MLB: What to watch on October 26, 2026
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.
| Score | Time (PT) | Visitors | Score | Home | Score | Starter (V) | Score | Starter (H) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.3 | 5:00p | Milwaukee Brewers | 10.0 | Tampa Bay Rays | 4.5 | Robert Gasser | 4.3 | Freddy Peralta | 3.8 |
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
Milwaukee Brewers @ Tampa Bay Rays, 5:00p
Summary
This is World Series Game 3, with the Brewers up 2-0. Great context here already.
Milwaukee's first World Series since 1982 meets Tampa Bay's first-ever shot at a title, and the Brewers are two wins from finishing the job. This is appointment viewing almost by default — it's the World Series — but the on-paper numbers back it up too, with a gNERD of 11.34 sitting a bit above the historical median and comfortably atop today's (admittedly thin) slate. The mismatch is mostly about the lineups: Milwaukee's tNERD of 10.03 trounces Tampa Bay's 4.50, fueled by elite baserunning, a shutdown bullpen, and a young, affordable roster, while the Rays' offense has gone cold at exactly the wrong time — Tampa Bay needs a win at home to get back in it, with Yandy Díaz 0 for 9 in the series while Junior Caminero is 2 for 7. William Contreras has driven in a run in each game and is 4 for 8 in the series for Milwaukee. On the mound, neither Gasser (pNERD 4.33) nor Peralta (3.81) stands out statistically — both around league-average xFIP- — but the stakes make up for the lack of swing-and-miss stuff. Peralta's quick pace and modest "unlucky" tag suggest he's due for better results than his line shows. Tropicana Field hosting its first World Series game since 2020 adds its own flavor.
(A model from Anthropic generated the above text using instructions, the NERD scores, and these sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.)
Recommended broadcasts: TV, Milwaukee Brewers (2.66); radio, Milwaukee Brewers (2.56)
Milwaukee Brewers
| Batting | Barrel% | BaseR | Fielding | Bullpen | Payroll | Age | Luck | TV | Radio | C | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw stat | 55.2 | 7.3% | 7.7 | 7.9 | 66.0 | $139.3M | 27.7 | -28.0 | 2.66 | 2.56 | — | — |
| Z-score | 1.37 | -0.40 | 1.19 | 0.31 | 1.18 | -0.73 | -1.21 | -1.22 | 0.53 | 0.37 | — | — |
| tNERD | 1.37 | -0.40 | 1.19 | 0.31 | 1.18 | 0.73 | 1.21 | 0.00 | 0.27 | 0.18 | 4.00 | 10.03 |
Tampa Bay Rays
| Batting | Barrel% | BaseR | Fielding | Bullpen | Payroll | Age | Luck | TV | Radio | C | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw stat | 25.4 | 5.7% | 4.8 | 6.9 | 20.8 | $106.9M | 29.1 | 4.0 | 2.27 | 2.10 | — | — |
| Z-score | 0.65 | -2.07 | 0.72 | 0.27 | -0.35 | -1.10 | 0.07 | 0.18 | -0.23 | -0.61 | — | — |
| tNERD | 0.65 | -2.07 | 0.72 | 0.27 | -0.35 | 1.10 | 0.00 | 0.18 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 | 4.50 |
Robert Gasser, Milwaukee Brewers
| xFIP- | SwStr% | Strike% | Velocity | Age | Pace | Luck | KN% | C | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw stat | 103 | 9.9% | 66.0% | 92.8 mph | 27 | 19.2s | -10 | 0.0% | — | — |
| Z-score | 0.07 | -0.28 | 0.96 | -0.61 | -0.38 | 0.07 | — | — | — | — |
| pNERD | -0.15 | -0.14 | 0.48 | 0.00 | 0.38 | -0.04 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.80 | 4.33 |
Freddy Peralta, Tampa Bay Rays
| xFIP- | SwStr% | Strike% | Velocity | Age | Pace | Luck | KN% | C | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw stat | 104 | 11.1% | 61.3% | 94.4 mph | 30 | 18.1s | 3 | 0.0% | — | — |
| Z-score | 0.13 | 0.27 | -1.05 | 0.10 | 0.40 | -0.83 | — | — | — | — |
| pNERD | -0.27 | 0.14 | -0.53 | 0.10 | 0.00 | 0.42 | 0.15 | 0.00 | 3.80 | 3.81 |
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MLB: What to watch on October 24, 2026