Matchups

The New York Mets turned their offense and their season around at this time last season, but that doesn’t appear to be happening in 2016. The Mets will try to avoid a three-game sweep against a last-place club when they host the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of a three-game series on Thursday.

Before their schedule becomes significantly more difficult, the Pittsburgh Pirates have one more game against a National League also-ran when they take on the visiting San Diego Padres in the rubber game of a three-game set Thursday afternoon. The Pirates are a disappointing 9-10 during a stretch that saw them play 18 of 20 games against losing NL teams after dropping a 4-0 decision Wednesday.

The Houston Astros made a bold personnel decision by designating Carlos Gomez for assignment and hope the transaction can be looked back on as a courageous factor in their wild-card push. The Astros have the opportunity to record two wins on Thursday, when they visit the Minnesota Twins for a split doubleheader after Wednesday's game was postponed by rain.

The Texas Rangers look to record their sixth consecutive victory and complete a sweep when they host the Colorado Rockies on Thursday afternoon for the finale of their four-game, home-and-home interleague set. After winning both contests in Colorado to complete a 5-3 road trip, the American League West-leading Rangers eked out a 5-4 triumph at home on Wednesday thanks to Adrian Beltre's two-run single in the eighth inning.

The Milwaukee Brewers attempt to earn a split of their four-game set against Atlanta when they host the Braves in the series finale on Thursday afternoon. After a 2-4 road trip to begin the month, Milwaukee opened the series with a pair of one-run losses before turning the tables and recording a 4-3 triumph on Wednesday.

The Oakland Athletics have scored just six runs against Baltimore over the past three nights but are in position to record a four-game sweep when they host the Orioles in Thursday's series finale. Oakland has posted three straight one-run victories and has limited Baltimore to three runs and 17 hits.

Alex Rodriguez will make his final appearance at Fenway Park and has a chance to lead the New York Yankees to a series win when they visit the Boston Red Sox in the finale of a three-game set on Thursday. Rodriguez, who is set to play his final game for the Yankees at home on Friday before being released, got into Wednesday’s win as a pinch hitter and is expected to play a bigger role in the finale.

After alternating wins and losses over their six-game road trip, the Cleveland Indians will look for more sustained success on Thursday as they begin an 11-game homestand with the opener of a four-game series versus the Los Angeles Angels. Although it limped to a 5-4 record in its latest stretch at Progressive Field, Cleveland can point to its 31-20 home record as a significant reason for its spot atop the American League Central.

The Houston Astros made a bold personnel decision by designating Carlos Gomez for assignment and hope the transaction can be looked back on as a courageous factor in their wild-card push. The Astros have the opportunity to record two wins on Thursday, when they visit the Minnesota Twins for a split doubleheader after Wednesday's game was postponed by rain.

If the St. Louis Cardinals are going to climb back in the National League Central race, they probably need to start Thursday. The Cardinals’ hopes of catching the red-hot Chicago Cubs likely will be in serious jeopardy if they can’t gain some ground when the rivals square off for a four-game series at Wrigley Field.

Left-hander Danny Duffy routinely has brought smiles to the faces of his teammates - and for good reason, considering the Kansas City Royals have emerged victorious in each of his last eight trips to the mound. The 27-year-old looks to win his third straight start and improve to 7-0 in his last nine outings on Thursday when the Royals play the rubber match of their three-game series versus the visiting Chicago White Sox.