Matchups

Dallas Keuchel vies to become the first American League pitcher to record his 15th win when the visiting Houston Astros play the second contest of their three-game series versus the New York Yankees on Tuesday. Keuchel, who struck out 12 en route to shutting out New York on June 25, would join San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner, St. Louis' Michael Wacha and Chicago Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta for the major-league lead in victories if he's successful.

The New York Mets have been flexing their offensive muscle en route to extending their lead in the National League East. The Mets vie for their fifth consecutive victory overall and 10th in 11 meetings this season against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday when the division rivals continue their four-game series at Citizens Bank Park.

The Washington Nationals are doing their part recently with series wins against teams with losing records, but they need the New York Mets to start losing in order to make up some ground in the National League East. The Nationals will continue scoreboard watching when they host the San Diego Padres in the opener of a three-game series on Monday.

The Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers look to halt to their respective four-game losing skids when the struggling clubs open a three-game series at Comerica Park on Tuesday. The Angels have been outscored 44-12 during their slide and have dropped 10 of their last 14 overall to fall 1 1/2 games behind Texas for the second wild-card spot in the American League.

The Cleveland Indians return home after an 11-game road trip to host the Milwaukee Brewers for a two-game series beginning Tuesday. The Brewers have lost five straight series on the road after dropping the final two contests of a three-game set at Washington over the weekend.

The Minnesota Twins and the Tampa Bay Rays are both still a part of the American League wild-card race, and neither can afford to lose a series. The Twins will try to push their winning streak to five straight at the expense of the Rays when they visit Tampa Bay for the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday.

The Atlanta Braves host the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday in the middle contest of a three-game series pitting two squads who sit a combined 42 games under .500, and the focus the final six weeks for both clubs is looking at players who can help produce better results in 2016. Two of those players take turns on the mound as the Rockies’ Chad Bettis returns from the disabled list to face Braves rookie Mike Foltynewicz.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are mired in a season-worst five-game losing streak, but face an opponent in even more dire straits when they visit the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series. The Dodgers are winless on their eight-game road trip and have seen their lead sliced to 1 1/2 games over the San Francisco Giants atop the National League West.

The surging Pittsburgh Pirates continue their pursuit of National League Central-leading St. Louis when they resume a four-game series at the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night. The Pirates improved to 10-2 in their last 12 contests with a 5-2 victory Monday to move 27 games over .500 for the first time since 1992 - the last year they advanced to the NL Championship Series.

The Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers are two of the hottest teams in the American League and both are pushing their way toward postseason spots. The Blue Jays will try to maintain their grip on at least a share of first place in the AL East when they hit the road for the opener of a three-game set at Texas on Tuesday.

The Kansas City Royals seek their fourth consecutive victory when they host the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday for the second contest of their four-game series. Kansas City has come from behind in each of its last two victories, with Mike Moustakas playing a major role in both.

The Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox have been good for some offensive fireworks when they’ve squared off in 2015, which they’ll do Tuesday in the middle contest of a three-game set in Chicago. The teams have combined for 61 runs in five meetings this season, with Chicago holding a 3-2 lead in the season series.

The St. Louis Cardinals will try to maintain their mastery of the Arizona Diamondbacks when the teams continue a big four-game series Tuesday in Phoenix. Monday's 5-3 win in the series opener gave the Cardinals a 4-0 mark against the Diamondbacks this season and wins in 10 of the last 11 meetings.

Seven-run rallies are beginning to become the norm for the Oakland Athletics, who attempt to clinch a series win when they visit the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday for the middle contest of their three-game set. Oakland scored seven runs in the seventh inning against Tampa Bay en route to an 8-2 triumph Sunday and put up another seven-spot in fifth in the opener versus Seattle to erase a 5-0 deficit and cruise to an 11-5 victory.

A day off came at an opportune time for the San Francisco Giants, who return home from a 2-5 road trip to begin a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Having had the previous day to rest could prove beneficial as the Giants attempt to slow down the red-hot Cubs, who improved to 20-4 over their last 24 games when Kris Bryant belted a walk-off homer in Monday’s 2-1 win over Cleveland.