Matchups

The Chicago Cubs haven't swept a four-game series in nearly three years, but they can change that if they take both ends of a doubleheader from the visiting Washington Nationals on Saturday. The Cubs have claimed the first two games of the series, which wraps up with a split twinbill. It's the first scheduled doubleheader at Wrigley Field -- one that is not the result of a rescheduled game -- since July 4, 1983.

Saturdays have not been kind to the Chicago White Sox in 2014. They'll try to buck the trend and win on Saturday for the first time in 13 tries this season when they face the host Toronto Blue Jays in the third of a four-game series. The teams have split the first two contests after Chicago won a home run derby Friday, getting two blasts from Cuban rookie Jose Abreu in a 5-4 victory.

The last thing a team facing four games in 48 hours wants to deal with is injuries, but both the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies enter Saturday’s day-night doubleheader in Philadelphia with question marks at catcher. The Phillies placed Carlos Ruiz on the seven-day concussion disabled list Friday afternoon after he was hit in the head Thursday, and a few hours later the Braves saw Evan Gattis leave the series opener in the first inning with back spasms.

Offense was the key to the Los Angeles Angels’ winning streak that ended with a rare loss in Kansas City on Friday. One day later, the Angels hope it will come to the aid of a struggling starting pitcher when they continue their three-game road set against the Royals. Los Angeles averaged 5.8 runs during a six-game winning streak that came to a halt in an 8-6 loss versus Kansas City.

After a slow start to June, Baltimore Orioles slugger Nelson Cruz is warming up as the month winds down with four homers and nine RBIs in his last nine games. Cruz looks to keep it going when the Orioles host the Tampa Bay Rays in the third of a four-game set on Saturday after splitting a doubleheader to open the series. Cruz belted a two-run homer in the nightcap Friday, tying Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox for the major-league lead with 25 blasts.

The Texas Rangers finally snapped their eight-game slide, but not without some drama along the way. The Rangers will try to take advantage of the fumbling Minnesota Twins when they host the second of the three-game series on Saturday. The Twins were the perfect opponent against which Texas could snap its string, and Minnesota has not won a game on the road since June 13 - a span of nine straight contests.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have persevered without the ace of their pitching staff for 3 1/2 weeks and will welcome back right-hander Gerrit Cole when they host the New York Mets on Saturday in the third of a four-game series. Cole has been sidelined since June 3 due to shoulder fatigue but the Pirates have gone 13-9 in his absence and have won six of their last seven. A victory Saturday will push Pittsburgh three games over .500 for the first time since April 10.

Jose Altuve had been manhandled by the Detroit Tigers' pitching staff for much of his career but he needed only one game to turn the tables. Altuve collected four hits to increase his major league-leading total to 111 as the Houston Astros halted visiting Detroit's seven-game win streak in Friday's opener of a three-game series. Altuve, who entered the series 6-for-31 against the Tigers, brings an American League-best .342 average into Saturday's matchup versus Detroit.

After becoming the first team in the majors to record 50 victories, the Milwaukee Brewers look to continue their dominance against the Colorado Rockies when the teams reconvene at Miller Park on Saturday. Milwaukee has won all five meetings with Colorado this season while emerging victorious in nine of its last 12 overall. The reeling Rockies have dropped 10 of their last 11 overall while being outscored 28-9 during a five-game road skid.

Yoenis Cespedes has played a significant role in positioning the Oakland Athletics on the cusp of their American League-best 50th victory. The talented Cuban looks to extend his hitting streak to 12 games on Saturday as Oakland vies for its 10th win in 13 outings when it visits the Miami Marlins. Cespedes, who is 16-for-43 with 13 RBIs and 10 runs scored on the stretch, had an RBI single to ignite a four-run ninth in the Athletics' 9-5 series-opening triumph on Friday.

The New York Yankees got a first-hand look at the Boston Red Sox and their various problems with the bats in Friday’s series-opener. The Yankees attempt to clinch the three-game series when they host the punch-less Red Sox again on Saturday. Boston managed only three hits in suffering a 6-0 loss on Friday, which marked the 11th time in 13 games that the offense had failed to produce more than three runs.

The Chicago Cubs haven't swept a four-game series in nearly three years, but they can change that if they take both ends of a doubleheader from the visiting Washington Nationals on Saturday. The Cubs have claimed the first two games of the series, which wraps up with a split twinbill. It's the first scheduled doubleheader at Wrigley Field -- one that is not the result of a rescheduled game -- since July 4, 1983.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals have plenty of high-priced offensive talent, but the first two games of the series have been marked by strong pitching performances. Each staff took a turn getting the better of the other and the Dodgers will attempt to grab control of the four-game series when they host the Cardinals on Saturday. The teams combined for a total of five runs in the first two contests.

The last thing a team facing four games in 48 hours wants to deal with is injuries, but both the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies enter Saturday’s day-night doubleheader in Philadelphia with question marks at catcher. The Phillies placed Carlos Ruiz on the seven-day concussion disabled list Friday afternoon after he was hit in the head Thursday, and a few hours later the Braves saw Evan Gattis leave the series opener in the first inning with back spasms.

The Cincinnati Reds’ pitching staff has toyed with the San Francisco’s scuffling offense over the last two games, which bodes well for more of the same this weekend. Alfredo Simon eyes his National League-best 11th victory on Saturday as the Reds look to continue their recent mastery of the Giants in San Francisco. Mike Leake fanned a career-high 12 in Thursday’s 3-1 series-opening win and Johnny Cueto followed by allowing only three hits over 8 1/3 innings in Friday’s 6-2 victory.

Although they haven't had much reason to smile this season, the Arizona Diamondbacks can hang their hat on their success against the San Diego Padres. The Diamondbacks vie for their sixth win in eight outings versus their National League West rival when the teams continue their three-game set in San Diego on Saturday. Rookie David Peralta had a two-run single in the fourth inning and Arizona held on for a 2-1 victory on Friday.

The Seattle Mariners look to stay hot at home and hit the halfway mark of the season on a high note when they continue a three-game series against Cleveland on Saturday. The Mariners improved to 3-1 on their current six-game homestand and 9-3 in their last 12 games overall with a 3-2 triumph in the series opener Friday. Kyle Seager had three hits and an RBI and six pitchers combined to help send the Indians to their fifth loss in six games.