Matchups

Since getting three straight off days - in part due to inclement weather - at the end of April, the Baltimore Orioles have taken off with six victories in eight games during May. The Orioles look to remain hot when they start a six-game homestand against the struggling Houston Astros on Friday. Baltimore is still without injured slugger Chris Davis, but Adam Jones is getting on track offensively, Manny Machado is back in the lineup and Nick Markakis boasts a 15-game hitting streak.

The Pittsburgh Pirates look to rejoin the National League Central race this weekend during a three-game series against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, who have won three of their last four. St. Louis has struggled to get its offense untracked, but center fielder Peter Bourjos showed signs of ending his season-long slump with five hits in his last two games. The news is not as encouraging for first baseman Allen Craig, whose average has dropped to .202 with two hits in his last 20 at-bats.

The Toronto Blue Jays' offense is clicking, but their hitters will face a stern test Friday. The streaking Blue Jays open a four-game set against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, who will send undefeated right-hander Garrett Richards to the mound. Richards has tossed three straight quality starts and is coming off a career-high nine strikeouts in six innings his last time out.

The Detroit Tigers had their eight-game winning streak halted in Thursday's home loss to Houston, but hope to start another run when they send Justin Verlander to the mound Friday in the opener of a three-game series against the visiting Minnesota Twins. The Tigers put up some dizzying numbers during the winning streak, outscoring opponents 51-18 and going 56 innings without trailing in a game. Detroit took three of four from the Twins in Minnesota last month.

Michael Brantley continues to prove he is a genuine middle-of-the-order hitter for the Cleveland Indians with a team-high 29 RBIs – 18 more than he had at this time last season. Brantley looks to extend his eight-game hitting streak as the Indians begin a six-game road trip against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Brantley is 13-for-33 with 10 RBIs during his hot streak and Cleveland has won a season-high three in a row while the Rays are coming off three straight losses to Baltimore at home.

The Colorado Rockies haven't struggled against many pitchers this season but face a challenge in Johnny Cueto when they begin a three-game series against the Reds in Cincinnati on Friday. Cueto, the first Cincinnati pitcher to throw seven or more innings in his first seven starts of the season since Bucky Walters in 1944, hasn't allowed more than two runs in a turn but has recorded only three wins as the Reds scored four runs in his two losses and two no-decisions.

Two teams desperate for a victory square off Friday as the Philadelphia Phillies visit the New York Mets in the opener of a three-game set. The Phillies were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays in a four-game home-and-home series this week, losing the four contests by the combined margin of 35-11. The Mets were off Thursday after suffering a three-game sweep at the hands of the Miami Marlins, including back-to-back shutouts to end the series.

The Chicago Cubs are coming off their best offensive performance of the season, but they'll be hard-pressed to continue the momentum against one of the league's top young pitchers. The visiting Cubs face Julio Teheran and the Atlanta Braves on Friday in the opener of a three-game series. Both teams have struggled lately, as the Cubs snapped a four-game skid Thursday while the Braves have lost eight of nine.

The Boston Red Sox are in position to win or tie a season series against struggling Texas for the first time in six years when they visit the Rangers on Friday to start a three-game set. Boston (17-17), which has won four of its last five contests, is 16-30 against Texas since the start of 2009 after taking two of three last month at Fenway Park and has lost four straight in Arlington.

With a long road trip looming, the Chicago White Sox need to continue their week-long feast on National League bottom-feeders. After taking three of four from the crosstown-rival Cubs, the White Sox continue interleague play with a three-game series against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks starting Friday. Arizona (13-24) has the lowest winning percentage in the NL.

Masahiro Tanaka looks to remain perfect when he leads the New York Yankees into the opener of a three-game series at the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. Tanaka worked seven solid innings in a win over Tampa Bay on Saturday, improving to 4-0 with the Yankees and running his personal winning streak to 32 games dating to August 2012, when he was in Japan. Overall, the 25-year-old has made 40 straight regular-season starts without a loss as a professional.

The Oakland Athletics sit atop the American League West heading into their weekend series beginning Friday night against the visiting Washington Nationals, but they’ll need to play better at home if they expect to hold on to the top spot in the West. The Athletics have lost six of their last seven at Oakland Coliseum and are 7-9 overall at home this season, the only first-place team in the six divisions with a losing record.

The San Francisco Giants enter Friday’s contest against the host Los Angeles Dodgers tied with Milwaukee for the best record in the National League, and they’re doing it without much production from Pablo Sandoval. The veteran third baseman is batting .175 and hasn’t recorded an RBI in his last 18 games, but manager Bruce Bochy remains confident in Sandoval’s ability. “He’s always been a good hitter,” Bochy told SFGate.com. “I still believe Pablo is going to get it going.”

Jason Vargas has experienced back-to-back poor outings and hopes a return to Safeco Field will cure his issues when the Kansas City Royals visit the Seattle Mariners on Friday. Vargas allowed 12 runs and 21 hits in 11 1/3 innings over his last two starts. He spent 2009-12 with the Mariners and posted a 1.88 ERA in two starts in Seattle last season as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.

Not only is Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton putting up big power numbers, leading the major leagues with 11 homers and 40 RBIs, he is becoming a better hitter overall. Stanton looks to extend his hitting streak to 11 games when the Marlins visit the San Diego Padres on Friday for the second of a four-game set. Stanton lined a two-run homer in the 11th inning for a 3-1 win in Thursday’s series opener and Miami sends ace Jose Fernandez to the mound in the second game.