It’s Rivalry Weekend time. We have 15 “so-called” rivalries around the big leagues starting on Friday. Every series is three games in length.
I spent some time going over these matchups. I have two criteria for the weekend’s top five.
True rivals. I want the top five list below to include clubs with some history and in relatively close proximity to one another. A few examples of what I don’t consider a rivalry whatsoever this weekend: San Diego versus Seattle, Boston versus Atlanta, and Milwaukee versus Minnesota. Those are three series you won’t see in the top five below. Even though each involves a team or teams playing well enough to warrant top-five consideration, I’m bending the rules this weekend to focus more on location.
Proximity matters. However, if both franchises in a series are playing mediocre ball, then they won’t be considered either. Examples: Texas versus Houston, Arizona versus Colorado, San Francisco versus the Athletics. Two of those matchups are within the same division, so we’ll have plenty of time to see the Rangers-Astros and Diamondbacks-Rockies throughout the year. If those clubs were playing at a very high level, then obviously, they’d have a better shot at making the top five. However, among those six teams mentioned, only the 22-21 A’s are above .500. We don’t need these franchises on the big list this weekend.
With those six eliminations from the top five, that leaves nine to choose from. I’m choosing five series involving teams from the same state, each having at least one club with a winning record. I figure that if both franchises play in the same state, regardless of their leagues, there is at least a pride factor involved, especially for fans. Four of the five series are interleague duels, while only one is within the same league.
The most difficult decision from here is choosing the order, 1-5. Let’s begin.
No. 1: Cubs (28-16) at White Sox (22-21)
Series length: Three games (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
North Side versus South Side. I love two aspects of this rivalry.
First. These teams don’t just play in the same state. They play in the same city. This is true pride, and a real interleague rival.
Second. Right now, both teams are good. The White Sox are one game out of first place in the AL Central and have a winning record thanks to their current five-game winning streak. Yes, the Cubs have dropped two consecutive series to Texas and Atlanta, respectively, but still carry a 2 ½-game lead in the NL Central.
The Cubs won five of six meetings with the Sox last year. But we’re talking about an American League squad that was coming off one of the worst campaigns in MLB history after losing 121 games in 2024. The White Sox improved by 19 games in ’25 after losing “only” 102 contests, making it three consecutive 100-loss seasons. This year feels different. I don’t know if it’s the addition of rookie slugger Munetaka Murakami (15 homers, 29 RBI, .371 OBP), or the turnaround of their current ace, 29-year-old Davis Martin (8 GS, 5-1, 1.62 ERA). It’s probably a bit of both, mixed in with improvements from several other players as well. It’s a young and talented team, making this matchup with the first-place Cubs all the more exciting for the city of Chicago.
One of the underrated stories of this series is that the projected starting pitching matchups will feature five players with sub-4.00 ERAs.
Friday: CHC – Edward Cabrera (8 GS, 3-1, 3.88 ERA) versus CHW – Sean Burke (8 GS, 2-3, 3.68 ERA)
Saturday: CHC – Jameson Taillon (8 GS, 2-2, 3.94 ERA) versus CHW – Davis Martin (8 GS, 5-1, 1.62 ERA)
Sunday: CHC – Colin Rea (9 G, 6 GS, 4-2, 4.68 ERA) versus CHW – Erick Fedde (8 G, 6 GS, 0-4, 3.77 ERA)
Two division contenders, and a series worth your time.
No. 2: Phillies (21-23) at Pirates (24-20)
Series length: Three games (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Pennsylvania’s MLB franchises meet for a three-game set in Pittsburgh. These clubs have a four-game series in Philadelphia starting at the end of June.
There are some good pitching matchups in this series, but I think most everyone is circling Sunday’s duel between Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler (4 GS, 2-0, 2.55 ERA) and Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes (9 GS, 6-2, 1.98 ERA). We know how great these guys are at full strength. There’s probably not a more talented pitcher in the game than Skenes. What he’s done since that forgettable Opening Day start versus the Mets (five runs allowed in two-thirds of an inning) is nothing short of remarkable. As for Wheeler, he’s looking nearly identical to what made him a 2024 Cy Young contender since returning from thoracic outlet decompression surgery in April. This is the must-watch pitching matchup of the weekend.
The Phillies are two games under .500 and have won five consecutive series going back to late April. Regardless of the good play recently, they are still nine games back of Atlanta in the NL East. It’s going to be an uphill climb if they have hopes of catching the division leader, but the Phils are only 4 ½ games behind for a wild-card spot.
One of the teams Philadelphia might have to pass in the standings to reach the playoffs could very well be this weekend’s opponent. The Pirates are three games better than the Phils, but if the playoffs started today, the Buccos would miss out by 1 ½ games. That makes this series relevant. It’s only May, but if these teams end up tied for one of those NL Wild Card spots, then Tiebreaker #1 comes into play (Head-to-Head record). However, since these state rivals meet seven times this year, there will be no series split, making the first tiebreaker scenario all the more important.
No. 3: Yankees (27-17) at Mets (18-25)
Series length: Three games (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
There are two ways to look at this year’s Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets when considering it for a top-five selection.
No. 1 – The Mets aren’t very good despite coming in on a three-game winning streak after sweeping the Tigers. Are they even worthy of this list right now?
No. 2 – The Mets have a better May record than their opponent this weekend, at 8-4, compared to the Yankees at 7-6. Maybe this is the true test for the Mets to find out if they have a legit run in them.
As it stands today, New York is still the NL East’s last-place squad. They are seven games back of an NL wild card spot. If they can win this series with their crosstown rivals, they’ll have plenty of momentum before heading on a seven-game road trip next week versus two sub-.500 NL East clubs, Washington and Miami.
The Yankees have lost five of six contests on the road. This weekend marks the end of their nine-game road trip before returning to Yankee Stadium for an important homestand versus the Blue Jays and Rays next week. The Yanks are two games back of Tampa Bay in the AL East, but still have a healthy 4 ½ game lead for the American League’s top wild card spot.
Friday’s pitching matchup should be a good watch. The Yanks are going with my early-season AL Cy Young, Cam Schlittler, who leads the American League in ERA (1.35) and WHIP (0.81). Schlittler will face former Yankee right-hander, Clay Holmes, who’s having a nice campaign himself (8 GS, 4-3, 1.46 ERA).
These teams split last year’s season series, 3-3.
No. 4: Reds (23-21) at Guardians (24-21)
Series length: Three games (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Other than No. 1 on the list (Cubs vs. White Sox), this is the only series of the weekend featuring two winning clubs. That means it qualifies for a top-five spot based on the criteria mentioned in the opening (close proximity and at least one winning team involved).
Even though the Reds are still above .500 despite losing three of their last 10 matches, I’m beginning to see a trend in the wrong direction for this team. After starting the season 7-0 in one-run games, they’ve now lost five consecutive such contests, all in May. Four of those losses came against NL Central foes (Chicago and Pittsburgh), and the fifth was on Wednesday in a home contest versus the Nationals. The Reds are also the only team in the NL Central with a negative run differential, and it’s not even close. Cincy’s -26 run differential is 28 runs lower than the Cardinals’ mark of +2, which ranks fourth in the division. To make matters worse, Cincinnati has a 1-9 record in its own division. One good piece of news for Reds fans. Their franchise is only five games back of first place despite those alarming numbers.
Cleveland’s 24-21 record is good enough for first place in the AL Central. The Guardians are coming off a three-game sweep of the Angels at Progressive Field, and unlike the NL Central, they are the only team in their division with a positive run differential at +4.
The Reds were 5-1 versus Cleveland in 2025.
No. 5: Marlins (20-24) at Rays (28-14)
Series length: Three games (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Some might question this series coming in at No. 5. I understand that most people outside of Florida probably aren’t too interested in this matchup. Many could argue that this series is an unworthy selection for a top-five spot, given the history of these two clubs’ stadiums, where fans of the visiting squad often outnumber actual supporters of the home team. Certainly, it’s not a top-five rival. I think we can all agree on that.
However, I’m not ignoring the Rays and their current six consecutive series wins, in which they’ve gone 15-3 in that span. They are too good to keep off the list right now, and the fact that this series at least meets the opening criteria of proximity and having at least one winning club is enough for me. Tampa Bay is the best team in the American League by two games.
If you want to pooh-pooh Tampa Bay’s opponent, then by all means, go for it. I admit, there’s nothing spectacular about the Marlins. They are 4-6 in May, and appear to be trending toward the bottom of the NL East, currently in fourth place and 1 ½ games ahead of the Mets. That’s not to say Miami doesn’t have a few players worth watching. I’ve enjoyed following their top two hitters for average since Opening Day. Both Otto Lopez (.339 BA) and Xavier Edwards (.313 BA) have top 10 batting averages in MLB. They are making a push to become first-time All-Stars in July. And let’s not forget about the amazing start to the year for the Major League RBI leader, catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks. Miami’s backstop is batting .295 with nine long balls and an outstanding 38 ribbies. I think the Marlins are looking at three All-Star selections right now.
In 2025, this series was split, 3-3.
Missed the Top Five
Orioles (20-24) at Nationals (21-23): Three games
Blue Jays (19-24) at Tigers (19-25): Three games
Brewers (24-17) at Twins (20-24): Three games
Red Sox (18-25) at Atlanta (30-14): Three games
Rangers (21-22) at Astros (17-28): Three games
Royals (19-25) at Cardinals (25-18): Three games
Diamondbacks (20-22) at Rockies (17-27): Three games
Dodgers (26-18) at Angels (16-28): Three games
Padres (25-18) at Mariners (22-23): Three games
Giants (18-26) at A’s (22-21): Three games
