Matchups

Both teams look to solidify leads in their divisions when the Milwaukee Brewers visit the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday to start a two-game interleague set. The Brewers hold a 6½-game lead in the National League Central after winning four of their last five and could get Carlos Gomez (neck) and Jean Segura (quad) back from injuries. All Star outfielder Jose Bautista (hamstring) may also return for the Blue Jays, who lead the American League East by one game over Baltimore.

Heavy rain prevented Los Angeles from continuing its recent hot stretch on Monday so now the Angels attempt to keep it going when they play a doubleheader against the host Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. Los Angeles has won seven of its last nine games as it attempts to narrow the gap on the American League West-leading Oakland Athletics. The White Sox have won three straight games as they begin a six-game homestand but are just 3-9 against AL West squads this season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates continue their homestand against National League bottom-feeders when they open a three-game series versus the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Pittsburgh began its 10-game string by taking three of four from the New York Mets, who are battling the Philadelphia Phillies - the Pirates' next opponent - to avoid last place in the NL East.

The Baltimore Orioles look to continue their power surge when they host the Texas Rangers in the second contest of their four-game set on Tuesday. Baltimore extended its streak of at least two home runs to four contests on Monday, belting four en route to a 7-1 triumph in the series opener. Steve Pearce registered his first career two-homer performance with a pair of two-run shots while Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy added solo shots to help Ubaldo Jimenez snap his nine-start winless streak.

The Washington Nationals try for their fourth straight victory when they host the struggling Colorado Rockies on Tuesday in the middle contest of their three-game series. Washington, with its starting lineup intact for the first time since Opening Day, prevailed 7-3 on Monday as Bryce Harper returned after missing 57 games with a thumb injury.

David Price looks to keep alive an impressive strikeout streak when he leads the Tampa Bay Rays into the second of three games at the New York Yankees on Tuesday. Tampa Bay's ace has struck out at least 10 batters in five straight starts, the longest run since Johan Santana did it in 2004 with Minnesota. The last hurler to reach double digits in strikeouts six consecutive times was Arizona's Randy Johnson in 2002, while the last American League pitcher to do so was Boston's Pedro Martinez in 199

The Oakland Athletics attempt to bounce back from a deflating loss as they continue their three-game series against the host Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. Oakland appeared to be on its way to a fifth consecutive victory before former Athletic Rajai Davis belted his third career grand slam with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving Detroit a 5-4 triumph. The Athletics fell to 4-2 on their eight-game road trip as they lost for just the fourth time in 15 overall contests.

The Boston Red Sox seemed to be breaking out of their offensive funk when the entire lineup contributed to a big win on Sunday, but a return home provided a return to the shortcomings. The Chicago Cubs will attempt to limit Boston's sagging offense again when they visit for the middle contest of their three-game series on Tuesday. Jake Arrieta took a no-hitter into the eighth inning as the Cubs took the opener 2-0.

Mike Minor positioned himself the past two years as a key component of the Atlanta Braves’ rotation, but the left-hander finds himself stuck on two victories as July begins. Minor aims for his first victory since May 19 when the Braves host the New York Mets in the second contest of a three-game series Tuesday. New York will be without third baseman David Wright (left shoulder bruise) until Friday, but manager Terry Collins told reporters the Mets will not disable Wright.

Someone will get a much-needed victory when the Miami Marlins host the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series between slumping squads. Both teams had the day off Monday to dwell on four-game skids. It's the second clash in three series for the National League East rivals, who split a four-game set in Philadelphia last week.

Heavy rain prevented Los Angeles from continuing its recent hot stretch on Monday so now the Angels attempt to keep it going when they play a doubleheader against the host Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. Los Angeles has won seven of its last nine games as it attempts to narrow the gap on the American League West-leading Oakland Athletics. The White Sox have won three straight games as they begin a six-game homestand but are just 3-9 against AL West squads this season.

The Seattle Mariners put on a season-best power display while winning the series opener and seek another offensive splurge when they visit the Houston Astros on Tuesday. Seattle bashed a season-high four home runs in the 10-4 victory, with Robinson Cano showing he has rediscovered his long-ball stroke after going deep in back-to-back games for the first time all season. Houston's Jose Altuve has stolen at least one base in a franchise-record seven straight games.

The Kansas City Royals look to stay hot on the road when they continue a three-game series at Minnesota on Tuesday. The Royals pounded out 10 hits and received a solid start from Danny Duffy to claim a 6-1 win in the series opener, their ninth win in the last 10 road games. Alcides Escobar delivered a pair of two-run doubles and Salvador Perez homered as Kansas City avenged a three-game sweep at Minnesota earlier in the season in which it was outscored 21-5.

The Los Angeles Dodgers begin the month of July in first place and seek their 14th victory in 18 games when they host the struggling Cleveland Indians on Tuesday. Los Angeles blanked Cleveland 1-0 in the opener of the three-game series to move atop the National League West for the first time since April 24 and possess a half-game lead over San Francisco. The Indians have lost seven of their last nine games and have had one hit in each of their last two contests.

Despite setting a dubious mark for offensive futility, the San Diego Padres ended June on a high note. One night after winning for the second time this season in a game where they managed one hit, the Padres eye their fourth victory in five meetings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday as they continue their three-game set in San Diego. The Padres, who also had one hit in a win June 4, finished the month with a .171 team batting average – the worst mark in a calendar month in baseball history.

The San Francisco Giants managed to turn an overwhelming lead in the National League West into a virtual tie with a lackluster June, and the St. Louis Cardinals did nothing to help. The Giants will try to take advantage of the Cardinals when they open a three-game series in San Francisco on Tuesday. St. Louis had a chance to keep the Giants in the lead alone but dropped three of four to the red-hot Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend.