Though we’re still trying to make sense of many MLB developments from the month of April, the baseball calendar never stops, and the first week of May is loaded with compelling matchups around the league.

There’s a big three-game series in Atlanta with the Baltimore Orioles heading a few hundred miles southwest for the weekend.

Over in Tampa, the Rays will host both the Pirates and the Yankees in an attempt to start May even half as well as they started April.

Out west, the Dodgers will host the Phillies for three games before an already-feels-huge road trip to take on the Padres.

If this is your cup of tea, the Royals will host the A’s with the dubious crown of “worst record in the majors” hanging in the balance.

And we’ve got predicted records for all 30 teams for the next seven days of action on the diamond.

Teams are presented in alphabetical order, followed by our picks for the best pitching matchup on each day of the upcoming week. Fingers crossed that rainouts don’t ruin those pairings, because there is some serious “pitcher’s duel potential” on tap.

Statistics current through the start of play Sunday. Records current through the start of play Monday.

Arizona’s Zac Gallen Chris Coduto/Getty Images

Record: 16-13

Schedule: two games at Texas, three games vs. Washington

Say this much for Arizona: They picked an ideal spot on the calendar to throw in the towel on Madison Bumgarner. The Diamondbacks were idle this past Thursday and will be off on both Monday and Thursday of this week, giving them at least a little bit of wiggle room as they try to figure out which one (or two) of Brandon Pfaadt, Tommy Henry or Drey Jameson is best suited to spend the rest of 2023 in the starting rotation.

For the time being, it looks like they’ll roll with a four-man rotation, giving Pfaadt one more start in Triple-A before he potentially makes his MLB debut next week against Miami. Using Zac Gallen Tuesday against Texas and Sunday against Washington should make for a nice week for the Snakes.

Though the Nationals figure to get both Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore on the mound over the weekend in Arizona, the D-Backs almost have to win that series if they want to be taken seriously as a postseason candidate.

Prediction: 4-1

Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images

Record: 18-9

Schedule: two games at New York Mets, three games at Miami, three games vs. Baltimore

Winning Friday’s five-inning game in New York and then having games rained out Saturday and Sunday was quite the blessing for Atlanta, which is now most of the way through what was supposed to be 17 games in 17 days. If nothing else, it was nice to at least have one game without turning to a bullpen where closer A.J. Minter has been an absolute disaster with three losses in the past 10 days.

But if the Braves are running low on gas, things could get a bit ugly early this week, as they’ve got a doubleheader at New York Monday before facing reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara Tuesday.

However, they should at least take two out of three in Miami, considering it’s the most potent offense in the NL against the least potent offense in the NL. Got to like their chances at home against Baltimore, too, even in spite of the pitching situation we’ll address momentarily.

Prediction: 5-3

Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins Charles Brock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Record: 19-9

Schedule: three games at Kansas City, three games at Atlanta

Fun fact: This will be the end of Baltimore’s longest road trip of the season. After winning the four-game set in Detroit, the O’s get a very winnable series in Kansas City before a considerably more challenging trip to Atlanta.

That Atlanta-New York rainout Saturday unfortunately means Baltimore will now need to deal with Spencer Strider on Friday. The O’s were originally scheduled to avoid both Strider AND Max Fried, which would have been quite the silver lining to playing on the road against arguably the best team in the majors. Still, the O’s should be able to steal at least one of those games, and could even win the series against a potentially fatigued Atlanta squad to further solidify their early stance as a legitimate contender.

Prediction: 4-2

Boston’s Masataka Yoshida Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Record: 15-14

Schedule: four games vs. Toronto, three games at Philadelphia

Despite woeful pitching, Boston held its own through the month of April. Sure, the Red Sox are in last place in the division, but they are easily the best of the last-place teams, entering Sunday just one game back for the third spot in the it-is-way-too-damn-early-to-even-be-looking-at-this wild-card standings.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road, though. Boston has a brutal schedule for the next four weeks, starting with this seven-game stretch against teams who opened the season among the top 10 candidates to win the World Series. And save for maybe Tanner Houck vs. Yusei Kikuchi in the second game of the Toronto series, the Red Sox are on the wrong end of the pitching matchup in all seven games.

We’ll pencil them in for a split with Toronto, but they may well get swept in Philly.

Prediction: 3-4

Chicago’s Cody Bellinger AP Photo/Marta Lavandier

Record: 14-13

Schedule: four games at Washington, three games vs. Miami

Did you know that at the start of play on Saturday, the Cubs had the best run differential in the National League? They only had a 14-11 record to show for it, but their pitching has been way better than expected. (Aside from Michael Fulmer, that is, who appears to be wholly out of the mix for saves after consecutive terrible outings against the Dodgers two weeks ago.)

And for a team that has been pitching well, seven games against the offensively-inept Nationals and Marlins should be quite the windfall. Not feeling bold enough to project a clean sweep for the Cubbies, but this should be a big week.

Prediction: 5-2

Chicago’s Luis Robert Jr. Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Record: 8-21

Schedule: three games vs. Minnesota, three games at Cincinnati

The White Sox have yet to win a series and haven’t even broken even in one since going 2-2 in Houston to open the regular season.

Should we really expect that to change?

The Twins are in the middle of shuffling their rotation a bit with Kenta Maeda (triceps) headed to the IL, and the White Sox have had a winning record at home against Minnesota in each of the past three seasons. But over the past three weeks, Chicago has been a mess at the dish and is unlikely to tee off on any of Joe Ryan, Tyler Mahle or Pablo López.

And after scoring a grand total of six runs during a six-game losing streak, Cincinnati has found its mojo on offense against the Rangers and A’s, looking primed to win that home series against the White Sox.

Prediction: 1-5

Cincinnati’s TJ Friedl Joe Sargent/Getty Images

Record: 12-16

Schedule: three games at San Diego, three games vs. Chicago White Sox

Someone break up the Reds!

After getting shutout in consecutive losses to Tampa Bay and then scoring three, two, one and zero runs in getting swept at Pittsburgh, Cincinnati suddenly can’t be stopped. In sweeping the Rangers, they won two games in walk-off fashion, with a six-run eighth inning for a comeback victory sandwiched in the middle. They subsequently put up 11 runs in their opener against the no-good, very-bad Oakland A’s.

The three games in San Diego against Blake Snell, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo figure to be something of a sobering-up series for a team that entered this season with no realistic postseason aspirations. But with the way they’ve been hitting the ball lately, the Reds could absolutely win that home series against the moribund White Sox.

Prediction: 2-4

Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Record: 13-15

Schedule: three games at New York Yankees, three games vs. Minnesota Twins

Since opening the season with a 5-2 road trip against Seattle and Oakland, Cleveland’s quest to repeat as AL Central champions hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. And things could really take a turn for the worse this week if the Guardians aren’t careful.

Tanner Bibee’s MLB debut at home against the Rockies went quite well, but start No. 2 in the Bronx against Gerrit Cole could be a much different story. The banged-up Yankees haven’t been as good as anticipated, but winning that series will be a challenge.

The more important series is the one against the first-place Twins. We’ll pencil the Guardians for a Meat Loaf-ish two out of three ain’t bad there, even though they’re just 4-8 at home this season, and even though it figures to fall in between Shane Bieber’s turns through the rotation.

Prediction: 3-3

Colorado’s C.J. Cron Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Record: 9-20

Schedule: three games vs. Milwaukee, three games at New York Mets

If you could guarantee us that one team and only one team will go winless this week, the Rockies seem like the logical pick. (Normally, the pick would be Kansas City or Oakland, but they’re facing each other, so…)

Offense has been a colossal struggle for the Rockies, who have been held to three runs or fewer in 11 of their last 15 games. And that’s a damn shame, because their pitching has been more respectable than usual, holding nine of those 15 opponents to five runs or fewer.

If those offensive woes continue, getting swept in Queens with Tylor Megill and Max Scherzer scheduled to pitch is almost a given. Maybe they can win a game against Milwaukee—who recently lost two out of three at home against Detroit’s horrific offense. However, there’s a good chance Rowdy Tellez and the 9-4 away from home Brewers will mash enough home runs in Denver to get the sweep.

Prediction: 0-6

Detroit’s Eduardo Rodriguez Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Record: 10-17

Schedule: three games vs. New York Mets, three games at St. Louis

Eduardo Rodriguez is having one heck of a bounce-back year for the Tigers, sporting a 2.21 ERA with quality starts in three of his first six appearances. If he continues to pitch well, it will be interesting to see what happens at the trade deadline. He has three years and $49 million left on his contract, but he can opt out of it after this season in pursuit of a better deal/team.

Aside from Rodriguez, however, Detroit has produced zero quality starts and has, by no small margin, the least productive offense in the big leagues. Maybe the Tigers do enough to win Thursday’s game against New York when they’ll have their ace on the bump against probably David Peterson—who posted an 8.42 ERA in the month of April. And maybe they’ll put together some offense against what has been a dreadful Cardinals starting rotation. But actually winning either series is rather unlikely.

Prediction: 2-4

Houston’s Hunter Brown Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images

Record: 15-13

Schedule: three games vs. San Francisco, three games at Seattle

Houston has rallied nicely from its slow start to the year, doing so against what could have been a painful stretch of the calendar. The Astros took two out of three from each of Toronto and Tampa Bay and swept a three-game set in Atlanta in between.

Incredibly, they’ve done so without much production from most of the “usual suspects.” Jose Altuve (thumb) is likely at least a month away from making his 2023 debut. Yordan Alvarez went nearly three weeks between two-hit performances. José Abreu is still searching for his first home run of the season.

The pitching has been stellar, though, particularly from rookie Hunter Brown. If he can spin another gem Tuesday against the Giants, it’ll put the ‘Stros in position for yet another solid week.

Prediction: 4-2

Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Record: 7-22

Schedule: three games vs. Baltimore, three games vs. Oakland

Kansas City has gone 1-12 at home this season, held to four runs or fewer in each of the losses.

But if ever there was a time for the Royals to give their fans something to cheer about, this is the week.

Well, maybe not the Baltimore portion of the week, as the O’s have won 14 of their last 18 games. But Kansas City simply has to win that three-game home set against the A’s, who have yet to win multiple games in a series, and who are on pace to allow more than 1,300 runs this season.

Prediction: 3-3

Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

Record: 15-14

Schedule: three games at St. Louis, three games vs. Texas

The Halos are three games into a 25-game stretch in which coming to grips with trading away Shohei Ohtani could become inevitable. They already lost the series in Milwaukee, and after this week, they have to consecutively deal with Houston, Cleveland, Baltimore, Minnesota and Boston.

On the Ohtani front, he’s lined up to pitch against the Cardinals on Wednesday. Los Angeles has won each of his last five starts, and the Cards haven’t exactly been great this season. Got to at least project a win in that one.

Almost have to also give the Angels a W for Friday’s game against the Rangers, who presently have a great big unknown for that spot in their rotation, after Jacob deGrom landed on the IL after yet another early exit from his Friday night start against the Yankees. But we’ll see if they can find another win.

Prediction: 2-4

Los Angeles’ Mookie Betts Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

Record: 16-13

Schedule: three games vs. Philadelphia, three games at San Diego

It’s only Cinco De Mayo, but that series against the Padres already feels like a massive one. Neither NL West squad has come anywhere close to living up to the preseason hype, and the loser could be sitting at 17-18 (or worse) and facing way more questions than answers.

The pitching matchups—Kershaw-Musgrove, Syndergaard-Darvish and Gonsolin-Snell—should be all sorts of great, but maybe getting Will Smith back from the IL and Max Muncy back from paternity leave will provide the difference. Mookie Betts snapping out of the funk he has been in since April 11 sure would help, too.

Can’t look past the Phillies, though, who took three out of four in Los Angeles around this time last season. Pitching was a major struggle for Philadelphia for the first two-plus months of the season, but they’ve held 13 consecutive opponents to five runs or fewer.

Prediction: 3-3

Miami’s Sandy Alcantara Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Record: 15-13

Schedule: three games vs. Atlanta, three games at Chicago Cubs

How long will Miami’s good luck in one-run games last? After back-to-back ninth-inning victories this past week, the Marlins are sitting at 9-0 in one-run games, inexplicably boasting a winning record in spite of a minus-36 run differential.

With Jazz Chisholm Jr. starting to heat up, though, perhaps they can continue their somewhat winning ways. From Tuesday-Saturday, JCJ hit .429 with two home runs and four stolen bases.

Getting a two-start week from Sandy Alcantara certainly doesn’t hurt, either. He got shelled for nine earned runs on April 10 in Philadelphia, but he has a 2.73 ERA in his other four starts and should be able to keep Miami from unraveling during this potentially difficult week in the schedule.

Prediction: 2-4

Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Record: 18-10

Schedule: three games at Colorado, three games at San Francisco

Milwaukee’s first western road trip of the season went quite well, going 7-3 during its time in Arizona, San Diego and Seattle. And round No. 2 might go even better against the sub-.500 Rockies and Giants—though, the Giants have been relatively hot, putting together a recent five-game winning streak against the Mets and Cardinals.

Though the Brew Crew’s bats haven’t been anything special as of late, sweeping the Rockies is more than doable. And getting Corbin Burnes on the hill Friday against Sean Manaea should bode well for Milwaukee. We’ll see how those Saturday and Sunday games go, though.

Prediction: 4-2

Minnesota’s Joe Ryan David Berding/Getty Images

Record: 17-12

Schedule: three games at Chicago White Sox, three games at Cleveland

Big opportunity for Minnesota to create some early separation atop the AL Central standings, as the White Sox have been an unmitigated disaster and the Guardians haven’t exactly been cooking with gas over the past two weeks.

The Twins will need to figure out how to take their show on the road for a change, where they have gone just 3-6 in their last nine games. They do get to benefit from a pair of Joe Ryan starts, though. He has been a road warrior, going 3-0 with a combined line of 19.0 IP, 12 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 19 K against the Royals, Yankees and Red Sox. If he keeps doing his thing, Minnesota might mess around and go 6-0 to enter next week at least five games up in the Central.

Prediction: 4-2

New York’s Max Scherzer Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Record: 15-12

Schedule: two games vs. Atlanta, three games at Detroit, three games vs. Colorado

It’s time for the Mets to get back to their winning ways from the middle of April, back when they won 11 out of 14 games.

Not only do they get to play six of their eight games against two of the worst teams in the majors, but they’ll get Max Scherzer back from his 10-game suspension for the sticky stuff debacle—and he’s lined up for a two-start week against Detroit and Colorado.

They’ll probably let one game slip away, because they have been good for at least one colossal dud on offense per week, shutout five times already this season. But Steve Cohen is paying an awful lot of money to ensure the Mets capitalize on weeks like these.

Prediction: 6-2

New York’s Anthony Rizzo AP Photo/Abbie Parr

Record: 15-14

Schedule: three games vs. Cleveland, three games at Tampa Bay

It took a month, but the Yankees finally get their first shot at the team running away with what was supposed to be their division to win.

Can the Bronx Bombers win that series in Tampa Bay?

Heck, with Aaron Judge (hip) banged up, Gerrit Cole not lined up to pitch in Florida and Carlos Rodón and Luis Severino continuing to collect paychecks from the IL, will the Yanks even win a game against the unstoppable Rays?

Considering they shouldn’t need to deal with either Shane McClanahan or Zach Eflin, they should be able to win one game in Tampa. (Though, goodness only knows what to expect from the projected Friday matchup between TB opener Yonny Chirinos and NYY rookie Jhony Brito.)

Prediction: 3-3

Oakland’s Tony Kemp Sam Hodde/Getty Images

Record: 6-23

Schedule: three games vs. Seattle, three games at Kansas City

From April 22-28, Oakland went 1-6, allowing 9.7 runs per game.

And it didn’t even stand out as a particularly rough stretch for the downtrodden A’s.

Just, you know, business as usual, getting pummeled on a nightly basis by three teams (Rangers, Angels and Reds) who might all miss the postseason.

While most teams would figure to thrive in a week at home against sub-.500 Seattle and on the road against sub-.300 Kansas City, projecting Oakland to even win one of those six games might be overly optimistic.

Prediction: 1-5

Philadelphia’s Nick Castellanos Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Record: 15-14

Schedule: three games at Los Angeles Dodgers, three games vs. Boston

Since punctuating a 5-10 start to the season with a 13-0 loss at Cincinnati, Philadelphia has looked much more like the team that went to the World Series six months ago, winning series against each of the White Sox, Rockies, Mariners and Astros, largely on the strength of its pitching.

Can the Phils keep it rolling in what figures to be a high-scoring three-game set against the Dodgers?

And will this be where they finally win a home series against the Red Sox, after either splitting or losing eight in a row dating back to 2012?

Depends on whether Nick Castellanos stays hot and if Taijuan Walker can bounce back from a rough, short start against Seattle for a strong two-start week.

Prediction: 3-3

Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Record: 20-9

Schedule: three games at Tampa Bay, three games vs. Toronto

Just like we all predicted on Opening Day, the biggest showdown in the first few days of May will be the first-place-in-the-NL Pirates against the first-place-in-the-AL Rays.

That’s sarcasm, just so we’re all clear. No one saw Pittsburgh’s hot start coming, nor did anyone expect Tampa Bay to be this darn good.

The Pirates had one of the worst pitching staffs in all of baseball last season, but, lo and behold, they’ve allowed 41 total runs in their last 16 games, even shutting down the Dodgers offense in winning that three-game series.

Time to find out just how legitimate Pittsburgh is. In addition to the three games in Tampa, the Pirates then need to deal with smokin’ hot Toronto. if they manage to break even for the week, it’ll feel like a big win.

Prediction: 3-3

San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Record: 15-14

Schedule: three games vs. Cincinnati, three games vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Slowly but surely, the Padres have begun to turn the proverbial corner. After starting out 8-11 and often looking downright hapless on offense, getting Fernando Tatis Jr. back in the mix has sparked some offense.

It hasn’t even been Tatis’ doing. He’s batting .243 with two home runs since his suspension ended. But after averaging 3.45 runs per game without him in the lineup, the Padres have scored at least five runs in every win since his return.

That bodes well for a possible home sweep of Cincinnati, whose pitching staff has left much to be desired as a whole. Carrying that momentum into the subsequent big showdown with the Dodgers would be huge.

Prediction: 5-1

San Francisco’s Mitch Haniger Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Record: 11-16

Schedule: three games at Houston, three games vs. Milwaukee

At long last, both Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater made their 2023 debuts for San Francisco this past week, adding even more options to what has been one of the better home run-hitting rosters.

Unfortunately, most of those home runs have been hit with the bases empty, as the G-Men are hitting just .230 with runners in scoring position—hence the losing record, even with Alex Cobb and Anthony DeSclafani pitching quite well out of the gates.

The good news is there should be plenty of “bases empty opportunities” against the strong pitching staffs of Houston and Milwaukee. We’ll see if San Francisco can do enough this week to stay within shouting distance in a surprisingly wide-open NL West race.

Prediction: 3-3

Seattle’s Jarred Kelenic Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Record: 12-16

Schedule: three games at Oakland, three games vs. Houston

The way things have been going as of late for Seattle, it is always a reasonable assumption that the M’s will lose a bunch of games in excruciating fashion.

They have lost four consecutive contests by a one-run margin, including a pair of 1-0 shutouts in which they went a combined 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Saturday’s loss to Toronto was especially painful, as Easton McGee carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, only for the Mariners to whiff 19 times in a 10-inning loss, falling to five games below .500 for the year.

They certainly should get back on the right track this week against the A’s, but it speaks volumes to the current state of this team that we’re not fully convinced they’ll be able to win a series against the worst team in the majors.

Prediction: 3-3

St. Louis’ Paul Goldschmidt Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

Record: 10-19

Schedule: three games vs. Los Angeles Angels, three games vs. Detroit

A month ago, Cardinals fans might have been circling this week on the calendar as an opportunity to get out to Busch Stadium to watch their beloved Redbirds increase their lead atop the NL Central.

Instead, this has turned into a desperation week for a team hoping to avoid falling into last place in the entire National League.

With a year-to-date run differential of minus-10, though, this team is nowhere near as bad as its record suggests. Perhaps this week at home against the Angels and Tigers will be where they earnestly start their climb back into this season.

Prediction: 4-2

Tampa Bay’s Wander Franco Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Record: 23-6

Schedule: three games vs. Pittsburgh, three games vs. New York Yankees

For a minute there, it looked like the Rays might be coming back to earth. They were shut out in consecutive losses to Houston, needed a run in the ninth inning to avoid a disappointing loss against the White Sox and then trailed 3-0 with no hits into the seventh inning of the next game in Chicago.

But a 10-run inning in the seventh on Saturday quickly erased any concerns we may have had about this team becoming mortal.

The upcoming homestand against the Pirates and Yankees could be a tough one, particularly with part-time starter Josh Fleming tabbed to get the start in two of those six games. But Tampa Bay hasn’t had a losing week yet this season, and we’re not about to project that to change.

Prediction: 4-2

Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Record: 17-11

Schedule: two games vs. Arizona, three games at Los Angeles Angels

With Houston starting to come alive and with Jacob deGrom joining Corey Seager on the IL, Texas’ grip on the AL West lead is tenuous, at best.

Such is life when you get swept in a three-game series at Cincinnati like Texas did a few days ago.

At least Nathan Eovaldi gave the Rangers a complete-game shutout of the Yankees Saturday. That may have been the jolt they needed to get back on track and post a winning record for the first week of May.

They probably won’t win the Tuesday game against Zac Gallen, though, and we’ll see how they decide to handle what should have been deGrom’s turn through the rotation in LA.

Prediction: 3-2

Toronto’s Jose Berrios Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Record: 18-10

Schedule: Four games at Boston, three games at Pittsburgh

No one had a hotter week than Toronto, taking care of business at home against the White Sox and Mariners. José Berríos and Yusei Kikuchi were both lights out in shutout victories over Chicago, and both of those guys and now lined up for two-start weeks against the Red Sox and Pirates.

Will this be the road trip where the pitching staff figures things out, though?

Toronto has been rather unhittable at home, entering Sunday’s finale against Seattle at 9-2 with a team-wide ERA of 2.32. But away from home has been another story, allowing at least eight runs six times already this season with a 4.83 ERA. And with both Boston and Pittsburgh ranking among the highest-scoring offenses in the bigs, this could be a rough start to a brutal six-week stretch of games for the Jays.

Prediction: 3-4

Washington’s Jeimer Candelario David Berding/Getty Images

Record: 10-17

Schedule: four games vs. Chicago Cubs, three games at Arizona Diamondbacks

The Nationals had a little spark there on their recent road trip, taking two out of three in Minnesota and winning the first two games against the Mets—even giving Josiah Gray literally any run support for the first time all season.

But they came crashing back to earth Saturday against the Pirates, getting swept in a doubleheader by scores of 6-3 and 16-1 to remain in dead last in the NL East by a mile. (That latter game was just the second time in the past decade that they lost by at least 15 runs, the other coming in a 24-8 run-fest two summers ago.)

Maybe they bounce back to some extent at home against the Cubs, however, a 2-11 record at Nationals Park suggests otherwise.

Prediction: 1-6

Arizona’s Zac Gallen Megan Briggs/Getty Images

All of these are subject to change, but based on current projections/rotations, these are our picks for the best pitching matchups for each day of the upcoming week. Set your viewing schedules accordingly. (All times ET.)

Monday: Atlanta Braves (Charlie Morton) at New York Mets (Tylor Megill) [4:10 p.m.]

Tuesday: Cleveland Guardians (Tanner Bibee) at New York Yankees (Gerrit Cole) [7:05 p.m.]

Wednesday: Philadelphia Phillies (Aaron Nola) at Los Angeles Dodgers (Dustin May) [4:10 p.m.]

Thursday: Minnesota Twins (Pablo López) at Chicago White Sox (Lucas Giolito) [2:10 p.m.]

Friday: Los Angeles Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw) at San Diego Padres (Joe Musgrove) [9:40 p.m.]

Saturday: New York Yankees (Nestor Cortes) at Tampa Bay Rays (Drew Rasmussen) [4:10 p.m.]

Sunday: Washington Nationals (MacKenzie Gore) at Arizona Diamondbacks (Zac Gallen) [4:10 p.m.]

The post Predicting Each MLB Staff’s Win/Loss Document for Week of Could 1 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Predicting the San Francisco 49ers roster for the 2021 season. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty … [+] Images)

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The San Francisco 49ers’ roster now consists of 90 players after they recently drafted an eight-man class and added a few other players as undrafted free agents.

Obviously, the talk in San Francisco surrounds rookie No. 3 pick Trey Lance and incumbent starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. That will continue to be the talk during the summer months.

With that said, San Francisco is hoping to return to Super Bowl contention in 2021. In order for this to happen, depth will need to be the name of the game up and down the 49ers’ roster. Below, I provide you with my first post-draft San Francisco 49ers roster prediction for the 2021 season with a whopping 17 new players mixed in.

Quarterback: Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance, Josh Rosen (3)

Jimmy Garoppolo will likely be QB1 on the San Francisco 49ers roster in 2021. (Photo by Abbie … [+] Parr/Getty Images)

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It seems highly unlikely that the 49ers are going to move off Garoppolo this offseason. That would likely require another starting quarterback around the league getting injured during training camp or the preseason.

Even after selecting Lance No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, there’s a good chance Garoppolo will be the Week 1 starter. This makes it less likely San Francisco will be forced to keep four quarterbacks. Given his upside and status as a former top-10 pick, I am going with Rosen to make the team over Nate Sudfeld. The latter could make his way to San Francisco’s practice squad.

Running Back: Raheem Mostert, Trey Sermon, Jeff Wilson, Wayne Gallman, Elijah Mitchell (5)

The selection of Trey Sermon complicates things for the 49ers. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

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It was surprising to see the 49ers sign Gallman immediately ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft. It was even more surprising that they exhausted a third-round pick on Trey Sermon and a sixth-rounder on Elijah Mitchel.

It’s pretty clear that general manager John Lynch and Co. are building for a future at running back. Both Mostert and Wilson are slated to become free agents next offseason. If Sermon shows out big time after a dominating late-season performance with Ohio State last year, both could be gone in 2022. For now, I am going with Gallman and Mitchell to make the 53 over former undrafted free agent JaMycal Hasty.

Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk (1)

Kyle Juszczyk will be a mainstay on the San Francisco 49ers roster for years to come. (Photo by Adam … [+] Glanzman/Getty Images)

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The 49ers are one of a handful of teams who rely on a fullback in their offense. Thus far throughout his tenure in Northern California, it has worked out swimmingly for Juszczyk. He earned a Pro Bowl appearance in each of his first four seasons with the 49ers before signing a five-year, $27 million contract in free agency.

With Juice Check back in 2021, there’s no other real opportunity for another fullback to make the 53.

Tight End: George Kittle, Ross Dwelley, Free Agent Signing (3)

George Kittle remains the San Francisco 49ers’ most dynamic offensive threat. (Photo by Michael … [+] Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

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It was surprising to see San Francisco ignore the tight end position during the 2021 NFL Draft. Matt Bushman of BYU seemed to make sense before he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.

As it stands right now, I fully expect general manager John Lynch and Co. to add a veteran tight end on the cheap behind Kittle and Dwelley. A sixth-round pick last year, Charlie Woerner is firmly on the roster bubble. Undrafted rookie free agent Josh Pederson seems to have practice squad written all over him. Tyler Eifert, Trey Burton and former 49ers star Delanie Walker could be options in free agency.

Wide Receiver: Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Jalen Hurd, Richie James, Austin Watkins, Free Agent Signing (6)

Richie James is favored to be the starting slot wide receiver for the 49ers in 2021. (Photo by … [+] Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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Regardless of whether the 49ers go with six or seven wide receivers, the expectation here is that they’ll add a veteran during free agency with Pro Bowler Golden Tate being a top-end target. Right now, only Aiyuk and Samuel are guaranteed spots on the 53-man roster.

It’s pretty much all about the slot position. In my initial 53-man roster projection, I predict that San Francisco moves off free-agent signing Mohamed Sanu in favor of an unnamed free agent.

Considered a likely mid-round pick heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, Watkins seems to have a path to the 53-man roster as a slot option. The biggest wildcard here is going to be former third-round pick Jalen Hurd who missed each of his first two seasons to injury. He’s seemingly 100% and ready to go. It should be fun to see the talented former Baylor star do his thing in training camp and the preseason. Last year’s seventh-round pick, Jauan Jennings, is also someone to keep an eye on here.

Offensive Tackle: Trent Williams, Mike McGlinchey, Colton McKivitz (3)

Trent Williams anchors the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive line. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)

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With San Francisco having selected Aaron Banks in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Daniel Brunskill could move to a swing tackle position while backing up at guard and center. That type of flexibility could also enable the 49ers to carry just eight offensive linemen.

If this is indeed the case, McKivitz will likely be battling it out with 2019 late-round pick Justin Skule for a spot on the 53. While Skule has more experience (12 career starts) he struggled as a sophomore last season. I predict that he will be left off the 53.

Guard: Laken Tomlinson, Aaron Banks, Daniel Brunskill, Jaylon Moore (4)

The selection of Aaron Banks changes the dynamics for these San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Robin … [+] Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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A surprise second-round pick from Notre Dame, Banks should start out of the gate at right guard. It was an area of concern for San Francisco a season ago. Already boasting pro-ready pass-blocking skills, the reigning All-American should find a seamless transition to the NFL game.

As for Tomlinson, the former Detroit Lions first-round pick has proven to be consistently good since joining the 49ers back in 2017. In fact, he’s been one of San Francisco’s strengths on this unit over the past few years.

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After that, it’s going to be all about competition at guard. I fully expect San Francisco to go with more flexibility. That’s why recent signing Tom Compton is likely an odd-man out. Brunskill can play pretty much every offensive line position. Rookie fifth-round pick Jaylon Moore can line up at both tackle and guard. That will play a role here.

Center: Alex Mack (1)

Alex Mack was a huge offseason addition for the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty … [+] Images)

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There’s a chance these 49ers opt to keep two traditional centers. With that said, the addition of Mack changes the landscape here.

A six-time Pro Bowl performer dating back to his days with the Browns and Falcons, Mack has missed a combined two games over the past six seasons. In fact, he’s failed to play a 16-game slate just twice in his 12-year career. Should Mack miss some time, Brunskill could replace him over the short-term. Look for Jake Brendel to be another option on the practice squad.

Defensive End: Nick Bosa, Samson Ebukam, Dee Ford, Arden Key (4)

Dee Ford’s health will play a role in the San Francisco 49ers’ roster decisions. (Photo by Michael … [+] Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

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Going with four traditional edge rushers seems to be a bit of a surprise. That’s especially true with Bosa coming off a torn ACL and the 49ers not being able to rely on Ford to stay healthy. It would certainly be a risk given how much San Francisco struggled in this area a season ago.

There’s also multiple reasons for this projection. Ebukam was among the most-underrated free-agent signings of the cycle. Still only 26, he played in all 16 games in each of his four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams — recording 17 quarterback hits and nine sacks over the past two seasons.

The addition of Key also can’t be lost in this. While the former mid-round pick from LSU never panned out with the Raiders, he’s still only 25 years old. It’s also important to note that San Francisco committed $125,000 in guarantees to Key once he was released by Las Vegas. The team is expecting him to contribute.

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A lot of this will come down to whether Ford proves himself to finally be healthy during camp. The former Pro Bowler redid his contract this offseason after missing a combined 20 games in his first two years with the 49ers. If Ford is not healthy, it will open the door for the likes of Jordan Willis and Kentavius Street to make the 53. A free-agent signing could also be in the cards. Expect multiple practice squad slots to be allocated to the edge position with Alex Barrett and Corbin Kaufusi being options.

Defensive Tackle: Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, D.J. Jones, Zach Kerr, Maurice Hurst (5)

Zach Kerr was an underrated free agent signing for the 49ers. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

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Here’s a position that’s absolutely stacked for the 49ers. Surprisingly, they added Kerr and Hurst to what was already a deep position after re-signing the underrated Jones to a one-year contract. This is going to create a ton of competition behind starters in Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw.

Kevin Givens’ recent arrest on assault charges will play a role here. If he’s not cleared in a court of law, the former undrafted free agent is likely to be gone. As for the two offseason additions noted above, Kerr completely flew under the radar. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the 10th-best defensive tackle in the NFL last season — grading out better than any 49ers player at this position from a pass-rush perspective.

Meanwhile, Hurst boasts a tremendous amount of upside. He played darn well in three seasons with the Raiders prior to being a surprise release earlier in the offseason. The former Michigan star has recorded 17 quarterback hits and eight sacks in his career.

Linebacker: Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Azeez Al-Shaair, Justin Hilliard (4)

Could Justin Hilliard make the San Francisco 49ers roster? (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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San Francisco primarily uses two linebacker sets in its base defense. That means depth is lesser of a concern at this position behind star starters Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. For general manager John Lynch and Co., the biggest key when it comes to the WILL position is both special teams play and and an ability to step in and contribute 10-15 defensive plays a game.

A former undrafted free agent from Florida Atlantic, the 23-year-old Al-Shaair more than proved his worth a season ago. In 16 games (five starts), he recorded 35 tackles and an interception. He’s also a core special teamer.

This is why I project San Francisco opting to move off free-agent signing Nathan Gerry. He was the single-worst cover backer in the NFL with the Eagles a season ago.

Sure the 49ers want experience, but Hilliard makes more sense. If the former Ohio State star were healthy, he’d have been a mid-round pick. The 49ers’ decision to give him a huge number in guaranteed cash post-draft tells us a story here. They expect him to break camp, at least as a practice squad player.

Cornerback: Jason Verrett, Emmanuel Moseley, K’Waun Williams, Ambry Thomas, Deommodore Lenoir, Free Agent Signing (6)

Re-signing Jason Verrett was a big deal for the 49ers. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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This gets incredibly convoluted due to the Richard Sherman situation. If San Francisco is able to re-sign the future Hall of Fame cornerback, it will likely keep six cornerbacks. Given the lack of experience behind the 49ers’ three starters, that might actually be in the cards.

For now, I am going with a surprising five in-house cornerbacks on the 49ers’ initial 53-man roster. This means the likes of Ken Webster, Mark Fields and Tim Harris will either be training camp casualties or find themselves on the practice squad.

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As for depth, San Francisco could kick the tires on other free-agent options should Sherman sign elsewhere. Josh Norman, Bashaud Breeland and Dre Kirkpatrick could all be options. The short of it? Expect San Francisco to keep six cornerbacks while potentially moving off one of its defensive tackles or running backs during camp.

Safety: Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt, Tarvarius Moore, Tavon Wilson, Talanoa Hufanga (5)

The selection of Talanoa Hufanga could lead to a surprise release by the 49ers. (Photo by Jevone … [+] Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Surprisingly, I have the 49ers moving off former late-round pick Marcell Harris during camp after he struggled in spot action throughout his first three NFL seasons. There’s a reason for this. San Francisco went out there and added two safeties to the mix during the offseason. It obviously is not happy with the depth behind Ward and Tartt — two injury-plagued players.

The selection of Hufanga in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft is interesting. The hard-hitting former USC standout will be a core special teams performer out of the gate and could eventually replace Tartt at strong safety moving forward. He’s considered one of the better late-round picks in the draft.

In this initial roster projection, I have Tavon Wilson making the 53 over the aforementioned Harris as well as former undrafted free agent Jared Mayden from Alabama. There’s also a chance San Francisco signs veteran safety Tony Jefferson after hosting him for a visit earlier in the offseason. That would likely lead to the end of Wilson’s short tenure in the Bay Area.

Specialists: Robbie Gould, Mitch Wishnowsky, Taybor Pepper (3)

These three spots are etched in stone after San Francisco re-signed Pepper to be its long snapper over the immediate future. Both Gould and Wishnowsky are under multi-year contracts and continue to do their thing.

San Francisco 49ers Roster Analysis

Could Trey Lance start for the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie? (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty … [+] Images)

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A lot of this could change in the coming weeks and months. If Trey Lance proves that he’s ready to handle the starting quarterback duties out of the gate, Jimmy Garoppolo might find himself calling another NFL city home next season. That would either lead to San Francisco adding another veteran or relying on a combination of Josh Rosen and Nate Sudfeld to back Lance up.

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Remaining on offense, the running back and wide receiver positions are going to be of utmost intrigue during the 49ers’ offseason program. Kyle Shanahan and Co. did not plan on adding two running backs in the draft. What does that mean for Wayne Gallman after he signed with San Francisco shortly before the annual event?

At wide receiver, Shanahan might believe that the 49ers have six NFL-caliber players. I just don’t see it that way. Should we see struggles behind Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, it would not be a surprise if San Francisco kicked the tires on a free-agent addition or a potential trade. The brass certainly has to be concerned about its slot position.

Defensively, the front seven and safety position appear to be stacked right now. That should lead to some big battles. It could also lead to the 49ers pulling off a trade or two in order to acquire future draft capital. This is something to keep an eye on.

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