As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:
1. London Series 2024:
Last year, MLB made its long-awaited return to London after first visiting with a set between the Red Sox and Yankees in 2019. The Yankees swept the two-game set that year, while last season the Cubs and Cardinals split their own two-game set. This weekend, a third pair of teams is set to face off in London Stadium: the Phillies and the Mets. Philadelphia has enjoyed an incredibly hot start to the 2024 campaign thanks to fantastic starting pitching performances, not only from aces Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola but also thanks to breakout performances from Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez. That elite pitching performance in conjunction with particularly strong offensive production from Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm and (prior to his injury) Trea Turner has led Philadelphia to a 44-19 record and a commanding lead in the NL East.
Things haven’t gone quite as well for the Mets this year. Luis Severino and Sean Manaea have posted quality results in the rotation while Pete Alonso, J.D. Martinez and young Mark Vientos have delivered strong performances to the anchor the lineup. However, significant struggles of key players like Edwin Diaz, Jeff McNeil and Jose Quintana have left fans in Queens with little to celebrate as their club has already fallen 16.5 games back of the NL East lead with a 27-35 record. The two-game set is set to begin at 6:10pm London time (1:10pm ET) on Saturday as Suarez (1.70 ERA) takes on Manaea (3.63 ERA), followed by a game at 3:10pm London time (10:10am ET) on Sunday where Quintana (5.17 ERA) takes on Taijuan Walker (5.73 ERA).
2. Soto to undergo testing:
Yaankees superstar Juan Soto departed yesterday’s win over the Twins following a rain delay due to what the team termed left forearm discomfort. As relayed by SNY on X (Video Links), manager Aaron Boone told reporters after the game that Soto’s been dealing with soreness in his forearm for the past week or so and that the club decided to “play it safe” rather than ramp him back up after the rain delay. While that description sounds fairly innocuous, Boone also added a more ominous note that Soto would undergo imaging on the arm today.
Acquired from the Padres in a blockbuster deal over the offseason, Soto has been everything the Yankees could’ve hoped for since the season began. In 64 games, the 25-year-old phenom has slashed .318/.424/.603 (190 wRC+) while leading the majors in on-base percentage, leading the AL in batting average, and clubbing 17 home runs. He’s even delivered solid defense in right field, with +1 Outs Above Average and +1 Defensive Runs Saved. Losing Soto for any amount of time would ramp up pressure in a division where the Yankees hold a 4.5-game lead over the second-place Orioles. If Soto is out, the Yankees could give Trent Grisham additional time in center and move Aaron Judge to right field.
3. Series Preview: Dodgers @ Yankees
The 45-19 Yankees have MLB’s best winning percentage, but the Dodgers are certainly fearsome in their own right with a 39-25 record and a commanding eight-game lead in the NL West. New York’s success has been largely predicated on the elite performance of their starting rotation, which leads the AL with a 2.82 ERA, along with big performances from Soto, Judge and shortstop Anthony Volpe.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, have enjoyed elite offensive production from the top four spots in their lineup, occupied by Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith. Their rotation has been merely good rather than elite, ranking eighth in the majors with a collective 3.50 ERA despite strong individual performances from offseason acquisitions Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The set between the two titans is set to begin at 7:05pm local time this evening when Yamamoto (3.32 ERA) takes the mound opposite Cody Poteet, who has allowed three runs in 11 innings (2.45 ERA) in two spot starts this year. On Saturday, young righty Gavin Stone (2.90 ERA) will take on lefty Nestor Cortes (3.46 ERA). The series wraps up Sunday with Glasnow (2.93 ERA) on the mound opposite breakout righty Luis Gil (1.82 ERA).