Matchups

The Chicago Cubs hope to gain ground in the National League playoff race with two cracks at the worst team in the majors Friday. The Cubs will begin their four-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies with a doubleheader after the scheduled series opener was rained out Thursday.

The Kansas City Royals are in little danger of surrendering their spot atop the American League Central but have not looked playoff-ready of late. The Royals will try to get things turned around when they visit the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of a three-game series on Friday.

The New York Yankees had never gone an entire season without a rainout and that streak remains intact after Thursday night's scheduled opener of a four-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays was washed out. With both teams having dropped two of their last three, the Blue Jays hold a 1 1/2-game lead over the Yankees entering their showdown for supremacy in the American League East.

The Pittsburgh Pirates simply cannot solve the Milwaukee Brewers, who have outscored their National League Central rivals by a 45-22 margin en route to winning seven straight meetings. The Brewers look to continue their mastery of the Pirates and damage their odds of winning the division title when they play the second contest of a four-game series Friday.

The Tampa Bay Rays closed out their road trip with losses in five of the last seven games to make their slim hopes of jumping into the second American League wild card an even greater stretch. The surging Boston Red Sox will try to knock them even further back when they visit the Rays for the opener of a three-game series on Friday.

The Cleveland Indians continue to enjoy the comforts of home while the Detroit Tigers remain uncomfortable regardless of venue. The Indians will vie for their 11th win in their last 12 home games when they play the second contest of their four-game series versus the tumbling Tigers on Friday.

The Cincinnati Reds may be buried in last place in the National League Central but have made life difficult for the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals over the second half of the season. The Reds have won four of their last six meetings against the visiting Cardinals, who look to rebound from their worst shutout loss since August 2012 when the teams resume their four-game series Friday.

Any list of the most disappointing teams this season has to include the Washington Nationals, who squandered an opportunity to get back into the race in the National League East over the last week. The Nationals will try to pick up the pieces when they head to Miami for the opener of a three-game series against the lowly Marlins on Friday.

Yoenis Cespedes has played all of 37 games with the New York Mets, but his impact has been so significant he could factor into the National League MVP race. Cespedes has belted six homers through nine September games entering Friday night’s contest at the Atlanta Braves, and the outfielder’s offense is a huge reason the Mets enjoy a 7½-game advantage in the NL East.

The Texas Rangers' bid to win the American League West crown has hit a brief detour, but they look to get back on track when they host the cellar-dwelling Oakland Athletics in the opener of a three-game series on Friday. After winning the first two contests of its four-game series versus Seattle, Texas tumbled to two straight shutout losses to fall 2 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Houston and saw its lead for the second wild card trimmed to one game over Minnesota.

The Chicago Cubs hope to gain ground in the National League playoff race with two cracks at the worst team in the majors Friday. The Cubs will begin their four-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies with a doubleheader after the scheduled series opener was rained out Thursday.

Ervin Santana has strung together back-to-back dominating outings and he strives for another strong start when the Minnesota Twins open a three-game series against the host Chicago White Sox on Friday. Santana struck out a season-best 11 while beating Houston in his last turn and has allowed one run and 12 hits with 21 strikeouts in the consecutive victories.

The Los Angeles Dodgers look to continue cruising toward their third straight National League West title when they visit the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday to begin a three-game set. The Dodgers have won 13 of their last 16 contests to open up an 8 1/2-game advantage on second-place San Francisco in the West while Arizona is 5-12 over a 17-game span.

Jered Weaver has won at least 10 games in each of his first nine big-league seasons but will need a dazzling finish to keep the streak going. The Los Angeles right-hander has six wins in 21 starts as the season winds down entering Friday's opener of a pivotal three-game series against the visiting Houston Astros.

Hisashi Iwakuma looks for his sixth victory in the last seven starts when the Seattle Mariners open a three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies on Friday. Iwakuma experienced just one rough start during a stellar stretch that included the first no-hitter of his career Aug. 12 against Baltimore.

The San Francisco Giants are fading from the National League playoff race, but they hope their home-field advantage can help them climb back in the mix. The Giants are 38-27 at AT&T Park, where they’ll play 16 of their final 22 contests beginning with a three-game set against the San Diego Padres starting Friday.