MLB: What to watch on May 29, 2026

• 29 May 2026
• mlbw

Here are today's MLB games, ordered by watchability, based on how interesting the teams and starting pitchers look. Higher is better. For more information, read this post.

Notes:

• Pitcher 'no data': Pitchers only have a pNERD score once they've started at least one game and have at least 20 innings pitched. I also show 'no data' when I can't correctly link a starting pitcher with their stats.
• Generated by the mlb-watchability project on GitHub.

Detail

San Diego Padres @ Washington Nationals, 3:45p

Summary

This is the day’s best gNERD game because the teams are doing the entertaining work the pitchers may not: San Diego brings the gloves and bullpen, Washington brings the bats, legs and youthful disorder. Lucas Giolito adds a tidy homecoming wrinkle against the organization that drafted him, but this projects more as a lineup-and-late-innings game than a pristine starters’ duel.

A 13.60 gNERD tops today’s slate, and the ingredients check out: both clubs clear an 8.0 tNERD, with the Padres riding excellent fielding and a very stout bullpen, while the Nationals bring above-average offense and baserunning. Washington’s pleasant-surprise attack is not imaginary; James Wood and CJ Abrams have driven one of baseball’s highest-scoring lineups, and Dylan Crews was recently recalled to add another young variable. Giolito, signed by San Diego in late April, looked sharp in his Padres debut, cruising through five scoreless innings before the sixth turned untidy; Schultz is still basically a bullpen arm with 21 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings, which is one way to promise action. With Washington missing Jake Irvin, Josiah Gray and Trevor Williams, and San Diego still without Joe Musgrove and Jake Cronenworth, neatness feels optional.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, San Diego Padres (3.47); radio, San Diego Padres (3.37)

San Diego Padres

Washington Nationals

Lucas Giolito, San Diego Padres

No detailed stats available

Paxton Schultz, Washington Nationals

No detailed stats available

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Philadelphia Phillies @ Los Angeles Dodgers, 7:15p

Summary

The math and the mood align here: Zack Wheeler is dealing, the Dodgers mash, and the matchup still carries a leftover NLDS grudge. If you only have room for one game, this one has a strong case.

The 13.52 gNERD is basically today’s ceiling, and Wheeler’s 7.40 pNERD is why. Philadelphia is 6-0 in his starts, he hasn’t allowed a run since May 12, and now he faces a Dodgers lineup that leads the majors in batting average, OBP, and slugging. Los Angeles is a bit less terrifying with Teoscar Hernández and Kiké Hernández sidelined, but Mookie Betts is back and just had a two-homer night. Wrobleski is the gentler half of the pitching draw: a useful Dodgers surprise whose run prevention has been better than his swing-and-miss profile, which pairs neatly with a modest 2.96 pNERD. Still, the Dodgers own today’s top team NERD, and the Phillies just swept San Diego, so there’s enough offense, bullpen quality, and mild October residue to make this worth your attention.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, Philadelphia Phillies (2.92); radio, Philadelphia Phillies (2.69)

Philadelphia Phillies

Los Angeles Dodgers

Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies

Justin Wrobleski, Los Angeles Dodgers

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New York Yankees @ Athletics, 6:40p

Summary

This is one of the better watches on the board: a near-top-of-today gNERD game driven by the Yankees’ offense and a former-Yankee subplot with Luis Severino. It also has uncertainty, because Carlos Rodón’s zero pNERD is a data gap, not a sign that nothing is happening. New York’s team score does the heavy lifting: the Yankees pair huge batting-runs and barrel-rate marks in your model with MLB’s second-best slugging percentage, and they entered at 34-22 even with Giancarlo Stanton and Jasson Domínguez on the IL. The A’s are not set dressing; their big positive luck number says they’ve played a bit worse than their underlying quality, and they still rank second in the AL in batting average while trying to halt a five-game home skid and cover for injuries to Jacob Wilson and Max Muncy. Severino’s 5.37 pNERD works: he still brings upper-90s velocity and recently had a 10-strikeout game. Rodón returned on May 10 after elbow surgery, his fastball jumped in his debut, and he later struck out seven Blue Jays.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, New York Yankees (2.08); radio, New York Yankees (2.22)

New York Yankees

Athletics

Carlos Rodón, New York Yankees

No detailed stats available

Luis Severino, Athletics

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Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis Cardinals, 4:15p

Summary

This is one of the better watches on the board: a 12.57 gNERD game with real NL Central teeth, as the 31-26 Cubs and 29-25 Cardinals collide with only a little daylight between them in the standings. The draw is simple: two above-average clubs by NERD, a better starter in Shota Imanaga, and enough bullpen and injury clutter to keep the script from getting too neat. Chicago's 8.19 tNERD looks earned; the Cubs pair real run creation with excellent fielding and just beat Pittsburgh 7-2 behind Ian Happ. The late innings are less soothing with Hunter Harvey and Porter Hodge both on the 60-day IL, which matches the merely okay bullpen component. St. Louis was just swept in Milwaukee and is still waiting on Lars Nootbaar, who remains on a rehab assignment after heel surgery. Imanaga's 6.70 pNERD is the main reason to tune in despite his ugly last start against Houston, while Pallante comes in off six one-run innings against Cincinnati and can keep this stubbornly low-scoring.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3, 4.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, Chicago Cubs (3.01); radio, Chicago Cubs (3.15)

Chicago Cubs

St. Louis Cardinals

Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs

Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals

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Boston Red Sox @ Cleveland Guardians, 4:10p

Summary

This is a sneaky-good watch: an above-average gNERD game built less on fireworks than on crisp team competence and one pleasantly mysterious starter. Boston rolls in with freshly recalled lefty Tyler Samaniego, while Cleveland gets Slade Cecconi at a moment when his season-long mess has at least started to resemble a blueprint thanks to a reworked cutter.

At 11.84, this sits comfortably above the historical gNERD median and in the sturdier part of today’s slate, mostly because both teams clear 7 in tNERD. Boston’s offense hasn’t earned much glamour, but the Sox can run, field, and carry a large positive luck signal, which is one reason they look a bit more interesting than their record; that matters even more with Trevor Story out after sports hernia surgery and Marcelo Mayer being nudged back toward shortstop. Samaniego’s zero pNERD is really a data void—he has mostly worked in relief—but his MLB line is a tidy 1.04 ERA in 17 1/3 innings. Cecconi is the more legible attraction: middling underlying numbers, yes, but recent signs of life after two solid starts built around that sharper cutter. In other words, not a slugfest menu item, but a respectable baseball game with enough tactical oddity to justify your attention.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, Boston Red Sox (2.47); radio, Cleveland Guardians (3.14)

Boston Red Sox

Cleveland Guardians

Tyler Samaniego, Boston Red Sox

No detailed stats available

Slade Cecconi, Cleveland Guardians

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Miami Marlins @ New York Mets, 4:10p

Summary

This is a sneaky decent watch: Max Meyer has become the Marlins’ best reason to tune in, and his rematch with a battered Mets lineup has some bite. Freddy Peralta gives New York a rebuttal, but the broader appeal is watching Miami’s annoyingly competent speed-and-bullpen act try to needle a much pricier roster again. The 11.01 gNERD lands a bit above both the historical median and today’s average, which feels right. Meyer’s 6.27 pNERD is the headliner: his 86 xFIP- and whiff profile look good, and he held these Mets to one run over seven innings with eight strikeouts after a one-hit, seven-inning shutout of Philadelphia earlier this month. Peralta’s 4.04 pNERD is less flashy, but he also struck out nine Marlins over seven innings in that same matchup. Miami’s 7.08 tNERD comes more from speed and bullpen value than thunder, while the Mets are still missing Francisco Lindor and Francisco Alvarez, with Kodai Senga sidelined too. Miami swept New York last week, capped by Heriberto Hernández’s walk-off grand slam, so there is at least a little fresh spite in the air.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, New York Mets (3.32); radio, New York Mets (3.05)

Miami Marlins

New York Mets

Max Meyer, Miami Marlins

Freddy Peralta, New York Mets

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Minnesota Twins @ Pittsburgh Pirates, 3:45p

Summary

This is less must-see than solidly worthwhile, built on one established arm and one very interesting question mark. The draw is Taj Bradley’s live fastball against Pittsburgh’s pesky legs, with Jared Jones returning from elbow surgery as the twist.

Bradley came back from right pectoral inflammation last week and struck out seven Red Sox in five innings; his NERD appeal is the tidy combination of 96.6 mph velocity, bat-missing stuff and a 91 xFIP-, with MLB listing him at 5-1 with 59 strikeouts. Jones’ pNERD is zero only because the model lacks current data, not because he’s dull. Pittsburgh is giving him his first major-league start since internal-brace surgery after a rehab run with a 2.89 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings, and his 2024 debut already featured 97.3 mph heat and a slider with a 37.3 percent whiff rate. The Pirates also bring the better team-watchability profile, with positive batting value and especially strong baserunning, while the Twins are clunkier on the bases and have Byron Buxton managing soreness mostly at DH. That leaves this game a little above ordinary: not the day’s crown jewel, but a sensible pick if you want real pitcher intrigue without the full circus.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3, 4.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, Minnesota Twins (2.30); radio, Minnesota Twins (2.06)

Minnesota Twins

Pittsburgh Pirates

Taj Bradley, Minnesota Twins

Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates

No detailed stats available

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Arizona Diamondbacks @ Seattle Mariners, 7:10p

Summary

This is a solid watch made better by context: Arizona arrives on a five-game winning streak, and Seattle just swept Oakland into first place in the AL West. The cleanest reason to tune in, though, is George Kirby. The 10.38 gNERD is basically mid-pack, but Kirby’s 7.51 pNERD gives it teeth; his 86 xFIP-, strike-throwing, and velocity markers fit a starter who can run a crisp, efficient game, even if his last outing against Kansas City was only okay. Gallen is more repair job than co-headliner—his 3.27 pNERD and 105 xFIP- are ordinary—but his luck number hints at some underperformance, and MLB notes he just posted a season-high six strikeouts. Arizona adds some extra appeal with Ketel Marte fresh off NL Player of the Week honors, while Seattle is still without Cal Raleigh because of a right oblique strain. That makes this less a fireworks display than a competent, worthwhile piece of baseball: one premium arm, two clubs with real stakes, and enough lineup quality to keep the late innings honest.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, Seattle Mariners (2.35); radio, Seattle Mariners (2.52)

Arizona Diamondbacks

Seattle Mariners

Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks

George Kirby, Seattle Mariners

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Atlanta Braves @ Cincinnati Reds, 3:40p

Summary

This is a solid, sane watch: not the slate’s neon marquee, but a game with a real contender on one side and enough Cincinnati loud-contact chaos on the other to keep things from turning beige. The Braves come in at 38-19, fresh off a 10-2 win in Boston powered by a Ronald Acuña Jr. grand slam, while the Reds are 29-26 and still patching a rotation missing Hunter Greene and Rhett Lowder.

Atlanta’s 8.45 tNERD is the real lure, because the Braves rate well almost everywhere that matters here: run creation, barrels, defense, and bullpen competence. Grant Holmes’ 3.82 pNERD is more useful than glamorous, but the swing-and-miss is real; he has 48 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings and just fanned 10 Nationals in his last outing. Paddack is basically rotation duct tape after arriving in mid-May, though his luck bump suggests the surface damage has been a bit uglier than the estimators deserve.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, Atlanta Braves (2.36); radio, Atlanta Braves (2.36)

Atlanta Braves

Cincinnati Reds

Grant Holmes, Atlanta Braves

Chris Paddack, Cincinnati Reds

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Milwaukee Brewers @ Houston Astros, 5:10p

Summary

This is a respectable middle-shelf watch: not the slate’s shiniest toy, but a blend of mystery, competence, and an Astros club arriving with the odd combination of a recent combined no-hitter and a still-crowded injury list. Coleman Crow is making only his third MLB start, while Kai-Wei Teng comes in off two straight winning starts in which he struck out 13 over 11 innings, so there’s at least one polished subplot and one pitcher-shaped blind date.

The 9.72 gNERD sits a hair below this slate’s average and almost exactly on the historical median, which feels right: Milwaukee’s appeal is sturdy rather than flashy. The Brewers own the better team NERD and the better record at 33-20, with a bullpen that grades as a real strength even if the lineup’s barrel rate suggests fewer fireworks than the logo might promise. Crow’s 0.00 pNERD is just a lack-of-data shrug, not an insult; MLB’s preview notes he’s opened with back-to-back no-decisions in his first two starts. Houston’s offense still has some life, but with Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz on the IL and a bullpen that entered last week with MLB’s worst ERA, Teng may need to be the adult in the room again.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3, 4.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, Milwaukee Brewers (2.66); radio, Milwaukee Brewers (2.56)

Milwaukee Brewers

Houston Astros

Coleman Crow, Milwaukee Brewers

No detailed stats available

Kai-Wei Teng, Houston Astros

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Kansas City Royals @ Texas Rangers, 5:05p

Summary

This is more “solid background selection” than “cancel your plans,” a gNERD 8.73 game with one fairly lively pitching subplot and one quietly useful one. Texas gives it a little extra bite because MacKenzie Gore brings the better bat-missing profile, while the Rangers’ offense has lately alternated between coma and fireworks, which is one way to stay interesting. Gore returned from a brief lat-tightness scare to allow one run on one hit over six innings in his last start, and he entered this matchup with 62 strikeouts in 55 innings. Kolek is the opposite kind of curiosity: not much whiff glamour, but a quick worker who just spun a 108-pitch complete-game shutout of Seattle and has delivered quality starts in eight of his first nine outings with Kansas City.

Neither lineup makes this a priority watch by team NERD, but Kansas City’s speed helps, Bobby Witt Jr. is still the obvious chaos source, and Salvador Perez is now five homers from tying George Brett’s franchise record. Texas is also still missing Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford, which helps explain how this lineup got no-hit by Houston, then answered with an eight-run first inning, then resumed its usual ambiguity. That gives this game some pulse, just not the headliner slot.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, Kansas City Royals (2.11); radio, Kansas City Royals (2.22)

Kansas City Royals

Texas Rangers

Stephen Kolek, Kansas City Royals

MacKenzie Gore, Texas Rangers

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Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles, 4:05p

Summary

This is watchable in the way a slightly dented AL East game can be: imperfect, tense, and one crooked inning from turning useful. Toronto’s 8.7 gNERD fits the mood—below today’s average—but the Jays do arrive on three straight wins and nine in 13, even while their rotation remains a moving target.

Trevor Rogers gives Baltimore the only officially named starter, which is less a glamour spot than a stress test. He was activated earlier this month after an illness, and his season line still sits at 2-6 with a 6.96 ERA over 42 2/3 innings, so Toronto’s merely middling offense has a plausible opening here.

The Jays’ case is mostly bullpen-and-defense competence; the Orioles’ case is a slightly livelier lineup, with Gunnar Henderson already at 13 homers and Adley Rutschman carrying an .830 OPS.

Toronto still has its starter listed as TBD, and Baltimore is still juggling a crowded injury sheet that includes Ryan Helsley, Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg, so this feels more like a sturdy division argument than a marquee production.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3, 4.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, Toronto Blue Jays (3.10); radio, Toronto Blue Jays (2.39)

Toronto Blue Jays

Baltimore Orioles

Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles

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Detroit Tigers @ Chicago White Sox, 4:40p

Summary

This is more “curious division subplot” than must-see viewing, but Troy Melton gives it a pulse. He was activated from Detroit’s 60-day IL on May 24 after elbow trouble, then opened his season by holding Baltimore to one run over 5 2/3 innings, turning a low-gNERD game into a decent scouting assignment. Chicago does most of the watchability lifting: the White Sox are 29-27 and second in the AL Central, and their high team NERD matches a club with enough thump to rank seventh in the league in batting average while carrying the better barrel-rate profile in your sheet. Fedde is the wet blanket. He comes in 0-5 with a 5.47 ERA, and your pNERD inputs — bad xFIP-, whiff rate and strike rate — suggest that concern is structural, not cosmetic. Detroit is still missing Tarik Skubal and Justin Verlander, so Melton’s innings matter a bit more than usual.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3, 4.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, Detroit Tigers (2.74); radio, Detroit Tigers (2.64)

Detroit Tigers

Chicago White Sox

Troy Melton, Detroit Tigers

No detailed stats available

Erick Fedde, Chicago White Sox

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San Francisco Giants @ Colorado Rockies, 5:40p

Summary

This is mostly a Logan Webb game with a Coors Field hazard label. The gNERD pegs it as a lower-tier watch, and that feels right: one starter worth tuning in for, attached to two lineups that don’t exactly bill by the barrel. Webb’s 6.81 pNERD is the draw, especially because this will be his first start since May 5 after right knee bursitis sent him to the IL for the first time in five years; if his usual ground-ball-and-command act returns intact, that’s the thing to watch. The Giants’ 2.32 tNERD fits an offense with weak power and clumsy baserunning, and they arrive off an Arizona sweep punctuated by a pair of baserunning blunders. Colorado is even less persuasive: a 1.05 tNERD, bad batting indicators, and an injury list that includes Brenton Doyle, Mickey Moniak and Jose Quintana, with Kris Bryant out in the wilderness. Michael Lorenzen’s 3.19 pNERD and 108 xFIP- make him atmospheric risk, not marquee attraction. Webb gives this game a pulse; Coors gives it a chance to get weird.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, San Francisco Giants (3.20); radio, San Francisco Giants (3.49)

San Francisco Giants

Colorado Rockies

Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants

Michael Lorenzen, Colorado Rockies

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Los Angeles Angels @ Tampa Bay Rays, 4:10p

Summary

This is the day’s basement gNERD for a reason: the team side is thin, and Tampa Bay’s tidy competence threatens to make this feel more efficient than electric. If you tune in, you’re mostly buying the pitching subplot: Walbert Ureña’s live arm against Nick Martinez’s very Rays-ish reinvention. Ureña is at least a genuine novelty item, a 22-year-old rookie who flashed 98-99 mph and punched out eight in his first big-league start; with Yusei Kikuchi now on the 60-day IL, his development matters more than usual for an Angels club whose bad baserunning, defense and bullpen work have kneecapped an otherwise decent barrel rate. Martinez is the sturdier reason to watch: MLB recently framed his opening act in Tampa Bay as the best start of his career, and the official preview says he has allowed two runs or fewer in all 10 starts. The Rays also bring a four-game home winning streak and the AL’s best OBP, which is impressive even if their own low barrel rate suggests fewer fireworks than spreadsheets.

(A model from OpenAI generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3, 4.)

Recommended broadcasts: TV, Los Angeles Angels (2.59); radio, Tampa Bay Rays (2.10)

Los Angeles Angels

Tampa Bay Rays

Walbert Ureña, Los Angeles Angels

Nick Martinez, Tampa Bay Rays

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  MLB: What to watch on May 28, 2026