MLB Week in Review (April 13–19, 2026): Dodgers, Braves, and Reds Set the Pace
The Dodgers (15-6), Braves (15-7), and Reds (14-8) pulled away from their divisions the week of April 13–19, 2026, while Yordan Álvarez's 8-homer line, Elly De La Cruz's 442-foot bomb, and Masataka Yoshida's pinch-hit walk-off over Detroit headlined the action.
The Week at a Glance in MLB
Three weeks into 2026, the Los Angeles Dodgers (15-6) own baseball's best record and a +40 run differential. Their chief NL rivals, the Atlanta Braves (15-7), completed a 4-2 Sunday win in Philadelphia to sweep the Phillies and push their NL East lead to five games. The Cincinnati Reds (14-8) have now won 10 consecutive games decided by two runs or fewer to take the NL Central. The dominant storyline of the week: the NL has three clear separators, while four of the AL's five division races remain inside a game and a half.
The hottest team of the week was the Detroit Tigers, who ripped off a six-game winning streak before Masataka Yoshida's walk-off on April 17 snapped it. The coldest was the New York Mets (7-15), losers of 9 of their last 12 and already 8 games back in the NL East.
AL Division Standings Snapshot (Through April 19, 2026)
AL East Standings
| Team | W-L | GB | Trend (Week) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 13-9 | — | — |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 12-9 | 0.5 | ↑ 1 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 10-12 | 3.0 | ↓ 1 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 8-13 | 4.5 | ↓ 2 |
| Boston Red Sox | 8-13 | 4.5 | ↑ 1 |
AL Central Standings
| Team | W-L | GB | Trend (Week) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians | 13-10 | — | — |
| Detroit Tigers | 12-10 | 0.5 | ↑ 3 |
| Minnesota Twins | 11-11 | 1.5 | ↑ 1 |
| Kansas City Royals | 8-14 | 4.5 | ↓ 2 |
| Chicago White Sox | 7-15 | 5.5 | ↓ 3 |
AL West Standings
| Team | W-L | GB | Trend (Week) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Rangers | 11-11 | — | ↑ 1 |
| Houston Astros | 11-11 | — | — |
| Los Angeles Angels | 11-12 | 0.5 | ↑ 2 |
| Seattle Mariners | 10-13 | 1.5 | ↓ 1 |
| Athletics | 8-15 | 3.5 | ↓ 2 |
NL Division Standings Snapshot (Through April 19, 2026)
NL East Standings
| Team | W-L | GB | Trend (Week) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | 15-7 | — | ↑ 3 |
| Miami Marlins | 10-12 | 5.0 | ↓ 2 |
| Washington Nationals | 10-12 | 5.0 | — |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 8-13 | 6.5 | ↓ 3 |
| New York Mets | 7-15 | 8.0 | ↓ 2 |
NL Central Standings
| Team | W-L | GB | Trend (Week) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds | 14-8 | — | ↑ 1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 13-8 | 0.5 | — |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 13-9 | 1.0 | ↑ 1 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 12-9 | 1.5 | ↓ 1 |
| Chicago Cubs | 12-9 | 1.5 | ↓ 1 |
NL West Standings
| Team | W-L | GB | Trend (Week) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 15-6 | — | — |
| San Diego Padres | 15-7 | 0.5 | — |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 13-9 | 2.5 | ↑ 1 |
| Colorado Rockies | 9-13 | 6.5 | ↓ 1 |
| San Francisco Giants | 9-13 | 6.5 | ↓ 2 |
The NL Wild Card picture is a logjam: the Padres (15-7), Diamondbacks (13-9), Cardinals (13-8), and Pirates (13-9) are all within two games of each other. The AL Wild Card middle is just as tight, with the Rays (12-9), Tigers (12-10), and Twins (11-11) separated by 1.5 games.
Biggest MLB Stories This Week
Yordan Álvarez remains MLB's most dangerous bat
Yordan Álvarez is slashing .333/.479/.750 with 8 home runs and 19 RBI on the season, the highest OPS (1.229) of any qualified hitter. He drew 5 walks during the week and his 17% walk rate anchors a Houston lineup clinging to a share of first in the AL West.
Mike Trout bombs the Bronx
Mike Trout hit 5 home runs in a four-game series at Yankee Stadium, his cleanest power stretch since 2022. The outburst dragged the Angels back to 11-12 and within half a game of the AL West lead.
Yoshida's pinch-hit walk-off ends the Tigers' streak
Masataka Yoshida delivered a 10th-inning pinch-hit RBI single on April 17 at Fenway Park, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 walk-off win and snapping Detroit's 6-game winning streak. Ranger Suárez spun 8 scoreless innings on the other side. Yoshida became the first Red Sox pinch-hitter with a walk-off base hit since Mike Carp in 2014.
Elly De La Cruz keeps launching
Elly De La Cruz crushed a 442-foot home run on April 15 with an exit velocity of 109.3 mph and a bat speed of 78.2 mph — all three figures above the 99th percentile league-wide. He is a central reason the Reds have won 10 straight one- and two-run games.
Atlanta pulls away in the NL East
The Braves outscored the Phillies 14-5 across their three-game weekend sweep, capped by a 4-2 Sunday night win, and improved to 15-7. Atlanta is 8-4 at home and 7-3 on the road, with the NL East's only plus-25 run differential.
Paul Skenes and Garrett Crochet head in opposite directions
Reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes turned in two more quality starts to push his season line past 30 strikeouts as Pittsburgh climbed to 13-9. Garrett Crochet, meanwhile, allowed 11 runs in 1 2/3 innings at Target Field earlier in the week, ballooning his ERA near 8.00 and making his start the shakiest defense of a Cy Young in recent memory.
Statcast Standouts of the Week
- Longest home run: Elly De La Cruz, 442 feet (April 15) at Great American Ball Park on a 78.2 mph bat speed.
- Hardest-hit ball (carryover leader): Oneil Cruz, 111 mph exit velocity on a 422-foot home run on April 12. Cruz still owns the Statcast-era record of 122.9 mph set in May 2025.
- Top power duo on the week: Mike Trout (5 HR at Yankee Stadium) and Yordan Álvarez (3 HR, 2 doubles in the week).
- Sub-2.00 ERA starter: Paul Skenes entered Sunday at 1.89 ERA through 4 starts.
Trades, Transactions, and Fantasy-Relevant Moves
- Trade (April 14): The Dodgers acquired RHP Griff McGarry from the Phillies, a depth move while Los Angeles waits on starting-rotation reinforcements.
- IL placements: RHP Nick Pivetta (Padres, elbow, no timeline); C Gabriel Moreno (Diamondbacks, left oblique, 10-day); OF Christian Yelich (Brewers, groin, 10-day); INF Zach McKinstry (Tigers, left hip abdominal inflammation, 10-day retro to April 16); INF Jorge Polanco (Mets, nagging back issue).
- Activations and rehab: Gerrit Cole began a rehab assignment at Double-A Somerset on April 17 and is targeting a late-April return. Blake Snell threw a live BP on April 15. LHP José Quintana (Rockies) was activated off the IL mid-week and slotted back into the rotation.
Week Ahead in MLB (April 20–26, 2026)
- Dodgers at Padres, April 24–26: The NL's top two teams meet at Petco Park with first place on the line. Expect premium ratings and the most-bet series of the week.
- Pirates at Tigers featuring Skenes vs. Skubal, April 22: The reigning NL and AL Cy Young winners pair up in a marquee interleague-style clash between two contenders riding hot April runs.
- Mexico City Series, April 25–26: The Diamondbacks and Padres play two at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium, where 2,240-meter elevation tends to tilt pitch movement and home-run carry.
- Returns to monitor: Gerrit Cole (Yankees, elbow) is slated to rehab at Triple-A and could be a late-month MLB option. Christian Yelich (groin) is day-to-day past his 10-day minimum.
- Favorable slate: Cleveland hosts six home games against the Royals (8-14) and White Sox (7-15), MLB's two worst teams by record.
- Unfavorable slate: The Mets (7-15) travel to Cincinnati and Los Angeles for a combined six-game road trip; another 2-4 week would put them double-digit games back of Atlanta before May.