Matchups

The Detroit Tigers are battling to stay in the American League wild card race and have put themselves right on the doorstep of the No. 2 spot. The Tigers will try to pull off a sweep of the three-game series and keep the pressure on the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox in the wild card chase when they host the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon.

The Boston Red Sox are locked in a battle for the American League East and the AL wild card spots and can’t afford to drop a series at home to a last-place team. The Red Sox will try to avoid that fate and earn a 3-3 homestand when they host the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match on Wednesday.

Robinson Cano has recorded three straight multi-hit performances and seven in his last nine contests to finish August with a flourish. The 33-year-old Dominican looks to continue his good fortune at the plate on Wednesday afternoon as the visiting Seattle Mariners attempt to salvage the finale of a three-game series versus the American League West-leading Texas Rangers.

The Houston Astros look to win for the 10th time in 12 contests when they attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Oakland Athletics on Wednesday afternoon. Houston has recovered from a five-game losing streak in the middle of the month to put together a solid stretch and sits two games behind Baltimore for the American League's second wild-card spot.

The Colorado Rockies have established a pattern of playing up - and down - to the competition, a trend that continued in the opener of their three-game series against the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. After rain washed out Tuesday's matchup, the Rockies look to extend their three-game winning streak when they host the Dodgers in a split doubleheader on Wednesday.

The San Francisco Giants look to avoid being the victim of a sweep when they host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon for the finale of their brief two-game set. San Francisco dropped a 4-3 decision in the opener, falling short in its comeback attempt and remaining two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West.

The Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays rank 1-2 in the majors in home runs, so it's hardly a surprise that the long ball has played a pivotal role during their three-game series. Matt Wieters launched a tiebreaking two-run blast in Tuesday's 5-3 win for Baltimore, which hosts the Blue Jays in the rubber match Wednesday night.

Brandon Finnegan is displaying the promise that made him a coveted piece in the deal that sent Johnny Cueto to Kansas City just over a year ago. The left-hander hopes to produce his third consecutive strong outing as the Cincinnati Reds look to avoid a sweep when they visit the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday for the finale of their three-game series.

The Washington Nationals look to continue their dominance of the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday as the National League East rivals conclude their three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. First-place Washington has won a franchise high-tying eight straight encounters versus Philadelphia to improve its division record to 37-16, tops in the majors.

One year after leading the American League in losses, Corey Kluber is resembling the pitcher that won the Cy Young Award in 2014 for the Cleveland Indians. Kluber goes for his 15th victory and looks to win his seventh consecutive decision as the host Indians attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the spiraling Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.

He only has played in 10 major-league games, but Dansby Swanson looks every bit as good as advertised for the rebuilding Atlanta Braves so far. The Braves host the San Diego Padres on Wednesday and Swanson, the 22-year-old shortstop who was selected by Arizona with the No. 1 overall draft pick last year but traded to Atlanta in December, recorded his fourth multi-hit performance in Tuesday’s 7-3 victory.

The recent uptick in offense has coincided directly with an uptick in the win column for the New York Mets, who are thriving despite the rotation dealing with a slew of injuries. The Mets will try to clinch a series win and further bury the National League East-rival Miami Marlins when they host the third of a four-game series on Wednesday.

The Chicago Cubs are well-known for wilting late in the season, but their blistering August is another sign this team is built to change the franchise’s reputation. Chicago is 21-6 this month – the first time the club has won 21 games in a month since May 1977 – and hopes to add one more victory when it concludes its three-game series against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.

Jedd Gyorko likely isn't interested in seeing the calendar switch months, but he looks to continue his power surge when the St. Louis Cardinals attempt to finish August by completing a three-game sweep of the host Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday. Gyorko homered in each of the first two games of the series and has recorded 10 blasts in August, two shy of the franchise record for the month shared by Whitey Kurowski (1947), Mark McGwire (1999) and Albert Pujols (2004).

The Colorado Rockies have established a pattern of playing up - and down - to the competition, a trend that continued in the opener of their three-game series against the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. After rain washed out Tuesday's matchup, the Rockies look to extend their three-game winning streak when they host the Dodgers in a split doubleheader on Wednesday.

The New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals can't afford too many missteps as they continue their respective mad dashes toward the finish line. The teams look to improve their position at the other's expense on Wednesday when they play the rubber match of their three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.