A pair of 27-year-old right-handers who are off to successful starts will face relatively unfamiliar opponents on Sunday afternoon when Max Meyer and the Miami Marlins close a three-game road series against Landen Roupp and the San Francisco Giants.

The teams have split the first two games of the set, with the Giants drawing even Saturday in a 6-2 win after the Marlins dominated the opener 9-4.

Meyer (1-0, 3.96 ERA) has allowed no more than three runs in any of his outings this season, with Miami winning three of his five starts. He limited the St. Louis Cardinals to two runs and three hits over 5 1/3 innings on Monday, striking out a season-best eight in his team’s 5-3 home win.

The fourth-year major-leaguer has never faced the Giants, who experienced an interesting situation on Saturday when designated hitter Casey Schmitt slipped rounding second base in the second inning of a scoreless game, eventually costing San Francisco a run. But Schmitt responded with a tie-breaking, two-run home run four innings later, giving the hosts a lead they never relinquished.

Giants manager Tony Vitello insisted to reporters afterward that he was not surprised how the sequence of events unfolded.

“He makes the coaches feel comfortable around him because he’s not afraid to laugh at himself, which we all have to do because we all make mistakes,” Vitello noted of Schmitt. “He wants to win. When an obstacle comes up, he gets a little more determined. I don’t think it’s a coincidence (the home run) happened.”

The Giants’ Roupp (4-1, 2.28 ERA) has been the club’s best starter in the early going, including a current three-game personal winning streak in which he held the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers to a total of two runs and seven hits in 17 innings, striking out 17. He has won his last two starts despite getting just three runs of support in each.

Roupp has thrown just one inning against the Marlins in his three-year career, a hitless ninth in a 7-5 home loss in September 2024.

The right-hander will have to deal with a lineup that’s been much more productive against righty pitchers this season, including the season-high-tying, 16-hit outburst in a game started by right-hander Adrian Houser on Friday. The Marlins weren’t nearly as effective Saturday as the Giants threw three left-handers, including starter Robbie Ray.

Miami began the weekend with the third-highest team batting average in baseball (.276) against right-handers.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said he loved watching the show Friday, one in which his team put up nine or more runs for the fourth time this season. All four surges have come in games started by opposing right-handers.

“From the very beginning I thought our approach was outstanding,” McCullough said after Friday’s win. “Our swing decisions were outstanding. It was just a real offensive clinic, one through nine, with the type of quality at-bats.”

–Field Level Media

A resurgent Los Angeles Dodgers’ offense will take on the visiting Chicago Cubs in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday afternoon.

The Dodgers snapped the Cubs’ 10-game winning streak with a 12-4 win on Saturday night.

Teoscar Hernandez was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs as Los Angeles racked up 14 hits. Hitless in his previous three games, Hernandez lined a two-RBI single up the middle in a six-run fourth inning.

“I haven’t been on base for the last couple games, but it is OK, everyone goes through that,” he said. “Hopefully I can keep up doing that and be consistent with it.”

Shohei Ohtani also snapped an 0-for-12 skid over his previous three games when he led off the game with an opposite-field single.

Andy Pages, Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland posted two-hit games as the Dodgers scored in double digits for a major league-leading fifth time this season. The Cubs have scored in double figures in four games.

Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Max Muncy will be out on Sunday. The Dodgers third baseman felt sick yet still hit his ninth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the third.

“Muncy wasn’t feeling well,” Roberts said. “We talked and said to him, give us what you got, three at-bats. That’s what we did and felt good about getting him three at-bats. Max will be down tomorrow and be back in there on Monday.”

Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (3-0, 1.88 ERA) is slated to start for the Dodgers. He covered seven innings in his most recent start and earned the decision in a 12-3 road win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday, yielding one run on eight hits with three strikeouts.

In his past three starts — all wins– he has allowed only two runs in a combined 20 innings. He never has faced the Cubs.

“At the end of the day I am going out there and doing the same thing every time,” Wrobleski said. “That’s trying to fill the zone, create contact and see what happens.”

Chicago’s scheduled starter is Shota Imanaga (2-1, 2.17), who earned the win when he surrendered one run on three hits over seven innings in his last start, a 7-4 home win against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.

The lefty is 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA on the road this season. In four career starts against Los Angeles, Imanaga has a 1-0 record with a 3.48 ERA.

“I come to the field every day, whether it’s a start day or not, with the same responsibility,” Imanaga said. “I know if someone gets injured I can help cover them. We have a very tight circle with full support.”

He has a stellar defense in the field — the Cubs are ranked No. 1 on FanGraphs with 17 defensive runs saved — and knows he can pitch to contact.

“It helps with my confidence as well, knowing that behind me, the Cubs’ defense is the best of all 30 teams,” Imanaga said. “If I can control and avoid damage and extra-base hits, I know they are going to get outs. So it’s a big confidence booster.”

–Field Level Media

The Kansas City Royals will go for their first series sweep of the season when they host the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday night.

The Royals rapped out 14 hits and benefited from 10 walks in a 12-1 rout of the Angels on Saturday.

Kansas City right-hander Seth Lugo (1-1, 1.15 ERA) will oppose left-hander Reid Detmers (1-2, 4.08) in the series finale — a rare nationally televised game for these teams.

Lugo will look to continue his stellar start to 2026. The 36-year-old has allowed two earned runs or less in each of his five starts and has pitched into the seventh inning four times.

Last time out, he tossed seven shutout innings Monday in a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles. He left with a 1-0 lead after allowing one hit, striking out seven and walking four, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. Baltimore won 7-5 in 12 innings.

“There were a couple of guys that I know they could hit a good breaker that’s sharp like that,” Lugo said of his strategy against the Orioles. “So I took some off for them. But the other guys are the opposite. So I added some more velocity for those guys.”

Lugo is 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA in four games (three starts) against the Angels. Both wins came in 2024.

Detmers has alternated good and not-so-good starts thus far. After allowing one run in seven innings to beat the New York Yankees 7-1 on April 14, he was touched for four runs on five his in six innings of a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays last Monday. He struck out five and walked two.

Detmers is 0-1 with a 6.62 ERA in five games (three starts) against the Royals.

On Saturday, Kansas City’s Salvador Perez had three hits, including a home run. Cole Ragans pitched six strong innings and the Royals pulled away late, scoring three runs in the seventh and four in the eighth as the Angels resorted to position player Adam Frazier pitching in the eighth inning.

Nick Loftin had two hits and drove in four runs for the Royals, and Bobby Witt, Jr., Michael Massey and Kyle Isbel had two hits each.

“We all know what these guys are capable of,” Ragans said. “Watching them put in the work day-in and day-out, it’s just a matter of time. It’s an unbelievable group of guys and so much fun to watch.”

Ragans also was fun to watch Saturday, as he allowed one run on five hits and struck out 11 without a walk.

The Royals will look to win a season-high three straight games for just the second time this season.

Jo Adell homered and Vaughn Grissom had three hits and is 6-for-12 in his past three games for the Angels, who have lost six of their past seven games. They have scored two runs or less in five of the losses.

On Saturday, the Angels were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.

“It’s one of those things,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “When it gets rolling for the other team, it gets rolling, and it just seems like you can’t do anything right. One game. Just move on to the next.”

Los Angeles catcher Logan O’Hoppe departed the game after the seventh inning with left wrist irritation after taking a foul tip off the wrist.

–Field Level Media