Matchups

The Houston Astros are enjoying their best stretch of the season and look to win for the seventh time in eight games when they visit the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. The Astros rolled to an 8-3 victory behind a 13-hit attack on Monday in the first of four consecutive games between the teams, the last two scheduled for Houston.

The San Diego Padres look to close a disastrous road trip on a positive note when they visit the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. The Padres are 1-6 on the excursion after being pounded 9-3 by the Mariners on Monday in the opener of a four-game, home-and-home series that shifts to San Diego on Wednesday.

The Cleveland Indians lost their grip on the top spot in the American League Central with losses in three of the last four games and are in the middle of a tough stretch of schedule. The Indians will look to steal a win at home when they host the AL West-leading Texas Rangers in the second of a three-game series on Tuesday.

The Boston Red Sox came into Baltimore with a chance to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the American League East and took a step toward accomplishing that goal in the series opener. The Red Sox will try to make it two in a row over the Orioles and push the gap to three games in the division when they visit Baltimore for the second of a four-game set on Tuesday.

Daniel Murphy will look to add to his record-setting month when the Washington Nationals visit the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday in the middle contest of a three-game series. Murphy ran his hitting streak to nine games with a homer among three hits and three RBIs to lead Washington to a 4-3 victory in the series opener.

The Boston Red Sox came into Baltimore with a chance to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the American League East and took a step toward accomplishing that goal in the series opener. The Red Sox will try to make it two in a row over the Orioles and push the gap to three games in the division when they visit Baltimore for the second of a four-game set on Tuesday.

The Toronto Blue Jays haven't won five consecutive series against the New York Yankees since 1992-93, but a victory on Tuesday against their American League East rival will bring an end to that drought. Toronto won for the fifth time in six games by beating the visiting Yankees 4-2 in Monday's opener of a three-game set.

A masterful pitching performance gave the New York Mets a win in the opener of their three-game series with the visiting Chicago White Sox. The Mets hope for more of the same Tuesday when they send Steven Matz to the mound in search of his eighth straight win.

Mallex Smith is one of several young players the Atlanta Braves are counting on as they rebuild the franchise, and while the rookie outfielder has experienced some difficult times in his first 42 major-league games, he is developing a knack for clutch hits. Smith leads the Braves into the second game of a four-game home series Tuesday with the San Francisco Giants after his bases-clearing triple Monday sparked Atlanta to a series-opening 5-3 victory.

The Pittsburgh Pirates found their offense just in time to go up against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. The Pirates will try to keep the hits coming on Tuesday when they face Jose Fernandez and the host Miami Marlins in the second of a four-game series.

The last time Jake Arrieta faced the Los Angeles Dodgers, he threw his first career no-hitter. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner would have to duplicate that feat Tuesday to top what the Chicago Cubs’ pitchers did to the visiting Dodgers in the opener of the three-game series.

Pitching had been a trouble spot for the St. Louis Cardinals, but the rotation is starting to find a groove as the team continues a three-game series against the host Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. Another strong start paved the way for a 6-0 victory Monday as St. Louis improved to 3-2 on its seven-game road trip.

Eric Hosmer looks to continue an amazing five-game run when his Kansas City Royals host the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday in the middle contest of their three-game set. Hosmer has gone 11-for-21 with 12 RBIs during his hitting streak to raise his batting average 25 points to .323 and belted a three-run homer that capped a 6-2 victory in the series opener on Monday.

The Cincinnati Reds haven't experienced much joy on the road this season, but a visit to Coors Field quickly brightened the outlook. Cincinnati belted five home runs in an 11-8 series-opening victory over the Colorado Rockies and looks to continue the power display when the teams meet Tuesday for the second contest of their four-game set.

The Detroit Tigers aren’t scheduled to return to Angel Stadium again this season following this week’s series against the Los Angeles Angels, and that’s a good thing as the club has lost 16 of its last 18 at the ballpark. The Tigers head into Tuesday’s matchup against the Angels looking to get untracked after falling 5-1 in Monday’s series opener.

The Oakland Athletics attempt to close out the month with their second four-game winning streak in less than two weeks when they host the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday in the middle contest of their three-game set. Oakland, which captured four in a row from May 15-18, made it three straight on its six-game homestand with a 3-2 triumph in the series opener.