Matchups

The New York Yankees are winners of three straight games to vault themselves back over the .500 mark as they continue to take advantage of the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees will go for a three-game sweep and their sixth win in seven games against the Twins in 11 days when they host the series finale on Sunday.

The Detroit Tigers edged the Cleveland Indians by one game in the American League Central back in 2013 by winning 15 of the 19 meetings between the teams. The Indians are well on their way to reversing that mark three years later and attempt to complete a third consecutive three-game sweep of the Tigers on Sunday as the division rivals conclude their series in Detroit.

The Miami Marlins are on the verge of winning a series against the top team in the majors, and they have the right guy on the mound Sunday to finish it off. The Marlins hope Jose Fernandez can continue his incredible performance at home in the finale of a four-game series against the visiting Chicago Cubs.

Not even the presence of one of the greatest hitters in baseball history and several members of one of the best teams in franchise history could coax the Cincinnati Reds out of their funk. The Reds will try to avoid a fifth consecutive loss and a four-game sweep when they host the San Diego Padres in the series finale on Sunday.

The Baltimore Orioles look to continue their torrid stretch with the bats when they pursue a four-game sweep of the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon. The American League East-leading Orioles rallied from 4-0 and 6-3 deficits to hand Tampa Bay its season-high 10th straight loss on Saturday night and win for the fourth consecutive time.

The New York Mets are working their way back toward the top of the National League East and can win for the fifth time in six contests when they visit the Atlanta Braves on Sunday for the finale of their four-game series. The Mets crept within two games of first-place Washington with a 1-0 victory on Saturday thanks to former Brave Kelly Johnson’s home run in the 11th inning.

The Chicago White Sox have enough at the top of the rotation to overcome some weak hitting, but don’t currently seem to have enough at the back end to be successful - even with a historic offensive effort. The White Sox will try to put things together on both sides of the ball when they host the Toronto Blue Jays in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday.

The Washington Nationals are scuffling in a big way and were dealt a double whammy the night before their series finale in Milwaukee on Sunday. Star right-hander Stephen Strasburg was originally scheduled to pitch the last of the three games at Miller Park on Sunday but was scratched late Saturday due to a back issue that already caused him to miss his previous turn.

Houston Astros right-hander Doug Fister has been singing a happy tune with victories in each of his last four starts and a career-high seven consecutive winning decisions in his last 10 outings. For all of his recent success, the 32-year-old looks to avoid yet another sour note against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday as the Astros attempt to extend their season-high winning streak in the series finale at Kauffman Stadium.

The Texas Rangers hope to continue their assault on Boston pitching when they host the Red Sox on Sunday for the rubber match of their three-game series. Texas came up short in an 8-7 loss in the opener before rolling to a 10-3 triumph Saturday in which Elvis Andrus and Mitch Moreland drove in three runs apiece.

The Oakland Athletics attempt to complete a four-game sweep when they visit the downtrodden Los Angeles Angels in Sunday's series finale. After scoring a total of one run in losing the final two contests of its three-game home series against its American League West rival last weekend, Oakland brought the offense to Los Angeles, recording 19 runs over the first three games.

Less than 24 hours after recording one of the more surprising victories of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies visit the San Francisco Giants on Sunday for the rubber match of their three-game series. The Phillies snapped the Giants’ four-game winning streak on Saturday, posting a 3-2 victory after scoring three runs in the seventh inning against ace Madison Bumgarner.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny isn't sure who will take the mound Sunday if the Cardinals have a save opportunity in their series finale against the host Seattle Mariners, but it won’t be longtime closer Trevor Rosenthal. Matheny moved the struggling Rosenthal out of the closer's role on Saturday after the right-hander blew his third save opportunity of the season in a 4-3 loss the previous night.

Probably at no point during the season did the Colorado Rockies miss injured closer Jake McGee quite like they did before outscoring the Arizona Diamondbacks last time out. The Rockies, who on Saturday put an end to a three-game losing streak in which they gave up the winning run in the ninth inning each time, look to build upon a rare comfortable win Sunday when they attempt to earn a four-game split with the visiting Diamondbacks.

Clayton Kershaw is making it look too easy, even by his lofty standards - so much so that the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner could be well within his right to make room on his trophy case for some additional hardware. The owner of a 9-0 record over his last 10 outings, Kershaw looks to bolster his case as the league's best pitcher on Sunday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers continue their four-game series versus the host Pittsburgh Pirates.