Matchups

The Detroit Tigers snapped a three-game skid on the strength of a combined near-no-hitter to compensate for an offense that is packing very little punch. The Tigers look to salvage a split of their four-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon when the American League Central rivals reconvene at U.S. Cellular Field.

One day after reaching a franchise milestone, Mike Trout looks to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a series win over the host Houston Astros on Wednesday. Trout smashed his 40th homer in Tuesday's 4-3 triumph to join Troy Glaus (47 in 2000, 41 in 2001) as the only players in Angels history to go deep at least 40 times in a season.

Time is rapidly running out on the faint postseason aspirations of both the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles will vie for their fourth win in the sixth contest of a 10-game road trip when they visit their Beltway rival on Wednesday.

Following Monday's series-opening loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said his club had to win the next two games to have any chance of claiming the American League East title. New York eked out a 6-4 victory Tuesday and looks to inch closer to the first-place Blue Jays in Wednesday's rubber match in Toronto.

The Tampa Bay Rays were 10 games over .500 a little more than three months ago with an eye toward a playoff spot, but as the season winds down they are trying to avoid last place in the American League East. Tampa Bay hopes to improve their position with a second straight victory over the host Boston Red Sox on Wednesday in the third contest of a four-game set.

It remains to be seen what role veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon plays in the postseason as long as the New York Mets don't blow what seems to be an insurmountable lead in the National League East. But one thing is certain: The 42-year-old is a huge reason New York is on the verge of clinching its first division title since 2006, and he'll try to get the Mets one step closer when they host the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday in the rubber match of their three-game series.

Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin had the dreaded interim label removed from his title Tuesday and he'll try to improve to 2-0 as the permanent skipper when the Phillies visit the Miami Marlins on Wednesday in the second contest of a three-game series. Mackanin, who replaced Ryne Sandberg on June 26, had his contract extended through 2016 with a club option for 2017 - welcome news in the Philadelphia clubhouse.

Chicago Cubs slugger Kris Bryant is making a strong case for the National League Rookie of the Year award – perhaps the beginning of a long list of hardware the budding star will help the Cubs bring to Wrigley Field. Bryant homered and knocked in three runs in a 4-0 win Tuesday and hopes to stay hot as the Cubs try to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.

The Minnesota Twins hope to receive another strong pitching performance as they vie for their third straight victory when they host the American League Central-rival Cleveland Indians on Wednesday for the middle contest of their three-game set. After Tyler Duffey scattered three hits over seven scoreless innings in Sunday's victory over the Los Angeles Angels, Ervin Santana yielded one run in seven superb frames as Minnesota posted a 3-1 triumph in Tuesday's series opener.

The Kansas City Royals are coasting to the American League Central title but they suddenly have some issues to deal with as they prepare to host the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday in the second of a three-game series. Despite Tuesday's 11-2 drubbing, the Royals own a 1 1/2-game lead over Toronto for the top record in the AL while their magic number to clinch the division remains at three.

Tommy Pham is fueling the St. Louis Cardinals' bid for their third straight National League Central title. Having already clinched its franchise-high fifth consecutive postseason appearance, St. Louis vies for a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds when the division rivals meet at Busch Stadium on Wednesday.

The Pittsburgh Pirates can clinch a National League playoff spot when they visit the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday for the third contest of their four-game series. The Pirates will sew up at least a wild-card berth with either their next victory or San Francisco's next defeat.

The Texas Rangers look to continue their recent offensive assault when they visit the American League West-rival Oakland Athletics on Wednesday for the middle contest of their three-game set. Texas extended its division lead over second-place Houston to two games with an 8-6 triumph in Tuesday's series opener, marking the sixth time in nine contests the Rangers scored at least six runs.

Los Angeles standout Zach Greinke is looking to win his sixth consecutive start and prevail for the 14th time in his last 15 decisions when the Dodgers host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. Greinke leads the majors with a 1.65 ERA and is battling teammate Clayton Kershaw and Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta for the National League Cy Young Award.

The odds remain firmly stacked against the San Francisco Giants, but they could build a little more intrigue Wednesday with another win over the host San Diego Padres. The injury-plagued Giants have won 10 of their last 15 to pull within six games of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West with 12 contests to play.