Matchups

The Los Angeles Angels look to continue their dominant post-All Star break pitching when they host the Boston Red Sox in a split doubleheader Monday. The Angels blanked the Red Sox in the opening two contests of the series before suffering the first home rainout since 1995 on Sunday, and attempt to record their first three-game shutout streak in almost 41 years.

The Tampa Bay Rays hope that interleague play provides their struggling offense a boost when they visit the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday to start a three-game series. The Rays are 6-3 against the National League this season while batting .279 and averaging five runs – much better than their overall marks of .238 and 3.59 - after totaling five runs in losing two of three at Toronto.

The New York Mets turn to ace Matt Harvey on Monday night as they continue their brutal post-All-Star break schedule with a three-game series at the National League East-leading Washington Nationals. The Mets, in the midst of playing three straight division leaders, are two games back of Washington after avoiding a three-game sweep by squeezing out a 3-1 victory in 18 innings at St. Louis on Sunday.

The Detroit Tigers are sitting in unfamiliar territory as they prepare to host the struggling Seattle Mariners on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series. Sunday's 9-3 loss to Baltimore dropped the Tigers under .500 for the first time since the third game of the 2013 season and gave them their first losing record after the All-Star break since the final day of the 2010 campaign.

Brandon Beachy has made it back to the big leagues after recovering from a second Tommy John surgery, and Monday he faces the team who discovered him. Beachy takes the mound as the Los Angeles Dodgers open a three-game series at the Atlanta Braves, who signed Beachy out of an independent league in 2008.

The Chicago Cubs need to take advantage of a favorable schedule over the next two weeks, including a four-game series starting Monday in Cincinnati. The Cubs, who are in position for one of the National League wild card spots, won two of three at Atlanta over the weekend to begin a stretch of 17 consecutive games against sub-.500 teams.

The Kansas City Royals own the best record in the American League and are a season-high 20 games over .500 as they prepare to open a three-game interleague series against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night. The surging Royals won three of four from the Chicago White Sox to open the second half of the season and improved to 11-3 in their last 14 games.

The Texas Rangers are on the verge of falling completely out of contention in the American League West, but face a golden opportunity to turn it around. Texas visits the Colorado Rockies on Monday in the opener of a three-game series before completing its nine-game road trip with three against the first-place Los Angeles Angels.

The Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks wanted to come out of break strong in hopes of making an unlikely second-half push for the playoffs, but instead began the second half with a whimper. The Diamondbacks attempt to put an end to a season-worst six-game skid Monday when they host the opener of a three-game series against the Marlins.

The Los Angeles Angels look to continue their dominant post-All Star break pitching when they host the Boston Red Sox in a split doubleheader Monday. The Angels blanked the Red Sox in the opening two contests of the series before suffering the first home rainout since 1995 on Sunday, and attempt to record their first three-game shutout streak in almost 41 years.

San Francisco's Buster Posey didn't let the All-Star break slow him down and he'll try to stay hot when the Giants visit the San Diego Padres on Monday in the opener of a three-game series. Posey went 5-for-12 with five RBIs during San Francisco's three-game sweep in Arizona over the weekend after going 8-for-13 in a three-game sweep over Philadelphia, but was 0-for-2 in the National League's 6-3 loss in the All-Star Game on Tuesday.