Matchups

The Toronto Blue Jays try to maintain their newfound perch atop the American League East as they vie for a three-game sweep of the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. Toronto and Baltimore switched places in the AL East standings after the Blue Jays rolled to a 9-1 victory Saturday to take a half-game lead with its fifth victory in six games while handing the Orioles their season high-matching fifth consecutive loss.

The Cleveland Indians are inching closer to the trade deadline and have yet to complete the long-rumored deal with the Milwaukee Brewers that would land them All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy. The Indians haven't needed the extra bat against the Oakland Athletics and will go for the three-game sweep when they host the series finale on Sunday.

The Detroit Tigers and the Houston Astros both plan on being in the postseason this fall, and they are getting a look at how they stand against each other. The Tigers have the upper hand so far and will go for a sweep of the three-game series, along with their sixth straight victory overall, when they host the Astros on Sunday.

The New York Yankees began to entertain thoughts of a playoff run with an 8-2 stretch earlier this month, but a three-game losing streak has quickly brought them back to reality. The Yankees will try to get back on track and avoid a humbling three-game sweep when they visit the last-place Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon.

The Colorado Rockies entered the season with 11 consecutive losses to the New York Mets, but they have turned the tables in the series in a big way. The visiting Rockies look to make it 7-for-7 against the Mets in 2016 when they go for a four-game sweep Sunday afternoon.

Andrew Cashner, acquired in a seven-player trade on Friday, will make his Miami debut Sunday as the Marlins look to salvage a split of their four-game series against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Miami pulled back into a tie with the Cardinals for the second wild card in the National League with an 11-0 romp on Saturday.

After missing most of April with a hamstring injury and struggling to find himself offensively in his first season with the Atlanta Braves, center fielder Ender Inciarte has discovered his hitting stroke. The Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies in the finale of a four-game series Sunday as Inciarte seeks to extend an 11-game hitting streak, a stretch during which he has batted .310.

Returning to the city where he played his first 11 seasons put a spark in the bat of Justin Morneau, who will look to lead the Chicago White Sox past the host Minnesota Twins on Sunday in the rubber match of their three-game set. Morneau homered and recorded an RBI double as Chicago snapped its three-game skid with Saturday's 6-5 victory.

The Pittsburgh Pirates hope to have the opportunity to use their new closer Sunday as they attempt to avoid a three-game sweep when they visit the Milwaukee Brewers for the finale of their series. Left-hander Tony Watson was handed the closer's job on Saturday after Pittsburgh traded Mark Melancon to Washington for pitching prospects Felipe Rivero and Taylor Hearn.

The Texas Rangers seemingly have awakened from their post-Midsummer Classic malaise, while the Kansas City Royals still appear to be mired in a slumber they can't shake. The Rangers eye their sixth straight victory against the Royals and a home sweep of the defending World Series champions on Sunday, when the teams complete their four-game series.

In what has been an otherwise forgettable season, the Los Angeles Angels have somehow become a bit of a feel-good story recently. Albert Pujols looks to cap off a vintage month of July on Sunday when the surging Angels attempt to take three of four from the visiting Boston Red Sox.

The Washington Nationals own the second-best record in baseball but are not content to stand pat in front of the trade deadline. The Nationals will welcome All-Star closer Mark Melancon to the team when they go for a series win over the National League West-leading and host San Francisco Giants on Sunday in the finale of a four-game series.

Los Angeles right fielder Yasiel Puig is expected to return to the starting lineup for the first time in more than a week Sunday as the Dodgers face the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks in the rubber match of a three-game series. Puig is batting a disappointing .254 with seven home runs in 80 games for the Dodgers, who trail first-place San Francisco by two games in the National League West.

The San Diego Padres began the month with some strong play at home and look to conclude it the same way, although they'll be without Matt Kemp when they host the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday for the rubber match of their three-game set. Kemp, who leads the Padres with 23 home runs, was the team's latest casualty as he was traded to Atlanta for suspended outfielder Hector Olivera during Saturday's 10-inning victory.

The Chicago Cubs already have turned one Baltimore bust into an elite pitcher, and they hope for another solid return from left-hander Brian Matusz. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 draft, Matusz is scheduled to make a spot start for the Cubs – his first in the majors since 2012 – in the rubber match of a three-game interleague series against the visiting Seattle Mariners on Sunday.