Matchups

Despite a tumultuous July, the Chicago Cubs still own the best record in the major leagues, and they’ll look to improve upon that mark when they host the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series that begins Friday. The Cubs are a National League-best 32-16 at home after taking two straight from the visiting Chicago White Sox, while the Mariners are 10-4 in interleague play.

The Baltimore Orioles lead the American League East but are experiencing a mini-funk as they enter a pivotal three-game divisional showdown with the host Toronto Blue Jays that begins on Friday. The Orioles have lost three consecutive games, including a 6-2 setback against Minnesota on Thursday, and have seen their lead over the Blue Jays dwindle to 1 1/2 games.

A pair of promising 25-year-old right-handers take the mound Friday as Kendall Graveman leads the Oakland Athletics into the opener of a three-game series versus Trevor Bauer and the host Cleveland Indians. Graveman has won four straight starts and hasn't tasted defeat in more than two months while Bauer is looking to get back on track after a trio of difficult outings on the heels of a three-game winning streak.

Jose Altuve has made himself at home on the road with a scintillating 19-game hitting streak away from Minute Maid Park. The diminutive star looks to add another notch to that belt while also reaching base for the 35th consecutive road contest Friday when the Houston Astros open a three-game series at the Detroit Tigers.

While the tabloids have been quick to predict gloom and doom for the New York Yankees this season, manager Joe Girardi's club has steadily improved with each passing month. The visiting Yankees, winners of eight of their last 11, look to wrap up a successful July this weekend when they play the opener of a three-game series versus the American League East-rival Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

The one constant for the New York Mets this season has been at the back of their bullpen, but that suddenly is a concern after closer Jeurys Familia blew a save for the second time in an many days. The Mets will try to get back on track when they host the Colorado Rockies on Friday in the second of a four-game set.

The St. Louis Cardinals can move a season-high nine games over .500 when they continue a four-game series against the host Miami Marlins on Friday night. St. Louis appears to be gearing up for a stretch run, pulling into a tie with Miami for the second wild card in the National League with Thursday's 5-4 victory.

Ryan Howard has terrorized the Atlanta Braves throughout his career, but it appears he has passed the torch to Maikel Franco as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies play the second contest of a four-game series Friday between the National League East rivals. Franco smashed a three-run homer in the first inning Thursday, his fifth homer in 10 outings against the Braves this season, as Philadelphia won the fifth consecutive game in the series.

The Texas Rangers have struggled during July but have experienced success against a Kansas City team that is having an even more woeful month. Texas looks to defeat the visiting Royals for the fourth time in five meetings over the last eight days on Friday in the second contest of a four-game set.

The Chicago White Sox are trying to stay in wild-card contention in the American League as they continue an eight-game road trip with the first of three against the Minnesota Twins on Friday. Chicago dropped its last two to the crosstown-rival Cubs to fall two games below .500.

Andrew McCutchen snapped out a slump with a big performance last time out and looks to carry that over when his Pittsburgh Pirates visit the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday to begin a three-game set. The former National League MVP went 3-for-5 with a homer and knocked in four runs during Wednesday’s 10-1 victory over Seattle after going without an RBI for nine straight games.

Boston right-hander Rick Porcello has the opportunity to move into a tie for the major-league lead in victories when the Red Sox visit the Los Angeles Angels on Friday in the second contest of a four-game set. Porcello has won seven straight decisions and his 13 victories are just two shy of his career high set in 2014 as a member of the Detroit Tigers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue their chase for the top spot in the National League West when they host the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks for the first of three games on Friday. The Dodgers, who have reportedly been busy in negotiations before the Aug. 1 trade deadline, are 31-19 at home but dropped two of three at Arizona just after the All-Star break.

The San Francisco Giants are hoping a new arrival and a few returning stars can help end a slide that has seen them go 2-10 since the All-Star break. Infielder Eduardo Nunez is set to make his San Francisco debut Friday as the Giants continue their four-game series against the visiting Washington Nationals, who extended their lead over Miami in the NL East to five games with Thursday’s 4-2 series-opening victory.

The San Diego Padres attempt to set a National League record by homering in a 26th consecutive contest Friday when they kick off a nine-game homestand with the first of three against the Cincinnati Reds. San Diego (44-58) equaled the NL standard after belting three home runs in an 8-4 victory over Toronto on Wednesday that capped a 3-7 road trip and improved it to 11-14 during the streak while getting closer to the major league record of 27 set by Texas in 2002.