to Chavez Ravine for a three-game meeting.

Los Angeles throws out their intimidating pair of Japanese firearms this weekend. Righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto comes into Friday with a 1.69 ERA, and he has given up just three earned runs in his first three starts. Yamamoto held this Cubs lineup to a singular score through five innings of Tokyo work on March 18. Fellow countryman and right-hander Roki Sasaki gets the ball Saturday night, though he hasn’t lasted more than four innings in any of his three starts. Like Yamamoto, he also faced Chicago in that overseas series; he allowed one run on one hit in three innings but was done in by five walks.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the 10-4 Dodgers are a wagon at the plate and savages in the box. Superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts are both over .300. Outfielders Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández have five HR apiece. First baseman Freddie Freeman is set to return Friday from an ankle sprain. Even Enrique Hernández and Will Smith are mashing the covering off the ball. What can you possibly do against this lineup?

The Cubs can’t be thrilled about such a stacked opponent, but 2025 has been good to them thus far. They took two of three from Texas to jostle atop the NL Central at 9-6. Chicago has MLB’s second-ranked scoring offense, trailing only the incendiary Yankees through 15 games. The Cubs are fourth in homers and third in OBP, but also first in runners left on base. Kyle Tucker has 16 RBI in his first 15 Cubs appearances, slapping a ridiculous .322/.452/.678 line. There’s a lot of baseball to play, but if Tucker can stay healthy (he played in 78 games with last year’s Astros), he should be somewhere in the MVP orbit. Shortstop Dansby Swanson and OF/DH Seiya Suzuki have four moonshots each.

LA held Chicago to four runs in those two Tokyo contests. The offense has since erupted with three double-digit scoring road games.

Most homers in both jerseys: Ron Cey (228 LAD, 84 CHC)

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(Photo of Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)