The NL-Best Braves Host The Brewers In A Division-Leader Clash, The Dodgers Welcome The Orioles, And Wheeler Headlines Sunday Night Baseball

The series finale at Chavez Ravine sends the 36-42 Baltimore Orioles in to face the 49-28 Los Angeles Dodgers, owners of the best record in baseball. The gap is stark: Los Angeles has been the class of the National League behind a deep, punishing lineup, while Baltimore has scuffled below .500 in the American League East. A Sunday matinee against the league's best team in their own park is a demanding closing assignment for the visitors.

Baltimore hands the ball to right-hander Brandon Young, who has been a bright spot for the Orioles at 5-2 with a 3.18 ERA. Young has limited damage and given Baltimore quality length, and his command will be tested against the deepest order in the sport. If he can keep the Dodgers' big bats off the barrel and work efficiently, he gives the Orioles a real chance to steal the finale.

Los Angeles counters with right-hander Emmet Sheehan, who carries a 3-4 record and a 4.76 ERA into the start. Sheehan misses bats but has been more inconsistent than the Dodgers' front-line arms, and the elevated ERA reflects the traffic he has allowed at times. With Blake Snell on the 60-day injured list, Los Angeles has leaned on its depth, and Sheehan's outing against a Baltimore lineup that owns real power but lacks consistency is the swing factor in whether the Dodgers close the series with the better arm or hand the visitors an opening.

The series wraps at Coors Field, where the 38-38 Pittsburgh Pirates close out their set against the 29-47 Colorado Rockies, owners of the worst record in the National League. The defining feature here is the pitching matchup, because both starters have struggled, and the most run-friendly park in the sport is the last place a shaky arm wants to work. This is a game where the scoreboard could move quickly in either direction.

Pittsburgh sends right-hander Jared Jones, who has a 1-1 record and a 6.23 ERA in limited work this season. Jones has electric stuff, but the ERA shows he has been hittable, and asking that profile to navigate the thin Denver air against any lineup is a difficult assignment. His ability to keep the ball down and limit the big inning will determine whether Pittsburgh controls the day or gets dragged into a track meet.

Colorado counters with right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who has endured a rough 2026 at 2-8 with a 7.13 ERA. Lorenzen has had trouble keeping runners off base, and there are few harder environments to work through that in than his own home park. The Rockies still feature power capable of changing a game in a hurry at altitude, and with two starters carrying ERAs north of 6.00, this matchup leans toward a high-event afternoon where both bullpens could be tested early.

The nationally televised nightcap on Sunday Night Baseball sends the 34-42 New York Mets in to face the 41-35 Philadelphia Phillies, who sit in first place in the National League East. The contrast is sharp: Philadelphia is rolling, having hammered out a 15-3 win on Saturday in which Bryce Harper hit for the cycle, while New York has slipped to last place and is fighting to find traction. A prime-time divisional rivalry game always carries extra weight, and the Phillies enter with the louder momentum.

Philadelphia hands the ball to ace right-hander Zack Wheeler, who has been one of the best pitchers in the sport at 6-1 with a 2.01 ERA. Wheeler gives the Phillies length and quality innings every time out, and at home, against a Mets lineup that has struggled to score consistently, he is a difficult matchup. One wrinkle to watch: current New York hitters carry an .803 OPS in their careers against Wheeler, so this is a lineup that has historically seen him a bit better than most.

New York counters with left-hander David Peterson, who has had a rough season at 3-5 with a 5.91 ERA. The context is harsh: of the 117 pitchers with at least 60 innings this year, only six carry a higher ERA than Peterson's mark. Sending that profile into Citizens Bank Park against an in-form Philadelphia lineup is a steep assignment, and how Peterson navigates the early innings will go a long way toward determining whether the Mets can hang in a prime-time spot that tilts toward the home side.

An interleague meeting at Kauffman Stadium sends the 40-34 St. Louis Cardinals in to face the 32-45 Kansas City Royals. St. Louis has stayed in the playoff race on the strength of its rotation, while Kansas City has been one of the more disappointing teams in the American League, sitting well below .500. The eight-game gap in the standings frames a Sunday matinee in which the road side enters as the more complete team.

St. Louis hands the ball to right-hander Dustin May, who carries a 5-6 record and a 3.75 ERA. May is a representative piece of a Cardinals rotation that has been the club's backbone, the kind of dependable mid-rotation arm that keeps St. Louis in games and lets a deeper roster's edge play out over nine innings. Against a Royals lineup that has scuffled to score, his steadiness is exactly what the Cardinals want anchoring the finale.

Kansas City counters with right-hander Stephen Kolek, who has been excellent in his work at 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA. Kolek is the reason this game stays competitive despite the standings gap, a strike-thrower capable of holding a good Cardinals lineup down and handing a lead to his bullpen. The matchup pits St. Louis's deeper roster and steadier overall profile against a home starter pitching above expectation, and that tension is what makes a quiet-looking matinee worth a closer look.

The afternoon card in West Sacramento sends the 31-47 Los Angeles Angels in to face the 38-39 Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Both clubs sit outside the playoff picture in the American League West, but the Athletics have hung closer to .500 while the Angels have fallen well back. Sutter Health Park has played as a hitter-friendly environment this season, which gives this matchup the feel of a game that could open up if either lineup gets going.

The Athletics hand the ball to right-hander Jack Perkins, who has had a difficult season at 2-3 with a 6.15 ERA, and recent form has not helped, with three or more earned runs allowed in four of his last five starts. Perkins has the arm to miss bats, but the run prevention has not been there, and asking that profile to keep a power-capable Angels lineup quiet in a scoring environment is a real challenge.

Los Angeles counters with left-hander Reid Detmers, who has been the steadier of the two at 3-5 with a 3.68 ERA. Detmers has been sharp lately, allowing one earned run or fewer in four of his last five outings, and his recent run prevention is the cleanest reason this game could stay lower-scoring than the park suggests. The contrast between a struggling home starter and a visiting arm in good form, in a yard where the ball carries, sets up the kind of matchup where the early innings will tell you a lot about the afternoon's pace.