Previewing this year's Rivalry Weekend matchups 

Rivalry Weekend is back.

Beginning on Friday, MLB is highlighting some of baseball's best matchups with Rivalry Weekend presented by Booking.com. Every team will play its designated rival in a three-game series. The matchups include 11 series between Interleague rivals and four other regional showdowns.

From the Subway Series to the Freeway Series, here's a look at the 15 matchups on deck as a part of Rivalry Weekend.

Phillies at Pirates - PNC Park (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 6:40 p.m. ET
These two clubs alternated three-game sweeps last year, with both teams winning all three games at their respective home ballpark. Paul Skenes is set for another crack at a Phillies lineup that he's had plenty of success against. The defending NL Cy Young Award winner has allowed one earned run in 15 2/3 innings across two starts against Philadelphia. He's lined up to get the ball in the series finale on Sunday.

Orioles at Nationals -- Nationals Park (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 6:45 p.m. ET
Two new skippers will get their first taste of the Beltway Series, with first-year managers Craig Albernaz and Blake Butera at the helm. The Orioles own a 64-55 head-to-head record against the Nationals since the franchise relocated to Washington, but the Nats looked like the better team last year, winning five of the six meetings. Maybe Pete Alonso helps turn the tide: The Polar Bear has hit 15 home runs at Nationals Park, his third most at any stadium behind Citi Field and loanDepot park.

Blue Jays at Tigers -- Comerica Park (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 6:45 p.m. ET on Apple TV
This isn't as traditional a rivalry as some of the other matchups on this list, but it makes sense: These AL counterparts play in cities that are just 231 miles apart. They also nearly added a riveting new chapter last October. But with the Blue Jays awaiting either the Tigers or Mariners in the 2025 ALCS, Detroit fell just short in a heart-breaking ALDS Game 5 loss. Both clubs expect to be in the postseason again in 2026, and a strong series here would help either get back on track.

Reds at Guardians -- Progressive Field (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET
Terry Francona knows this rivalry as well as anyone. Cincinnati's skipper last lost the Ohio Cup in 2014. The Guardians won the head-to-head series over the Reds with Francona in charge each season from 2015-23, then, sure enough, Cincinnati took the Ohio Cup back in Francona's first year with the club, winning five of six head-to-head meetings with Cleveland last season. Francona will look to keep this oddly impressive feat going in 2026.

Marlins at Rays -- Tropicana Field (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET
The two Sunshine State teams clash in a series that doubles as a homecoming for Pete Fairbanks, who makes his return to Tropicana Field after signing a one-year deal with the Marlins in December. Across parts of seven seasons with the Rays, Fairbanks recorded 90 saves, good for third most in franchise history. We'll see if Fairbanks gets an opportunity to close out a game against the scorching-hot Rays, who have sole possession of the best record in the American League.

Brewers at Twins -- Target Field (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET
This head-to-head series dates back to 1969, back when the Brewers were still the Seattle Pilots and a member of the American League. Milwaukee enters Friday's series opener on a four-game winning streak against Minnesota. The Brewers haven't won more than four consecutive games against the Twins since a seven-game win streak that spanned the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Overall, Minnesota holds the advantage, with a 257-246 all-time head-to-head record.

Red Sox at Braves -- Truist Park (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 7:15 p.m. ET
Chris Sale will miss this series -- his last start came on Thursday night -- and that ought to be good news for the Red Sox. The left-hander has dominated his former club since being traded to Atlanta following the 2023 season. He's allowed just one run while recording 18 strikeouts across two starts. As a whole, the head-to-head series is relatively even: These two clubs have alternated wins and losses in their last eight meetings, dating back to 2024.

Yankees at Mets -- Citi Field (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 7:15 p.m. ET on Apple TV
The first edition of this season's Subway Series won't carry the same amount of vitriol as it did last May, when Juan Soto returned to the Bronx for the first time since signing a 15-year megadeal with the Mets. But there are plenty of other reunions on the table. Former Yankees closer Clay Holmes will make his first start against his old club on Friday night, while Devin Williams and Luke Weaver each take on the Bombers for the first time since swapping boroughs in the offseason. On the other side, former Met Amed Rosario will get his first taste of the Subway Series as a Yankee.

Cubs at White Sox -- Rate Field (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 7:40 p.m. ET
Including their six head-to-head meetings in the postseason, the Cubs and White Sox sport identical head-to-head records: 79 wins, 79 losses. Of late, the edge goes to the North Siders, who have won 12 of the last 14 games against their crosstown foes. But this year's showdown has some new flair: Led by the slugging Munetaka Murakami, it's the first time that the White Sox (21-21) are this close to the .500 mark entering a game with the Cubs since 2022.

Rangers at Astros -- Daikin Park (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 8:10 p.m. ET
Speaking of even matchups: Just like the Crosstown Classic, the Silver Boot Series is deadlocked. Each club has won exactly 146 games against its Texas counterpart in the regular season, although the Rangers hold the postseason edge thanks to a thrilling ALCS victory in 2023. Houston took seven of the 13 head-to-head meetings in 2025 and hasn't lost the season series to Texas since 2016.

Royals at Cardinals -- Busch Stadium (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 8:15 p.m. ET
This year's I-70 Series will feature faces new and old. Salvador Perez made his first appearance against the Cardinals in 2012, and he's tormented St. Louis ever since, with 13 home runs and an .869 OPS in 47 games. Meanwhile, standout rookie JJ Wetherholt is set for his first taste of this rivalry in his age-23 season. Overall, it's the Cardinals who hold the 79-55 advantage in head-to-head meetings.

D-backs at Rockies -- Coors Field (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 8:40 p.m. ET
It's the first Rocky Mountain Showdown of the season and, for the first time in a while, the Rockies have some legitimate momentum in this NL West matchup. Colorado enters the series opener carrying a three-game winning streak against the D-backs, their longest win streak against Arizona since July 2022. Arizona's all-time advantage in the head-to-head series is still 270-214, including the postseason.

Dodgers at Angels -- Angel Stadium (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 9:38 p.m. ET
If there's one thing that might awaken Shohei Ohtani's slumping bat, it could very well be the Freeway Series. Ohtani has tormented his former team since joining the Dodgers following the 2023 season. The two-way superstar has a 1.263 OPS with five home runs in 10 career games against the Angels. Ironically, though, the Angels have had the upper-hand in this rivalry in recent history. They've won seven consecutive games against the Dodgers, their longest winning streak against their crosstown foes in franchise history.

Padres at Mariners -- T-Mobile Park (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 9:40 p.m. ET
The Mariners took home the inaugural Vedder Cup in 2025, winning five of six games against the Padres to earn the trophy named for Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, once a resident of both cities. But San Diego is already making a strong bid to seize the cup in Year 2. The Padres swept a three-game set from the M's at Petco Park in April, buoyed by a pair of saves from the dominant Mason Miller.

Giants at Athletics -- Sutter Health Park (Tickets)
Series opener: Friday at 9:40 p.m. ET
The Giants won five of their six head-to-head meetings with the Athletics in 2025, knotting the all-time regular-season series at 77-77. Include the postseason, though, and the A's have the upper hand. These historic clubs have met in the World Series four times, but only once in recent memory, when the Athletics swept the Giants in 1989. The then-Philadelphia A's also defeated the then-New York Giants in the 1911 and 1913 Fall Classic, while the Giants defeated the A's in the World Series in 1905.