Though we're still trying to make sense of many MLB developments from the month of April, the baseball calendar never stops, and the first week of May is loaded with compelling matchups around the league.
There's a big three-game series in Atlanta with the Baltimore Orioles heading a few hundred miles southwest for the weekend.
Over in Tampa, the Rays will host both the Pirates and the Yankees in an attempt to start May even half as well as they started April.
Out west, the Dodgers will host the Phillies for three games before an already-feels-huge road trip to take on the Padres.
If this is your cup of tea, the Royals will host the A's with the dubious crown of "worst record in the majors" hanging in the balance.
And we've got predicted records for all 30 teams for the next seven days of action on the diamond.
Teams are presented in alphabetical order, followed by our picks for the best pitching matchup on each day of the upcoming week. Fingers crossed that rainouts don't ruin those pairings, because there is some serious "pitcher's duel potential" on tap.
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Record: 16-13
- Schedule: two games at Texas, three games vs. Washington
Say this much for Arizona: They picked an ideal spot on the calendar to throw in the towel on Madison Bumgarner. The Diamondbacks were idle this past Thursday and will be off on both Monday and Thursday of this week, giving them at least a little bit of wiggle room as they try to figure out which one (or two) of Brandon Pfaadt, Tommy Henry or Drey Jameson is best suited to spend the rest of 2023 in the starting rotation.
For the time being, it looks like they'll roll with a four-man rotation, giving Pfaadt one more start in Triple-A before he potentially makes his MLB debut next week against Miami. Using Zac Gallen Tuesday against Texas and Sunday against Washington should make for a nice week for the Snakes.
Though the Nationals figure to get both Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore on the mound over the weekend in Arizona, the D-Backs almost have to win that series if they want to be taken seriously as a postseason candidate.
Prediction: 4-1
Atlanta Braves
- Record: 18-9
- Schedule: two games at New York Mets, three games at Miami, three games vs. Baltimore
Winning Friday's five-inning game in New York and then having games rained out Saturday and Sunday was quite the blessing for Atlanta, which is now most of the way through what was supposed to be 17 games in 17 days. If nothing else, it was nice to at least have one game without turning to a bullpen where closer A.J. Minter has been an absolute disaster with three losses in the past 10 days.
But if the Braves are running low on gas, things could get a bit ugly early this week, as they've got a doubleheader at New York Monday before facing reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara Tuesday.
However, they should at least take two out of three in Miami, considering it's the most potent offense in the NL against the least potent offense in the NL. Got to like their chances at home against Baltimore, too, even in spite of the pitching situation we'll address momentarily.
Prediction: 5-3
Baltimore Orioles
- Record: 19-9
- Schedule: three games at Kansas City, three games at Atlanta
Fun fact: This will be the end of Baltimore's longest road trip of the season. After winning the four-game set in Detroit, the O's get a very winnable series in Kansas City before a considerably more challenging trip to Atlanta.
That Atlanta-New York rainout Saturday unfortunately means Baltimore will now need to deal with Spencer Strider on Friday. The O's were originally scheduled to avoid both Strider AND Max Fried, which would have been quite the silver lining to playing on the road against arguably the best team in the majors. Still, the O's should be able to steal at least one of those games, and could even win the series against a potentially fatigued Atlanta squad to further solidify their early stance as a legitimate contender.
Prediction: 4-2