The resumption of one of Major League Baseball’s most storied rivalries will begin Monday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers visit the San Francisco Giants for the opener of a three-game series.

The game will feature a matchup of aces as San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb will face Dodgers lefty Julio Urias.

For San Francisco, Webb (0-2, 6.55 ERA) will look to get on track at home. He has pitched twice on the road this season — against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday and the New York Yankees on Opening Day — after going 15-9 overall with a 2.90 ERA last year.

The start against the White Sox was especially frustrating for Webb, who is 2-4 with a 4.44 ERA in 10 career starts against the Dodgers.

“I wasn’t getting ahead in counts,” he said after that game.

Even without being at his best in his first two starts, Webb still has 16 strikeouts in 11 innings.

San Francisco enters the series boosted by a 3-1 comeback win Sunday against the Kansas City Royals. Michael Conforto was the hero with a two-run home run with two outs, capping a three-run eighth inning.

Los Angeles, meanwhile, has lost three in a row in dropping three of four at the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Giants will run into a hot pitcher on Monday in Urias (2-0, 1.50), who has cemented his spot at the top of the Dodgers’ rotation.

Urias always has been difficult to hit, and this season, he’s added another pitch for batters to figure out — a cutter. It was effective in his 5-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies in his outing on Tuesday.

“I spent this offseason working on it,” Urias said via a translator after that start. “I didn’t throw it in the World Baseball Classic (in March). I wanted to save it for the regular season, and I feel good with it.”

Urias has struck out 12 in 12 innings this season. He has pitched effectively in his career against the Giants, posting a 6-4 record and 2.12 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 25 appearances (19 starts).

For the series at San Francisco, the Dodgers have lined up their top starters: Urias, Dustin May (Tuesday) and Clayton Kershaw (Wednesday).

Against the Diamondbacks, Los Angeles’ pitching was shaky. In Sunday’s 11-6 loss, Dodgers starter Michael Grove gave up nine runs in 3 1/3 innings. And on Saturday in a 12-8 setback, the Dodgers blew a four-run first inning lead.

“We got beat in every facet,” manager Dave Roberts said Sunday, looking back at the series against the Diamondbacks.

And that was especially true when it came to the pitching corps. Through the first 10 games, the Dodgers’ ERA is 4.55. Last season, the team led the major leagues with a 2.80 ERA.

“The last couple of days, it’s easy to see,” Roberts said. “We didn’t pitch well.”

Dodgers catcher Will Smith did not start on Sunday at Arizona, as the All-Star was given a breather from behind the plate. But Smith ended up playing because Austin Barnes was ejected in the fifth inning. Shortstop Miguel Rojas returned to the starting lineup on Sunday after nursing a groin injury.

To add a right-handed bat to their roster, the Giants called up outfielder Heliot Ramos from Triple-A Sacramento. The need for outfield depth was created because Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater are on the injured list.

Ramos, 23, appeared in nine games last season for the Giants, batting .100 (2-for-20).

–Field Level Media

The Milwaukee Brewers will face a hot lineup Monday night when they kick off a 10-game trip with a matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

Arizona is coming off an 11-6 triumph over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday as the Diamondbacks collected 16 hits.

Arizona had 17 hits in its 12-8 victory over the Dodgers on Saturday.

“We definitely have the team that can scrap away runs and continue to non-stop run, hit, play good defense,” said Arizona outfielder Alek Thomas, who had four hits in Saturday’s win. “We’re not going to give up. I think that’s the mentality of the team. Just keep on going and good things will happen.”

Arizona isn’t lacking speed or athleticism, getting five stolen bases in Sunday’s win.

“I think we are changing the game a little bit,” said Arizona infielder Josh Rojas, who stole 23 bases last season. “We’re going back to the old-school style, bunting guys in, hitting and running, being aggressive on the basepaths.

“The new rule changes are just promoting what we’re trying to do. The bigger bases, the pitch clock — it’s all foreign to the pitcher — so it makes them susceptible to being uncomfortable.”

Milwaukee wrapped up a 5-1 homestand Sunday with a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers received a strong start from Freddy Peralta, who allowed one run in six innings. Relievers Peter Strzelecki, Matt Bush, Hoby Milner and Devin Williams pitched three scoreless innings.

The Brewers’ bullpen has not allowed a run in the past 23 1/3 innings.

Monday’s probable pitchers are Milwaukee left-hander Wade Miley (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and Arizona righty Zac Gallen (0-1, 7.59).

Miley pitched six scoreless innings in his first start with the Brewers, a 9-0 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday. It was the 100th career victory for Miley, who signed a one-year deal with Milwaukee in January. Elbow and shoulder issues limited Miley to eight starts with the Chicago Cubs last season.

Gallen, who finished fifth in voting for the National League Cy Young Award last season, hasn’t been his best in his first two starts this year. He gave up five runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Dodgers on Opening Day, and he surrendered five runs (four earned) on seven hits in six innings in an 8-6 victory over San Diego on Tuesday. He was not involved in the decision against the Padres.

On Sunday, the Brewers acquired left-handed reliever Bennett Sousa in a trade with Cincinnati, sending cash considerations to the Reds. Sousa, 28, made his major league debut last season when he made 25 appearances for the Chicago White Sox. He went 3-0 with one save and had an 8.41 ERA in 25 appearances.

“Really interesting guy with some good stuff,” Milwaukee general manager Matt Arnold said. “We believe he has some interesting ingredients that we can work with. He has a long history of good performance in the minor leagues and has struck out a lot of guys there.”

To make room for Sousa on the 40-man roster, the Brewers transferred left-hander Aaron Ashby to the 60-day injured list. Ashby underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder on Friday.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Angels will begin a three-game series against the Washington Nationals on Monday night in Anaheim, Calif., having shown they are a deeper offensive team than simply Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

Infielder Gio Urshela and outfielder Hunter Renfroe, acquired in the offseason, have made early contributions. The Angels got Urshela from the Twins for a minor league pitcher and Renfroe from the Brewers for relievers Janson Junk, Elvis Peguero and a minor league pitcher.

In Urshela, the Angels received someone who has played 525 of his 610 major league games at third base, even though the Angels already have former All-Star Anthony Rendon at third. Urshela, however, also can play shortstop, and heading into Monday night’s game against the Washington Nationals, he has started four games at third and four at shortstop.

Renfroe has started all nine of the Angels’ games in right field, moving Taylor Ward from right to left. The Angels hope Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak will develop into major league outfielders, but both currently are at Triple-A Salt Lake.

“We have a lot of young players on the roster … that haven’t necessarily established themselves at the big league level,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said.

Urshela and Renfroe are both signed only through this season, but they have a major league track record, something Minasian said is vital for the team to win this season.

“These guys, they’re not middle-tier players,” he said. “We feel like they’re really good players. We have some high-end guys, and we’re trying to fill some of that middle part of our (lineup) with quality, and we feel like we’ve done that.”

Renfroe started slowly at the plate but is starting to heat up, going 5-for-9 with two homers and seven RBIs in his past two games. Urshela has been swinging the bat well all season, hitting .364 following a three-hit performance in Sunday’s 12-11 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Left-hander Jose Suarez (0-1, 12.46 ERA) will make his second start of the season for the Angels. He has never faced the Nationals.

Nationals DH/outfielder Stone Garrett will look to get a start for the third game in a row. Garrett has earned his way into the lineup with offensive performances like he had over the weekend against Colorado. He went 4-for-5 with a home run, double and five RBIs on Saturday, then went 2-for-5 in Sunday’s 7-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

It’s been a long time coming for Garrett, who toiled in the minor leagues for eight years and even worked as a real estate agent for a spell before finally making his major league debut last year with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Despite hitting 28 homers for Triple-A Reno and four more in 27 games for the Diamondbacks last year, he was released after the season. He said he holds no hard feelings toward the Diamondbacks, whom he said helped him figure things out at the plate.

“I wouldn’t say I changed anything physically with my swing or anything,” Garrett said. “It was more the mental approach at the plate. When I went over to the D-backs, they said they wanted to see me do more damage. I really never had anyone tell me before that, ‘Hey, you need to see the ball up in the zone and try to hit it far.'”

Left-hander Patrick Corbin (0-2, 8.00 ERA) will start on the mound for Washington on Monday. He is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in one career start against the Angels.

–Field Level Media

Nolan Arenado is returning to Coors Field, a place where he established himself as an All-Star and Gold Glove third baseman.

Arenado and the St. Louis Cardinals hope the Denver venue will be a place to turn around their season.

St. Louis, which entered 2023 with World Series aspirations, has dropped five of its last six games, including a 6-1 loss at Milwaukee on Sunday.

Left-hander Steven Matz (0-1, 6.75 ERA) will go against Colorado Rockies right-hander German Marquez (1-1, 4.76) on Monday night in the first of three games in the Mile High City.

The Cardinals have a strong lineup but have struggled offensively in their five recent losses. They’ve scored only eight total runs during those defeats, including a mere four runs in their last four losses.

St. Louis did break out in a 6-0 win over the Brewers on Saturday night, which featured Arenado’s 300th career home run.

It was Arenado’s first long ball of the season, which is unusual for a player who has eclipsed the 40-home run mark three times. Even though he hasn’t put up the power numbers in the first nine games, he is hitting .351.

“There’s this feeling I want to find, and I feel like I’m getting closer to that, and I’m just trying to kind of find it more consistently,” Arenado said. “It’s frustrating when you don’t find it. It’s a long season. I’m just trying to battle right now. I know there’s a good feeling there. Hopefully it comes soon.”

Matz will try to bounce back from his first start of the season, when he allowed four runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves. He is 1-5 with a 7.22 ERA in seven career starts against the Rockies and 0-2 with a 9.20 ERA in three Coors Field starts.

Marquez is making his first home start of the season after two outings on the road — Opening Day at San Diego when he got the win and most recently a loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.

Marquez has pitched well against the Cardinals, going 2-2 with a 2.83 ERA in eight career starts against them.

He hopes for the run support the Rockies’ offense showed over the weekend. Colorado beat Washington 7-6 Sunday afternoon to earn a split of the four-game series and nearly took three of the games, but a ninth-inning rally on Saturday came up short.

Mike Moustakas, who signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in March, has sparked rallies in the last two games. He had a 10-pitch at-bat in Saturday’s ninth inning that ended with a two-run homer, and he drew a walk in the four-run sixth Sunday that led to Colorado’s win.

He won a World Series with Kansas City in 2015 and sees potential in the Rockies’ lineup.

“We’ve got a lot of great players on this team, and we’ve got some young guys,” he said. “They’re still learning the big leagues, and the more we get into this year, the better off we’re going to be. We’ve got a really talented lineup — even guys coming off the bench are super talented.”

–Field Level Media

The Atlanta Braves needed less than two weeks to match their longest losing streak of 2022.

But the Braves won’t even have to wait 24 hours to try to snap the skid Monday night, when they will host the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a three-game series.

Bryce Elder (1-0, 0.00 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Braves against Graham Ashcraft (1-0, 1.29) in a battle of right-handers.

The Braves suffered their third straight loss Sunday night, 10-2 to the visiting San Diego Padres. The Reds snapped a three-game losing streak earlier Sunday with a come-from-behind, 6-4 victory over the host Philadelphia Phillies.

Atlanta’s loss closed a four-game series that began in encouraging fashion as the Braves ran a winning streak to four games with a 7-6 walk-off win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night before being outscored 19-7 over the final three games.

The weekend was especially challenging for Atlanta, which put All-Star catcher Travis d’Arnaud on the seven-day injured list because of a concussion he suffered during a home plate collision with Rougned Odor on Saturday.

On Sunday, the Braves absorbed their most lopsided defeat since a 9-1 loss to the Phillies last Sept. 23 — a loss that also capped their fourth and final three-game losing streak of the season.

Atlanta hasn’t lost four straight since Sept 14-18, 2021.

“It’s not going to be easy, and it’s never going to go as planned,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Sunday night. “You’re going good and then all of a sudden, a couple games happen and you’ve just got to keep fighting and know it can happen in reverse, too.”

The Reds reversed their fortunes in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon when Jake Fraley laced a three-run double in the top of the ninth to cap a series previously marred by late-inning struggles by the Cincinnati bullpen.

J.T. Realmuto hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the seventh inning of the Phillies’ 5-2 win on Friday while Bryson Stott’s walk-off RBI single ended a three-run ninth inning in Philadelphia’s 3-2 victory Saturday.

The Reds were two outs away from defeat before rallying Sunday, when Stuart Fairchild walked and stole second as Jonathan India drew a walk. TJ Friedl followed by legging out an infield single before Fraley’s go-ahead hit.

“That’s why you keep playing the game,” Reds manager David Bell said. “That’s what (the Phillies) did last night, and that’s what we did today. We bounced back. They all count the same, but sometimes it’s a little tougher on certain days.”

Elder won his season debut Wednesday, when he allowed two hits over six scoreless innings as the Braves beat the host St. Louis Cardinals 5-2. Ashcraft will make his second start of the year after earning the win April 2, when he gave up one run over seven innings as the Reds beat the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1.

Elder has never opposed the Reds, and Ashcraft has never faced the Braves.

–Field Level Media

The Kansas City Royals have struggled to score this season, especially when their ace, Zack Greinke, is on the mound.

Greinke has received no run support in his first two starts, which is why the veteran right-hander is 0-2 despite a solid 2.38 ERA.

Maybe a change of scenery is needed as Greinke will make his first road start of the season on Monday night, facing the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

The Rangers will counter with left-hander Andrew Heaney (0-1, 23.63 ERA), who had a forgettable debut with the team by allowing seven runs and not making it out of the third inning Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles.

For Greinke, though, the road wasn’t too favorable last season. He went 0-7 with a 5.32 ERA over 14 road starts. His last road victory came on Aug. 13, 2021 as a member of the Houston Astros.

Greinke is 0-2 with a 13.00 ERA in two starts at Globe Life Field. He went 2-4 with a 3.21 ERA in eight games, including seven starts, at the Rangers’ old ballpark formerly known as The Ballpark in Arlington.

In his career against the Rangers, Greinke is 8-8 with a 3.63 ERA in 24 games, including 22 starts.

For Greinke, a win would mark the 32nd different stadium he’s won at least one game at. And he’s chasing career win No. 224, which would move him into a tie for 71st all time with Jim Bunning and Catfish Hunter.

The Royals are bringing a little momentum into the series as well, winning two of three games at San Francisco this past weekend.

As veteran catcher Salvador Perez told MLB.com following Saturday’s 6-5 victory, after the Royals erased a four-run deficit, “We’re a young team. Getting wins like this is going to help us get the confidence we need to keep winning.”

Kansas City was in position for a sweep on Sunday, but San Francisco rallied for three runs in the eighth inning for a 3-1 victory.

Texas, meanwhile, avoided a sweep with an 8-2 victory at the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon. Bubba Thompson, who started as the No. 9 hitter, played a starring role with a triple, double and two RBIs.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Thompson brought “game-changing speed” to the lineup but was mostly pleased with the resolve his squad showed after committing five errors on Saturday.

“To bounce back, it’s really what this game is about,” Bochy said. “You’ve got to be resilient. You’re going to have your rough days and come back and find a way to win a ballgame. They did.”

The Rangers will look to carry that momentum into Heaney’s second start.

Heaney has pitched fairly well in four career starts against the Royals, going 2-0 with a 2.28 ERA. He last faced Kansas City on Aug. 13, 2022, as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing two runs on three hits over three innings in a no-decision.

–Field Level Media

Luis Castillo’s first full season with the Seattle Mariners is off to a strong start.

From his days pitching in the National League Central, Castillo has also fared well at Wrigley Field of late.

Yet to allow a run in 2023, Castillo looks for a third straight impressive outing when the visiting Mariners open a three-game set against the Cubs on Monday night.

After going 4-2 with a 3.17 ERA in 11 starts for Seattle last season, after it acquired him from Cincinnati at the trade deadine, Castillo (1-0, 0-0 ERA) has been strong out of the gate in 2023. In his two starts on the young season, the All-Star right-hander has allowed three hits and two walks over 11 2/3 scoreless innings. He also fanned six in each contest, and Cleveland and the Los Angeles Angels hit .079 against him.

“He’s in total control,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said.

Castillo is quite familiar with the Cubs from his five-plus seasons with the Reds, and he has looked strong on Chicago’s North Side in recent years. In his last five starts at Wrigley, Castillo is 4-1 with 34 strikeouts and a 2.73 ERA.

However, Chicago’s Nico Hoerner and Eric Hosmer are a combined 14-for-22 versus Castillo. Meanwhile, Ian Happ is batting .320 with three doubles and a homer against him.

After Castillo helped the Mariners win their season opener against the Guardians, they went 1-5. Seattle then won the first two of a three-game weekend set at Cleveland by a combined three runs before it blew a 3-1 ninth-inning lead and 5-3 edge in the 11th of a 7-6 loss in 12 on Sunday.

“I didn’t see that game going that way,” Servais said.

“Our guys are very resilient. … A lot of positives. We played well this series.”

Four of the Mariners’ six losses through the first 10 games of the season have been decided by one or two runs.

Chicago, meanwhile, won three straight before Sunday’s 8-2 loss to Texas. The Cubs bounced into two double plays and committed two errors while dropping to 4-4.

“Not our best (Sunday),” Cubs manager David Ross said.

Chicago hopes scheduled starter Drew Smyly (0-1, 11.57 ERA) can rebound after he allowed seven runs — six earned — with nine hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 7-6 loss at Cincinnati on April 3. The left-hander is 1-2 with a 6.21 ERA in nine career appearances (five starts) against the Mariners.

Seattle’s Eugenio Suarez is 0-for-5 with two strikeouts versus Smyly, but is batting .419 with seven RBIs while hitting safely in his last seven games.

Meanwhile, Happ is hitting .370 with nine walks and six RBIs this season.

Chicago could also have the services of outfielder Seiya Suzuki back as early as this week. Suzuki, who hit 14 home runs and batted .262 in his first major league season in 2022, began this campaign on the injured list with an oblique issue. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Suzuki was slated to be re-evaluated Sunday, following a rehab stint at Triple-A Iowa.

“It looks like he could be ready soon,” Ross said.

“We’ll just continue to monitor that, and how he’s feeling.”

–Field Level Media

Veteran starting pitchers were struggling for the New York Mets the last time they opposed the San Diego Padres.

Not much has changed over the last six months.

Max Scherzer will look to steady a struggling front end of the rotation for the Mets on Monday night, when the right-hander is slated to start for New York in the opener of a three-game series against the visiting Padres.

Scherzer (1-1, 6.35 ERA) is scheduled to oppose fellow right-hander Yu Darvish (0-0, 1.80) in a rematch of the pitching matchup in Game 1 of last October’s National League wild-card series.

The Mets missed a chance to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon, when Carlos Carrasco gave up six runs over 4 2/3 innings in New York’s 7-2 loss.

Nelson Cruz homered, doubled and finished with six RBIs Sunday night for the Padres, who closed out a four-game series win over the host Atlanta Braves with a 10-2 rout.

Carrasco’s second straight subpar start continued a troublesome trend for the Mets’ veteran starters — a group that doesn’t include three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, who has yet to pitch this season due to a teres strain in his right shoulder.

While 30-year-old rookie Kodai Senga and third-year right-hander Tylor Megill are a combined 4-0 with a 1.61 ERA, the trio of the 36-year-old Carrasco, the 38-year old Scherzer and fourth-year veteran David Peterson are 1-4 with a 7.76 ERA.

“I’ve just got to pitch better — that’s it,” Scherzer said after he gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 9-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. “There’s no other quote. There’s no other way to do it. Be accountable for what you are and get the outs when you need to get outs.”

Scherzer will be pitching at Citi Field for the first time since Oct. 7, when he took the loss after surrendering seven runs over 4 2/3 innings as the Mets fell 7-1 to Darvish and the Padres. Jacob deGrom, making his final appearance with New York, extended the season the next night by allowing two runs over six innings in a 7-3 win, but Chris Bassitt allowed three runs over four innings as the Padres won the decisive third game 6-0.

The Padres, who advanced to the NL Championship Series last October before falling to the Philadelphia Phillies, gave up 35 runs while losing four of their first seven games before outscoring the Braves 19-7 in the final three games of the series.

San Diego set season highs for runs scored and margin of victory on Sunday, when Seth Lugo allowed one run over six strong innings one day after Michael Wacha twirled six scoreless frames.

“We haven’t had, I don’t think, any (games) like this this year — every one’s been kind of a dogfight,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “To be able to put a little distance — we have the ability to score a bunch of runs (and) at times get these type of games. It was nice to finally get one.”

Darvish didn’t factor into the decision in his season debut on Tuesday, when he gave up one run over five innings as the Padres lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-6.

Counting his start last Oct. 7 — when he gave up one run in seven innings — Darvish is 6-0 with a 2.41 ERA in nine starts against the Mets. Scherzer is 6-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 17 regular-season starts and the playoff appearance against the Padres.

–Field Level Media