Well, the good news is that the Atlanta Braves still have yet to lose a series here in 2026. By this time last year they were doing nearly nothing but losing, so I will happily take a 6-4 start over that shambolic 2-8 start that they had over the course of their first 10 games in 2025.
Still, there does feel like there were some missed opportunities to get off to an even better start. The split in Arizona comes to mind and the power outage against Seth Lugo and the Royals in their attempt to get a sweep
also comes to mind as well. With that being said, winning (or splitting) series on a regular basis will pay off in the long run and since baseball is a marathon rather than a split, it’s more fruitful to look forward than backwards.
So here we are, looking forward to what’s in store for the Braves this week. Interestingly enough, it’s more interleague action as Atlanta will finish their West Coast swing in Anaheim against the Angels before returning home to take on the Guardians for three games. Let’s get into the details, y’all.
April 6-8: Los Angeles Angels
Current Record: 5-5 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 72-90
So the Angels are 5-5 so far and they actually don’t look as moribund as a lot of folks expected them to look coming into this season. Granted, this could just be a case of a bad team getting off to a decent start before eventually bottoming out but hey, the Braves can’t choose whenever they play anybody so they appear to be getting the version of the Angels that could be very tricky to deal with.
Of course, when you think of the Angels you think of Mike Trout and unfortunately for them, his status for this series is currently in doubt. Trout got hit on his left hand by a pitch on Sunday and he’s now day-to-day. It’s a shame because so far, he’s actually showed some signs of looking like the old Mike Trout who could put up some gaudy numbers and be an absolute pain for opponents to deal with. Atlanta might dodge a bullet there with Trout but they’ll still have to deal with shortstop Zach Neto, who has gotten off to a very good start to begin the season. First baseman Nolan Schanuel has launched a pair of homers as well so that’s another guy to keep an eye on (in addition to old friends Travis d’Arnaud, Jorge Soler and mangaer Kurt Suzuki as well).
With that being said, the biggest headache for Atlanta in this series may come from the pitching for the Halos. They will have to deal with José Soriano, who has yet to give up a run so far through his first two starts and Reid Detmers has also been a handful for opposing hitters to deal with here in the early goings. The good news is that the Braves will be countering Soriano with Chris Sale on Monday night and as long as both Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes continue their strong starts to their respective seasons then the Braves should be fine when it comes to matching wits on the pitching mound.
Also, we have to mention what Jo Adell did because it’s just sick and I still can’t believe he robbed three homers in a single game. Absolutely incredible stuff.
Game 1: Monday, April 6 at 9:38 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Game 2: Tuesday, April 7 at 9:38 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)
Game 3: Wednesday, April 8 at 4:07 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
April 10-12: Cleveland Guardians
Current Record: 6-4 Projected Record: 76-86
Following a much-needed off day on Thursday, the Braves will be home to take on the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland’s off to a nice start as well. and they have one player in particular to thank for it: Chase DeLauter. Major League Baseball’s 2026 rookie class has had a lot of hype surrounding it and so far, the young guns look to be living up to the expectations here in the extremely early portion of the season. DeLauter is one of those young guns, as he’s come out of the gates by clubbing five homers, bringing in nine RBI and scoring seven runs, himself. Naturally, when it comes to the Guardians lineup then you have to be concerned with Jose Ramirez could do to you with Steven Kwan lurking as well. However, it’s been guys like DeLauter, Gabriel Arias, Austin Hedges, David Fry and even Rhys Hoskins who have been getting it done to get the season started for the Guardians.
More than likely, the Braves will be seeing Parker Messick, Slade Cecconi and Tanner Bibee during this series and being completely honest here, I do like Atlanta’s chances in these pitching matchups. Now granted, this’ll mean that Bryce Elder will have to keep things going in the right direction and the fifth spot in the rotation will have to deliver a good-to-great start for once but hey, this pitching staff has been puling its weight so far this season and who’s to say that they can’t get it done against this Cleveland team once they come back to town? This is another series that I’d label as “tricky” but the Braves can handle it — especially being at home where they’ve looked comfortable very early on.
Game 1: Friday, April 10 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Game 2: Saturday, April 11 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Game 3: Sunday, April 12 at 7:20 p.m. ET (NBC Sunday Night Baseball)
