Matchups

The Baltimore Orioles are trying to make their final homestand of the season a memorable one and can reach their first goal of the season as they host the Toronto Blue Jays for three games beginning Monday. "That's the beauty of a team - everyone gets at-bats, everyone gets an opportunity to do something," Baltimore's Adam Jones told reporters after Kelly Johnson's walk-off double in the ninth inning gave the Orioles a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday.

Ervin Santana’s last outing against the Washington Nationals fell apart in the first inning when he allowed four runs on five hits, and the right-hander knows he must be sharper when his Atlanta Braves host the National League East leaders on Monday. Washington has a magic number of four to clinch the division title and the second-place Braves stand four games behind Pittsburgh for the NL's second wild card. The Nationals took two of three games from the Braves last week in Washington.

The Miami Marlins and the New York Mets are likely too far behind in the National League wild-card race, but they have both taken steps forward in 2014. The Marlins, who have already won 10 more games than last season with 72, visit New York on Monday to begin a three-game series between the NL East rivals.

The Derek Jeter Farewell Tour heads to the Sunshine State when the New York Yankees continue their seven-game road trip Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays, but the star of the show isn't much of an attraction on the field these days. Jeter is hitless in his last 24 at-bats - the second-longest drought of his career (32 in 2004) - and went 0-for-4 in New York's devastating 3-2 loss to Baltimore on Sunday.

The Chicago Cubs have little chance of avoiding a second straight last-place finish in the National League Central, but their slim hopes of catching the Cincinnati Reds hinge on a three-game series beginning Monday at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are 5 1/2 games behind the Reds, who lead the season series 11-5. Cincinnati, which has won eight straight series at Wrigley dating to 2011, dropped two of three at Milwaukee over the weekend.

The Kansas City Royals are having trouble turning the page of late after providing a feel-good story throughout much of the season. Losers of six of their last nine, the Royals look to change the narrative as they open a three-game series against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Monday. Kansas City's recent swoon has shifted its once two-game lead in the American League Central into a 1 1/2-game deficit behind first-place Detroit.

The Cleveland Indians will be in dire need of a victory when they begin a four-game series at the Houston Astros on Monday. After suffering a three-game sweep at Detroit over the weekend, the Indians were left five games behind in the race for the American League's second wild-card spot with 14 games to play, one of which will be the resumption of a suspended game in which Cleveland is winning in the ninth. Fortunately for the Indians, 10 of those games are against teams with losing records.

After completing a three-game sweep of one of their main threats in the American League Central, the Detroit Tigers hope to take advantage of what should be a favorable schedule. The Tigers begin a stretch in which they play 10 of their final 13 contests against the bottom two teams in the division when begin a three-game road set against the Minnesota Twins on Monday.

Matt Kemp’s slow start will keep him from winning the National League’s MVP award, but nobody can deny his impact on the NL West race. Kemp has hit 12 of his 20 home runs since the All-Star break for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who visit the Colorado Rockies on Monday for the start of a three-game series. While the Rockies have lost six in a row, Los Angeles holds a three-game lead over San Francisco in the NL West after taking two of three against the Giants over the weekend.

The San Francisco Giants look to maintain their National League West title hopes Monday when they visit the Arizona Diamondbacks for the start of a three-game series. San Francisco dropped two of three against Los Angeles over the weekend and sits three games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. The Giants, who are beginning a 10-day, nine-game road trip, have a safety net with a 4 1/2-game lead in the NL wild card race and play six of their final 13 games against the Diamondbacks.

There are many reasons why the Los Angeles Angels are running away with the American League West and Matt Shoemaker could be at the top of the list. The rookie right-hander tries for his seventh straight victory - and 16th of the season - when Los Angeles begins a four-game series with the visiting Seattle Mariners on Monday. "We are not shocked by what he is doing,'' Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher told USA Today of the 27-year-old Shoemaker.

One of the few highlights of the Philadelphia Phillies’ otherwise disappointing season was a thoroughly dominating sweep of the San Diego Padres in mid-June. The Phillies eye their sixth straight victory over the Padres when the teams open a four-game set in San Diego on Monday. Philadelphia (69-80) is one loss shy of a third consecutive non-winning season after finishing atop the National League East five straight years – a run which included the franchise’s second World Series title in 2008.