On deck: Shohei Ohtani's aims for Cy Young, Braves-Dodgers, Jose Soriano an unknown ace

As the Major League Baseball season heads into the first full week of May, here are five things to watch this week:

A Cy for Shohei?

Shohei Ohtani continues to amaze.

The designated/hitter pitcher was the National League MVP in each of his first two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and is looking to make it three in a row this year. He also won the American League MVP award in 2021 and 2023 while playing for the Los Angeles Angels.

As we look ahead to what Ohtani might achieve next, one possibility stands out: How about the 2026 NL Cy Young Award?

Yes, seriously.

Ohtani is 2-1 with a 0.60 ERA through five starts. He has 34 strikeouts in 30 innings, allowing 17 hits and nine walks. He has allowed only two runs, pitching six innings in each of his five starts.

Conversely, Ohtani is 0-for-14 at the plate in his last four games as a hitter. Although this recent offensive slump stands out, it has not impacted his effectiveness on the mound.

Ohtani’s next start is Tuesday against the Astros in Houston.

Big test for Braves

After the three-game series with the Astros, the Dodgers return home to host the Atlanta Braves in a three-game set that begins Friday night.

Despite their MLB-best 25-10 record, the Braves haven’t received much national attention. This week, they hold an 8½-game NL East lead over the Miami Marlins.

The Dodgers lead the NL West by just ½ game over the San Diego Padres, but, as the two-time defending World Series champions, they will provide a good measuring stick for the Braves.

Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and JR Ritchie are the projected starters for the Braves. The Dodgers are expected to counter with Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki and Justin Wrobleski.

The other SoCal ace

Angels right-hander Jose Soriano is excelling with little fanfare compared to Ohtani.

Soriano is 5-1 with an AL-best 0.84 ERA in seven starts and has five scoreless outings.

Yet Soriano’s success has not been enough to keep the Angels out of last place in the AL West. The team is 6-1 in games he starts, compared to 7-21 in games he doesn't.

Soriano is scheduled to start twice this week, against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at home and against the Blue Jays on Sunday in Toronto.

Here comes the Judge

White Sox rookie first baseman Munetaka Murakami is tied with New York Yankees star Aaron Judge for the lead in the majors with 13 home runs.

Murakami’s tie with Judge is tenuous because Judge is surging. Judge has increased his home run total to 12 after hitting four in his last seven games, alongside a .400/.516/.960 batting line over that span.

Owners of the best record in the AL at 23-11, the Yankees will try to sweep a four-game series Monday night when they host the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees then play three games against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium before meeting the Brewers in a three-game weekend series in Milwaukee.

Reds' pal Sal

Plenty of rookies are making an impact beyond Murakami. One of them is Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart, a frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year, who is hitting .252/.340/.512 with nine home runs and seven stolen bases so far this season.

Reds have a key four-game division series versus the Cubs in Chicago starting Monday and then host the Astros for three games.