MLB Sunday 12-Game Slate: Mets, Cubs, Braves Chase Sweeps on March 29

Seth Lugo gets the ball for the Royals in a spot where he's historically been miserable. Against the Braves across his career, Lugo owns a 5-0 record with a 1.87 ERA, but that was mostly during his Mets bullpen days in low-leverage spots. This is a different animal. He's coming off an 8-7 season where his 4.15 ERA told the story of a guy who gave up too much hard contact when he left pitches up in the zone.

Clay Holmes takes the mound for Atlanta, and while the 4-9 record and 3.99 ERA from last season don't scream dominance, the Braves offense behind him is a completely different proposition than what he had in New York. Atlanta has been swinging it well through the first two games and should provide more than enough run support if Holmes can keep the ball on the ground like he does when he's right.

The Braves at 2-0 feel like a team that wants to set the tone early after a disappointing 2025. Kansas City is a scrappy club, but opening the year 0-3 on the road against a motivated Atlanta team is a real possibility here. The total sitting at 8 feels about right for two pitchers who can limit damage when they command the sinker.

This is where the Mets can really make a statement. Bailey McLean was one of the best stories in baseball last season, going 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA across his starts and looking every bit like a frontline starter. The command, the stuff, the poise in big moments, all of it was there. For a Mets team that desperately needed pitching depth, McLean was the answer nobody expected.

On the other side, Peter Mlodzinski showed enough in 2025 with a 5-8 record and 3.54 ERA to earn a rotation spot, but the gap between these two arms is significant. Mlodzinski walks too many guys when he's off, and the Mets lineup is not the group you want to put free runners on base against. Pittsburgh's offense looked outmatched in the first two games, and this pitching matchup doesn't do them any favors.

New York at -186 is the heaviest favorite on the sweep watch slate, and honestly it's easy to see why. The Mets are playing with energy, the home crowd at Citi Field has been electric, and McLean on the mound gives them the best chance of any team today to finish the job cleanly.

Here it is, the single biggest pitching mismatch on the entire Sunday card. Shota Imanaga versus Cole Irvin is almost unfair. Imanaga went 9-8 with a 3.73 ERA last season and was one of the most consistent arms in the National League, bringing that nasty splitter and deceptive fastball every fifth day. His stuff plays up even more at Wrigley, where the shadows in March can make picking up release points a nightmare for opposing hitters.

Irvin, meanwhile, is coming off a brutal 9-13 campaign with a 5.70 ERA. That's a full two runs per game worse than the guy he's facing. Washington is already 1-1 in this series, so the Cubs can't technically sweep, but Chicago is the heaviest favorite on the entire slate at -259 and it's not hard to understand why. Irvin has been hittable for years, and a Cubs lineup that added Alex Bregman this offseason has legitimate thunder from top to bottom.

The Nationals will need everything to break right to steal this one. Their bullpen will have to be sharp if Irvin can even get through five, and that's a big if against a Cubs order that can stack crooked numbers in a hurry. Chicago's rotation depth was a question coming into the season, but when Imanaga is on the bump, those concerns disappear.

Milwaukee has been quietly dominant through two games, and they send Sproat to the mound looking to complete the sweep against a White Sox team that, let's be honest, is in full rebuild mode. Chicago's roster is young and they're going to take their lumps this season. Anthony Kay draws the start for the South Siders, and while he's a capable back-end arm, this isn't the spot where you'd expect him to outduel Milwaukee's pitching.

The Brewers have been one of baseball's best-run organizations for years now, and their player development pipeline keeps churning out competent arms. Sproat showed flashes in limited action last year and this is his chance to cement a rotation spot. American Family Field should be rocking for a Sunday afternoon with sweep potential on the line.

Miami is the second-heaviest favorite on the sweep watch at -194, and when you see that Jose Quintana is toeing the rubber for Colorado, it makes sense. Quintana is the veteran lefty who can eat innings, but "eating innings" and "keeping runs off the board" have been two very different things for him lately. The Rockies away from Coors are a different beast entirely, and not in a good way.

Max Meyer has the stuff to be a frontline guy for Miami if the health holds up. His fastball-slider combination can overwhelm lineups when he's locating, and the Marlins seem committed to building around young arms like him. Colorado's bats tend to go quiet at sea level, and this could be a long afternoon for the visitors if Meyer comes out dealing.

This is the tightest game on the sweep watch slate, and for good reason. Steven Matz going for Tampa Bay against Dustin May for St. Louis is about as even as pitching matchups get. May has the higher ceiling with his electric sinker-cutter combination, but durability has been the constant question mark throughout his career. If he's on, he can shut down anybody. If the command isn't there, it gets ugly fast.

Matz is what he is at this point: a solid, unspectacular lefty who can give you six decent innings on a good day. The Rays at -118 are essentially a pick'em despite the Cardinals holding a 2-0 series lead. Tampa's lineup construction and organizational approach to matchups gives them an edge that the market respects regardless of the series situation. St. Louis would love to start the season 3-0, but the Rays are the kind of team that never goes away quietly.

Baltimore at home against Minnesota features a sneaky good pitching matchup. Bailey Ober has quietly become one of the more reliable arms in the American League, mixing a deep arsenal with excellent control. Shane Baz has all the talent in the world and the Orioles are banking on his arm staying healthy enough to anchor a rotation that has World Series aspirations.

The total sitting at 9 is the highest on the board alongside Kansas City-Atlanta, and that makes sense when you consider both lineups can absolutely rake. Baltimore's power bats in Camden Yards can shorten any game in a hurry, and the Twins have enough pop through the middle of their order to keep pace. This feels like it could be the most entertaining game on the slate if both starters run into trouble early.

MacKenzie Gore takes the ball for the Rangers in a Citizens Bank Park matchup that pits two young lefties against each other. Jesus Luzardo has the edge on paper and in the venue, pitching in front of a Phillies crowd that expects postseason baseball every October. Gore showed stretches of brilliance in 2025 but never fully put it together for a full season.

Philadelphia's lineup is one of those units where you simply cannot afford to make mistakes. One hung breaking ball, one missed location, and the ball is in the seats. Texas will need Gore to be at his best, and even then it might not be enough if Luzardo brings his A-game. The total at 8 suggests the market respects both lefties, but don't be surprised if the offenses have something to say about that.

Toronto is 2-0 and looking to flex on an Oakland team that is still very much in the early stages of a rebuild. Eric Lauer on the mound for the Blue Jays is the kind of steady, experienced arm that should be able to navigate an Athletics lineup without too much drama. Oakland's Morales will need to be sharp to keep this competitive, because the margin for error is razor thin when your offense doesn't have a lot of firepower behind you.

The Blue Jays have invested heavily this offseason to get back to contention, and starting 3-0 would be the kind of confidence boost this roster needs. Oakland is playing with house money in every sense of the phrase. They're young, they're learning, and they're going to lose a lot of games this year. The question is whether they can stay competitive in individual games, and facing Lauer in Toronto is a tough ask for a Sunday afternoon.

Boston is one of the few road favorites on the slate, and the Red Sox earn that respect with their overall roster construction and the fact that they're sending a competent arm to the mound. Early is looking to establish himself as a reliable rotation piece, and doing it in Cincinnati's hitter-friendly park is no small challenge. Great American Ball Park has a way of inflating numbers and punishing pitchers who leave the ball over the plate.

Lowder draws the start for the Reds and this is a real opportunity for him to show what he's got against a quality opponent. Cincinnati's park will help if the bats show up, but the Red Sox have the deeper lineup and the organizational edge in situational hitting. This one could turn into a slugfest if neither starter has his best stuff, and the Cincinnati crowd will be loud if the home team can hang around into the later innings.

Houston at home against the Angels features an intriguing pitching matchup between two arms trying to prove they belong in big league rotations. Kochanowicz is a young arm with upside for the Angels, but he's walking into Minute Maid Park, which is one of the more intimidating environments in the American League when the Astros lineup starts rolling. Imai takes the mound for Houston with a chance to establish himself early in what should be a competitive AL West race.

The Angels are in a strange place organizationally. They have enough talent to be dangerous on any given day, but the consistency hasn't been there. Houston is -175 at home, which reflects the market's confidence in their lineup and infrastructure more than anything specific about Imai. If Kochanowicz can keep the ball in the park and limit damage, the Angels' bats could make this interesting. But asking a young pitcher to execute perfectly in Houston is a tall order.

The nightcap of Sunday's slate sends us out west, where Slade Cecconi takes on Emerson Hancock in a matchup of young arms with plenty to prove. Cleveland's pitching development has been arguably the best in baseball over the last decade, and Cecconi is the latest product of that system looking to make his mark. Seattle counters with Hancock, who the Mariners have been patiently developing and are ready to unleash.

T-Mobile Park has always been a pitcher-friendly environment, which should keep this one low-scoring if both starters are sharp. Cleveland's defense and contact quality have traditionally played well in these kinds of pitching duels, but Seattle's home field advantage and the energy of a Sunday crowd could tilt things in the Mariners' favor. At -143, Seattle is a moderate favorite, and this line feels appropriately set for two evenly matched young clubs.