The Cycle, Spoke #8: What to Watch, Week 4
An abbreviated edition as Cliff has hit the 10-day IL.
Did any of you catch the reference to my old-man baseball league having its Opening Day last Sunday? Well, about that. Playing left field, I attempted to catch a sinking liner over third base with two hands and dislocated the tip of my right ring finger (the distal phalange, and, yes, I’m right-handed). That was Sunday. I had the joint set that day and am now doing physical therapy to get the function back, but there’s an avulsion in there, and it’s not a lot of fun to type (or do much of anything else that involves fine motor skills), so this week’s preview is going to be bare bones, if you’ll excuse the expression.
Here’s what to watch in Week 4 of the 2023 MLB season:
This Weekend
Series to Watch
Blue Jays @ Yankees: The first meeting this season between last year’s top two AL East finishers, who will enter this series on Friday either tied or one game apart in this year’s standings.
Padres @ Diamondbacks: Fernando Tatis Jr. and Joe Musgrove make their returns as the Padres look to shake off a rough start and ding the upstart division leaders, whom they trail by 2 1/2 games. A four-game set starting today with solid pitching matchups throughout.
Astros @ Atlanta: Re-match of the 2021 World Series in the house of the victors. A three-game set beginning on Friday with three compelling pitching matchups.
Thursday, April 20
Patrick Sandoval vs. Nestor Cortes, Angels @ Yankees, 4:05 pm ET
MLB has been hyping this “Judge vs. Ohtani” matchup all week, even though Ohtani isn’t pitching in this series. Ohtani homered in an Angels win in Tuesday’s opener, Judge countered on Wednesday by robbing Ohtani a home run in the first inning on Wednesday then homering himself in a Yankees win. Today’s finale is the best pitching matchup of the series and my pick for the game to watch on a day with only four games on the schedule, though I would understand if you’d rather see Fernando Tatis Jr. return to action for the first time since 2021 in the opener of the Padres–D’backs series at 9:40 pm ET. (Solution: watch both!)
Friday, April 21
Hunter Brown vs. Bryce Elder, Astros @ Atlanta, 7:20 pm ET
A matchup of compelling young righties in their age-24 seasons. Brown, still technically a rookie, has thus far rewarded the Astros decision to make him their fifth starter, while sophomore Elder has since stolen that job away from the rookie lefties who beat him out for the rotation in camp.
Saturday, April 22
Sandy Alcantara vs. Shane Bieber, Marlins @ Guardians, 6:10 pm ET
Outside of his shutout of the Twins, Alcantara has not been sharp this season and enters this game with a 5.84 ERA on the year, but this is still a matchup of recent Cy Young winners, with Alcantara, the defending NL honoree, the more recent.
Joe Musgrove vs. Merrill Kelly, Padres @ Diamondbacks, 8:10 pm ET
No team is ever really at full strength during the long MLB season, but the Padres will be the closest they’ve been all year when ace Musgrove returns on Saturday, joining Tatis and giving the Padres what should be something of an emotional reset to a season that has hit the skids recently as they have won just one of their last seven entering this series. Musgrove threw 69 pitches in his final rehab start and will likely top out around 90 in this one. Kelly, meanwhile, has been better in each subsequent start this season, most recently holding the Cardinals to one run over six innings.
Sunday, April 23
Cristian Javier vs. Max Fried, Astros @ Atlanta, 1:30 pm ET
Okay, so Framber Valdez would be the Astros’ Game 1 starter, and Javier was in the bullpen in the 2021 World Series, but this matchup still has a Game 1 World Series feel to it.
Dustin May vs. Marcus Stroman, Dodgers @ Cubs, 2:20 pm ET
Stroman is off to an outstanding start, going exactly six innings in each turn and only allowing runs in one of them for a 0.75 ERA on the season. Mookie Betts should be off the paternity list by the time this game arrives, and there are rumors that the Dodgers are going to use him at shortstop. May is always fun to watch, but tune into this one for the short kings.
Next Week
The pitching matchups are speculative, the series matchups are underwhelming, my finger is barking and I have a PT appointment in less than an hour, so I’m just going to give you the series and leave it at that.
Series to Watch
Astros @ Rays: These perennial contenders who combined to win the last four AL pennants are off to disparate starts, but I expect they’ll both still be playing after Game 162 this year.
Marlins @ Atlanta: The Marlins have won every series they have played this season against team that isn’t the Mets, including recent sets against the Phillies and Diamondbacks. Here, they get their first crack at the division leaders and increasingly heavy division favorites in a four-game set.
Yankees @ Twins: Both of these teams enter today’s action at 11–7, with the Twins in first place in their division. They split four games in New York last weekend, and this finishes their regular-season series.
With all due respect to the Kiss-Offs’ “Broken Fingers for Talented Singers,” I had to leave you with something a little more danceable. So, in the words of Jr. Walker, “put on your wig, woman, we’re going out to shake and fingerpop!” (ouch)
Ouch! I lost a popup in the sun in my softball league last fall and closed my right hand over the glove too soon. Was the first inning of a doubleheader and I played the rest of the morning with an increasingly throbbing right ring finger. I got lucky and only lost the nail (which has now completely grown back, just in time for the spring season). Hope you only miss the minimum 10 days!