Friday, April 24

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Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler.

The Cubs can’t be stopped right now — but they’re about to face their biggest challenge yet. 

Chicago is on an MLB-best nine-game winning streak. But tonight, they face the juggernaut Dodgers. The series opener between the two contenders, who are both tied for first place in their divisions right now, is a must-watch game (10:15 p.m. ET, Apple TV).

Can the Cubs take down the Dodgers and take their win streak to double digits? Here are three keys to how they’ve gotten to this point: 

1) The top-of-the-order bats are firing 

The Cubs’ run starts at the top. During their win streak, five hitters have filled the top four spots in their batting order, depending on the game: Nico Hoerner, Alex Bregman, Ian Happ, Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki. And they’ve been raking. 

Cubs’ top-of-the-order hitters during their win streak

• Hoerner: .310 BA / .872 OPS / 3 HR
• Bregman: .333 BA / .845 OPS 
• Happ: .314 BA / 1.042 OPS / 3 HR 
• Busch: .282 BA / .785 OPS / 2 HR 
• Suzuki: .364 BA / 1.142 OPS / 3 HR 

Hoerner has been a feel-good story all yearand an incredible spark in the leadoff spot, both with his usual elite contact ability and also his newfound slugging. Bregman is starting to look like the star hitter the Cubs signed him to be. Happ is his old reliable self. Suzuki’s return to the lineup has gone even better than the Cubs could have hoped, and he’s now homered in three straight games. Even Busch, who was in a horrible slump to start the season, has raised his batting average more than 60 points during the Cubs’ winning streak and had a big day yesterday to set up Chicago’s walk-off win.

Since the start of the streak on April 14, the Cubs’ 1-through-4 hitters have combined for a .342 batting average and .979 OPS. Both of those are best in the NL and second-best in the Majors over that time (behind, interestingly, the White Sox at .346 and 1.142).

2) Imanaga’s resurgence 

The Cubs really needed a bounceback from Shota Imanaga this season, and he’s provided it … and then some. The crafty lefty has a 2.17 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 29 innings through his first five starts, and he’s led the way for the rotation during the winning streak. 

Imanaga picked up his first two wins of the season during the Cubs’ streak by dominating the Phillies twice in a row — first with a six-inning, one-run, 11-strikeout gem in Philadelphia last Wednesday, then with a seven-inning, one-run gem this Tuesday.  

Imanaga’s fastball-splitter combo has been nasty — his heater is especially improved, with an extra tick of velo and more rising movement — and after his two starts vs. the Phils he’s collected 28 strikeouts on just those two pitch types this season, second most of any pitcher behind Kevin Gausman (35).  

3) They’re the best defensive team in baseball 

These Cubs are elite in the field. We saw it last season. We saw it in the playoffs. And we’re seeing it again this season. And during their winning streak, defensive gems have helped the Cubs win games. 

The numbers back that up. Chicago is the No. 1 fielding team in the Majors this season according to Statcast, with a team Fielding Run Value of +12 runs prevented via defense.

Best teams by Fielding Run Value in 2026

• 1. Cubs: +12 runs prevented
• 2. (tie) Red Sox/Braves: +10 runs prevented
• 4. (tie) Cardinals/Royals/D-backs/Blue Jays: +8 runs prevented

The Cubs have two top-five overall individual fielders, and it’s no surprise who they are: Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field (tied with Bobby Witt Jr. for No. 1 overall) and Hoerner at second base (tied for No. 4 overall). They save the Cubs tons of runs, and that leads to wins. 

 

MLB RETURNS TO MEXICO CITY

MLB is back in Mexico City this weekend: The Padres and D-backs face off for two games at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú on Saturday and Sunday. 

These are two playoff contenders with deep ties to Mexico and big stars on both sides — the Padres led by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, the D-backs led by Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte. And the atmosphere in Mexico City should be electric. It always is. 

It’s the latest stop on the MLB World Tour, the third regular-season series played in Mexico City and MLB’s only international series of the year.

We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about the 2026 edition of the Mexico City Series. 

GAMES OF THE WEEKEND

Here are three more must-watch games this weekend, one for each day. For info on how to watch every game this season, go to MLB.com/Watch. 

Today: Pirates at Brewers (7:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV) 

The Brewers have to go through the gauntlet of facing both reigning Cy Young winners in back-to-back games: Tarik Skubal yesterday, Paul Skenes today. Skubal and the Tigers just barely got past the Brew Crew with a comeback win on Spencer Torkelson’s walk-off home run. Can Milwaukee take down Skenes to at least get a Cy Young split?   

Tomorrow: Phillies at Braves (7:15 p.m. ET, MLB.TV) 

The Phillies are in a nine-game nosedive, but they’re getting a huge boost in this game: the return of Zack Wheeler, who will make his first start of the season. They’ll need it against their NL East rivals — the Braves have the best record in the Majors at 18-8 entering play today. 

Sunday: Yankees at Astros (2:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV) 

We have to get a Yankees-Astros game in here, since these teams are bitter rivals and their series are always entertaining. Plus, there’s a superstar slugger matchup to watch: reigning MVP Aaron Judge vs. the best hitter in baseball right now, Yordan Alvarez. And it’ll be Judge’s birthday on Sunday! 

THIS RED-HOT TEAM IS A TWO-MAN SHOW

Even a nine-game winning streak has only been able to get the Cubs into a tie for first place in the NL Central — which has been baseball’s best division this year, with all five teams currently boasting winning records. 

The reason the Cubs are only tied for first? That’d be the Reds, who are off to a red-hot start of their own in 2026 after their surprise run to an NL Wild Card spot last season. 

But the red-hot Reds? They’re a two-man show. 

What do we mean? Cincinnati has two players who are basically carrying the team this season: superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz and rookie sensation Sal Stewart. 

Those two players are doing it all — almost literally — for the Reds, and some of the numbers are pretty crazy. You’ll want to read Thomas Harrigan’s breakdown here.  

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Let’s check out some of the other big things happening around the Majors. 

• Bo’s big moment 

After snapping their 12-game losing streak, the Mets have now started a winning streak (OK, it’s only two games, but still!). That’s thanks to Bo Bichette, who yesterday had his biggest swing as a Met: a tiebreaking, bases-clearing double in the eighth inning to beat the Twins at Citi Field. 

• Yanks sweep out the Sox 

In the biggest rivalry series of the week, the Yankees went into Fenway Park and swept the Red Sox. Boston kid Cam Schlittler took care of business in last night’s series finale with a lights-out eight-inning performance that was reminiscent of his dominant start to beat the Red Sox in last year’s winner-take-all Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series. 

• Dodgers-Giants heats up 

In the other big rivalry series — the Dodgers and Giants’ first clash of the year — there was plenty of tension between the two old foes. The feud centered on Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing, who was hit by a pitch by Giants ace Logan Webb in the series finale after a hard slide into Willy Adames on a double-play ball and an earlier incident involving Rushing and Jung Hoo Lee after a play at the plate in the series opener.

• deGrominant 

The 551 dogs in attendance at Globe Life Field yesterday got to see yet another masterpiece by Jacob deGrom, who’s up to his old tricks and dominating the league. The two-time Cy Young Award winner notched his first 10-strikeout game of the season against the Pirates, and the Rangers have won all five of deGrom’s starts this season. 

• There was nowhere to go but up  

JR Ritchie’s MLB debut yesterday couldn’t have started any worse — the Braves’ star pitching prospect gave up a home run on the very first pitch he ever threw in the big leagues. But it couldn’t have finished any better: Ritchie dominated the rest of the game, earned his first career win and put up a historic stat line when it comes to Braves debuts. 

STREAK TRACKER: MILLER TIME

We’re keeping track of Padres closer Mason Miller’s incredible scoreless-inning streak here as it gets into historic territory.

Miller’s scoreless-inning streak

Currently at: 33 2/3 innings 

AL/NL record: Orel Hershiser, 59 innings (1988)

Reliever record (Expansion Era): Gregg Olson, 41 innings (1989-90) 

Miller has now tied Cla Meredith’s Padres franchise record for the longest scoreless-inning streak. He finished off San Diego’s comeback win over the Rockies yesterday after the Friars put up a five-run ninth inning. But the crazy thing is, Miller didn’t record a strikeout for the first time all year. He’d struck out 27 of the 38 batters he’d faced this season entering the game. 

TRIPLE CROWN MIGGY IN MLB THE SHOW

Prime Miguel Cabrera — Triple Crown-winning Miggy, to be exact — is coming to MLB The Show. 

MLB The Show revealed a Red Diamond 99 Miguel Cabrera today as the first MLB The Show 26 Legends and Flashbacks collection reward. 

If you remember, Miggy batted .330 with 44 home runs and 139 RBIs for the Tigers in 2012 to win the Triple Crown in the AL. He’s still the last hitter to win a Triple Crown.

Check out the MLB The Show Miggy reveal here.   

 

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