The Opener

There are only four days left in the regular season, so here are some of the top stories entering Thursday’s action…

1. Orioles on verge of clinching:

Four of the six division winners have already been crowned, but the Orioles could join the club with a win over the Red Sox today.  Baltimore’s magic number has dropped to one, so just a single O’s win or Rays loss would make the Orioles AL East champions for the first time since 2014, and for just the third time in their last 40 seasons.  In addition to a first-place finish in the AL East, the Orioles would also secure the top seed and home-field advantage throughout at least the American League’s side of the postseason bracket.  (At 99-59, the Orioles probably aren’t catching the 102-56 Braves for the top seed throughout the playoffs.)  It was just in 2021 that the Orioles were 52-110 and still seemingly caught in the throes of a rebuild, making their sudden rise back to prominence all the sweeter for Baltimore fans.

2. Rangers and Mariners begin a critical series:

The Rangers are also closing in on the AL West, though with a magic number of two and with the Astros not playing on Thursday, Texas won’t be able to clinch the division until Friday at the earliest.  Still, heading into the start of this big four-game series between the two AL West rivals, the wild card race will also be a focus since the Mariners sit 1.5 games behind Houston for the third and final AL wild card berth.  With a 9-16 record in September, the Mariners are no longer in control of their own playoff fate, as they’ll have to both pick up at least a couple of wins over Texas and hope for collapses from either the Astros or Blue Jays to sneak into the playoffs as a wild card.  If the Mariners sweep Texas, a longshot scenario also exists that would see the M’s still capture the AL West.  Jordan Montgomery is the Rangers’ scheduled starter tonight, while Logan Gilbert will take the hill for the Mariners.

3. Acuna founds the 40-70 club:

Okay, so it’s technically the 41-70 club, and Ronald Acuna Jr. had also been the only person in the 41-68 club, the 40-68 club, the 39-68 club, and so forth.  But, since round-number achievements just have a bit more of a ring to them, Acuna’s incredible season at both the plate and on the basepaths hit yet another big milestone yesterday when he stole his 69th and 70th bases of the season.  No player with at least 40 homers in a season had ever stolen as many as 46 bags in the same year before Acuna exponentially raised the bar in 2023.

While Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Braves teammate Matt Olson will have something to say in NL MVP voting, Acuna’s huge season is increasingly looking like the favorite to capture the award.  Hitting the 70-steal plateau is also of particular note for a player who suffered a torn ACL just two years ago, making Acuna’s return to not just his old form but to new stolen-base heights all the more remarkable.  MVP results aside, Acuna’s biggest goal is to help lead the Braves to a championship, as his ACL tear forced him to miss Atlanta’s run to the 2021 World Series.

On the final Tuesday of the 2023 regular season, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Gray exits with injury:

Rangers right-hander Jon Gray exited yesterday’s start against the Angels after six innings due to what the club termed as right wrist tightness. Per MLB.com, the team described the move as precautionary. Still, the injury surely raises some concerns for Rangers fans as they look ahead to the postseason. With Max Scherzer likely out until 2024, Texas will have to rely on either Gray or right-hander Dane Dunning to take the ball for their third game of the postseason behind lefty Jordan Montgomery and veteran Nathan Eovaldi. With Gray seemingly not at full health, the role could be handed to Dunning. The two arms have posted similar results throughout the year, with Dunning’s 3.88 ERA barely outclassing Gray’s 4.12 figure. Despite those solid season-long numbers, both hurlers have struggled badly recently with ERAs over 6.00 in their last seven starts.

2. NL Wild Card race tightens:

The race for the last two NL Wild Card spots is headed for a photo finish. The Diamondbacks and Cubs are currently tied with identical 82-74 records in the last two spots, with the Marlins (81-75) sitting one game out and the Reds (80-77) on the periphery of contention as well. The Cubs have the toughest schedule of the four teams remaining, drawing the Braves and Brewers for their final two series of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks figure to face the White Sox before a tough regular season finale against the Astros. The Reds and Marlins have easier roads ahead of them, with Cincinnati facing the Guardians and Cardinals while Miami opposes the Mets and Pirates.

With the standings so close even as the season comes down to the wire, it’s worth noting the tiebreaker situations facing the teams involved. All three of the Diamondbacks, Marlins, and Reds hold the season series record tiebreaker over the Cubs, while the Marlins hold the tiebreaker over Arizona and Cincinnati as well. The Reds also hold the tiebreaker over the DBacks, meaning that if all four teams finished with identical records, the Marlins and Reds would make the postseason while Arizona and Chicago would head home.

3. 2023-24 Offseason Outlook series begins:

As many teams outside of the playoff picture are looking ahead to the 2023-24 offseason, MLBTR’s Offseason Outlook series has returned. The annual offseason series kicked off yesterday with installments covering a two of the first organizations to be eliminated from postseason contention this year in the Rockies and Royals. In addition, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be hosting a Royals-centric live chat at 9:00am CT this morning in conjunction with last night’s installment. You can click here to submit a question in advance, or check back later to participate live once the chat begins.

On the final Monday of the 2023 regular season, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Robert being re-evaluated:

White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. exited yesterday’s game against the Red Sox in just the second inning after pulling up uncomfortably while stealing his 20th base of the season. He’s expected to be re-evaluated today as the club arrives back in Chicago before their final homestand of the season. Robert’s brilliant season has been one of the few positive things to come out of an otherwise dismal White Sox campaign that’s seen them go from expected playoff contenders to deadline sellers and flirting with a 100-loss season.

None of that downturn in production can be attributed to Robert, however, as the star has combined excellent center field defense with a .264/.315/.542 slash line in 595 trips to the plate. The 25-year-old phenom’s 75 extra base hits rank second behind only Shohei Ohtani in the AL this year. With the club long since past the point of playing for the playoffs, it would hardly be a shock to see the club shut Robert down for the rest of the year. If he does miss additional time, Trayce Thompson appears to be the leading candidate to cover for him in center field.

2. Pitcher’s duel in the NL Cy Young race:

The Padres and Giants are set to play in San Francisco tonight, and the loser of the game could very well wind up mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. If the Diamondbacks manage to take the final game of their road series against the Yankees earlier in the night, the loser of today’s matchup in Oracle Park will be officially eliminated from postseason contention. Given the extreme long-shot postseason odds for both San Diego and San Francisco, the pitching matchup is the more intriguing storyline to follow anyhow.

Right-hander Logan Webb will take the mound for the Giants, while San Diego will counter with lefty and likely Cy Young front-runner Blake Snell. The 30-year-old Snell is the NL’s ERA leader with a 2.39 figure with a strong 31.7% strikeout rate, though his whopping 13.5% walk rate and average of under 5 2/3 innings per start are less formidable numbers. Webb will likely find himself on plenty of Cy Young ballots as well. The 26-year-old leads all of Major League Baseball with 207 innings pitched, his 3.35 ERA is the fourth-best figure in the NL, and he sports the only groundball rate above 60% among qualified starters, with a 61.6% figure.

3. Series Preview: Astros @ Mariners

With the postseason race coming down to the wire for both clubs, the Astros head to Seattle to take on their division-rival Mariners in a three-game set that will have major implications on the races for both the final AL Wild Card spots and the AL West crown. For the division, the Rangers have ridden a five-game winning streak — including a three-game sweep of the Mariners this weekend — to the top of the AL West standings. They currently sit 2.5 games ahead of the Astros and three games up on the Mariners. Meanwhile, both Houston and Seattle are mired in the midst of rough stretches. The Astros have just an 8-16 record in September, including losses in nine of their last 12. By contrast, the Mariners have gone 5-7 over their last 12 games with a 8-14 September record.

Even in spite of Seattle’s struggles, they’ve managed to make up ground on Houston, sitting just half a game back of the Astros for the final AL Wild Card spot. The set will kick off this evening with a pitcher’s duel on the mound: future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander (3.44 ERA) will take on Mariners ace Luis Castillo (3.06 ERA). Tomorrow’s game will feature young righties Cristian Javier (4.64 ERA) and George Kirby (3.58 ERA), and the series will close with a contest between Houston lefty Framber Valdez (3.39 ERA) and Seattle rookie Bryce Miller (4.17 ERA).

With the season winding down and playoff races reaching critical junctures, here are five things to keep an eye on in the baseball world this weekend…

1. Texas/Seattle showdown

The American League West is the tightest division race in the game. The Astros hold a half-game lead over the Mariners and Rangers, who are tied for second place. The Mariners head to Arlington’s Globe Life Field today to kick off a pivotal three-game set against the Rangers. It’s a series that could determine the very fate of the American League West and one that could make or break the postseason chances for either team. The Blue Jays hold a half-game lead over both the M’s and the Rangers for the second Wild Card spot, which only heightens the importance of this series.

Game one will pit Mariners rookie Bryce Miller (8-5, 3.88 ERA) against Rangers righty Dane Dunning (10-6, 3.78). Saturday will feature a matchup of two of the division’s best starters, with Seattle righty Logan Gilbert (13-6, 3.77) facing off against Texas lefty Jordan Montgomery (9-11, 3.38). Sunday’s series finale sees the Mariners trot out rookie right-hander Bryan Woo (4-4, 3.90) against Rangers veteran Nathan Eovaldi (11-4, 3.05). A sweep would remove some of the drama in the division, but the two teams are also set to close out their season with four games against each other in Seattle, so this could all go down to the wire. Elsewhere in the division, the Astros are hosting the Royals, who have baseball’s second-worst record.

2. NL Wild Card race heats up

Similar to the AL West, the NL Wild Card chase looks like a three-horse between the Marlins, Cubs and Reds. Miami and Chicago are tied for the third and final spot, both sitting a half-game up on Cincinnati. The Fish will have their work cut out for them this weekend, as they’ll host the Brewers and face a pitching gauntlet of former NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes (9-8, 3.56), Brandon Woodruff (5-1, 1.89) and Freddy Peralta (12-9, 3.71). Miami hasn’t announced a starter for tonight’s game, but will send lefty Jesus Luzardo (10-9, 3.68) and righty Edward Cabrera (6-7, 4.35) to the bump on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The Cubs, meanwhile, play host to a last-place Rockies club for three games this weekend. They’re starting veteran Jameson Taillon (7-10, 5.27), rookie Jordan Wicks (3-1, 2.67) and rookie Javier Assad (4-3, 3.04) against the respective Colorado trio of Noah Davis (0-2, 9.58), Chris Flexen (1-8, 7.19) and Ty Blach (3-2, 5.32).

As for the Reds, they’ll send the rookie trio of Andrew Abbott (8-5, 3.68), Connor Phillips (1-0, 5.74) and Brandon Williamson (4-5, 4.56) to the mound against Luis Ortiz and a pair of yet-to-be-announced Pirates starters.

3. Twins all but certain to clinch

The American League Central race isn’t technically over yet, but that’s all but certain to change this weekend. The Twins could’ve clinched on yesterday’s off-day if both the Guardians and Tigers had lost, but both clubs picked up victories to at least mathematically keep their playoff hopes alive. The Twins host a largely dismantled Angels club this weekend and will kick off the series with their top two starters, Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray, before turning things over to Joe Ryan on Sunday. The Tigers continue their four-game set in Oakland and the Guards continue a four-game series in Baltimore. The Twins would clinch simply by picking up one victory or by seeing both the Guardians and Tigers lose a game this weekend. It’s a matter of when, not if, they formally capture the division crown.

4. Bieber returns — will McKenzie follow?

While that last note is surely a sour one for Cleveland fans, the silver lining is that they’ll at least get to see their top starter back on the mound this weekend. Right-hander Shane Bieber, the 2020 American League Cy Young winner, will make his first start since July 9 tonight against the Orioles. Bieber experienced forearm discomfort and elbow inflammation midway through July, and the issue proved severe enough to effectively wipe out Bieber’s entire second half. It’ll be a welcome sight for Cleveland fans and figures to give Bieber at least some peace of mind heading into the offseason, assuming all goes well.

Of course, it also bears considering that Bieber could be making one of his last starts for the only team he’s known. Cleveland has a history of trading its top starters before they reach free agency, and Bieber is controlled only through the 2024 season. The Guardians also have a burgeoning crop of young arms emerging, with Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen all finding success in their rookie seasons. That trio and currently injured righty Triston McKenzie give the Guards a strong foundation in 2024 even if Bieber is moved. And speaking McKenzie, there’s a chance he could also return from the 60-day injured list for Sunday’s game. He’s been out since mid-June with a UCL sprain but has made a pair of minor league rehab starts in the past 10 days.

5. Caminero arrives

The Rays’ seemingly interminable pipeline of top prospects is set to produce another big leaguer, as top prospect Junior Caminero will be promoted for his debut today. He’s considered among the sport’s top all-around prospects, ranking fifth at The Athletic, ESPN and Baseball America, sixth at MLB.com and 11th at FanGraphs. The 20-year-old third baseman has decimated High-A and Double-A pitching this year, slashing a combined .324/.384/.591 with 31 homers.

As the final stretch of the 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Twins on the verge of clinching:

Despite having the day off today, the Twins (81-72) could clinch the AL Central crown by the end of the night. Their magic numbers over both the Guardians (72-81) and Tigers (71-81) sit at one, meaning that if both teams lose tonight, the Twins will officially become the 2023 AL Central champions. Clinching early will give the Twins the luxury of proceeding cautiously with some of their ailing regulars in advance of the postseason. Shortstop Carlos Correa has already been placed on the injured list after playing the bulk of the season with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Third baseman Royce Lewis is set to undergo an MRI today after exiting Tuesday’s game due to hamstring soreness. With a guaranteed playoff spot, the Twins can much more comfortably rely on Willi Castro and Kyle Farmer to cover for Lewis and Correa as that pair hopes to heal up ahead of the playoffs.

2. Guerrero to undergo MRI:

Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was out of the lineup for yesterday’s win over the Yankees, and MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson notes that the slugger has undergone an MRI due to right knee soreness. It’s been a down year for Guerrero (by his standards), as the 24-year-old has slashed just .264/.342/.440 in 644 trips to the plate this season. Still, that production (115 wRC+) leaves him as a critical cog in the Toronto lineup surpassed only by shortstop Bo Bichette, particularly with both Brandon Belt and Danny Jansen on the injured list. If Guerrero requires a trip to the injured list, the club figures to rely on the likes of Spencer Horwitz and Cavan Biggio to handle first base in the interim.

3. Raley to undergo MRI:

Rays outfielder Luke Raley is also set to undergo an MRI today, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Raley told reporters (including Topkin) that he’s dealing with numbness in his left arm to the point that he had no power behind his most recent swing. Raley’s been out of the lineup for nearly a week now due to the issue. The 29-year-old slugger is slashing .249/.333/.490 with a 129 wRC+ in 406 trips to the plate this year while splitting time between the outfield and DH. Raley’s absence has created additional opportunities for righty slugger Harold Ramirez and youngster Jonathan Aranda in recent days, and that figures to continue if Raley requires a trip to the injured list.

On the heels of an early-morning transaction, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. AL West race tightens:

The AL West race tightened up yesterday, as the first-place Astros fell to the Orioles while the Mariners toppled the A’s and the Rangers bested the Red Sox. Houston holds the division lead as things stand, though their 84-68 record stands just half a game above their rivals’ identical 83-68 records. With the Rays already guaranteed a place in the postseason and the Blue Jays holding onto the second Wild Card spot as things stand, it’s wholly feasible that one of the three clubs contending for the AL West title misses the postseason when all is said and done. The Mariners, in particular, have total control over their playoff fate going forward; their final ten games come exclusively against Texas (three away, four at home) and Houston (three at home).

Seattle will send George Kirby (3.57 ERA) to the mound today to take on Oakland’s Joey Estes, who’ll be making his MLB debut. Veteran Jon Gray (4.05) will take the mound for Texas and square off against impressive young Boston righty Brayan Bello (3.71) in their contest. Houston will look to Cristian Javier (4.74) against Baltimore’s quietly excellent Kyle Bradish (3.12).

2. Cobb exits:

Giants right-hander Alex Cobb exited yesterday’s loss against the Diamondbacks just two pitches into the third inning due to a hip impingement. Cobb has been pitching through the issue since the middle of June, as noted by Evan Webeck of The Mercury News, and it’s unknown when or whether he’ll return to the mound this season with just 11 games left on the calendar. The Giants are rapidly falling out of the postseason race thanks to a 6-11 record in September. FanGraphs gives them just a 5.2% chance of making the playoffs at this point. Those odds figure to be even slimmer without Cobb, who pairs with Logan Webb as the only two regular starters San Francisco utilizes.

3. Santana approaching milestone:

As the Brewers close in on the NL Central crown, first baseman Carlos Santana is simultaneously closing in on a career milestone. The 37-year-old veteran currently sits at 299 career home runs after hitting his 21st home run of the season last week, and the slugger has 11 games left on the Milwaukee schedule in which he can become the 159th player in major league history to reach 300 homers. It would be an excellent capstone on a 2023 campaign that saw Santana reach the 20-homer mark for the first time since 2019, when he was an All-Star, received MVP votes, and won a Silver Slugger award. Since then, Santana has seen his production wane, hitting .215/.320/.373 (93 wRC+) while playing for five teams in four seasons.

As the 2023 season nears its conclusion, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Rays Stadium Announcement Incoming:

Yesterday, it was reported that the Rays are poised to announce an agreement to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg. That announcement is expected to come today, and with it more details on the coming ballpark can be expected. The stadium is expected to be ready in 2028, the year after Tampa Bay’s lease at Tropicana Field expires. The off-the-field victory for the club comes as the team on the field is enjoying an unprecedented run of success, with a 92-59 record so far this season and a fifth consecutive postseason berth clinched. With the Rays on the verge of settling their stadium situation and the A’s putting the finishing touches on a bid to move from Oakland to Las Vegas, the biggest hurdle for league expansion that commissioner Rob Manfred has publicly mentioned in the past has been cleared. Of course, expansion must be collectively bargained with the MLBPA, meaning there are still hurdles to clear before MLB welcomes its thirty-first and thirty-second teams.

2. Correa Exits:

Twins shortstop Carlos Correa exited yesterday’s game in the first inning after feeling a “pop” in his left heel, as relayed by The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. Correa, of course, has been playing through plantar fasciitis during most of the 2023 campaign. The injury has seemingly impacted the 28-year-old star at the plate, as he’s slashed just .230/.312/.399 in 135 games while leading the majors with 30 double plays grounded into. As Hayes notes, the Twins and Correa have opted against a trip to the injured list throughout the season because a full recovery would require several months of downtime.

That sort of lengthy absence would have been imprudent with the Twins in the midst of a tight race for the AL Central crown throughout most of the season. Though the club hasn’t yet mathematically clinched the division title, Minnesota enjoys a comfortable seven-game lead over the Guardians in the division with just 11 games left to play and none of them being head-to-head. That healthy lead in the division race could lead the club to contemplate a trip to the IL for Correa or, at the very least, resting their marquee shortstop more aggressively in the days ahead in order to help him stay reasonably fresh for the coming postseason push.

3. Rodriguez to undergo testing:

Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez exited yesterday’s 8-3 loss against the Dodgers in the fourth inning due to what the club has termed a scapula spasm. Over three innings of work last night, Rodriguez surrendered five runs on five hits and a walk while striking out just one. As noted by Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, the lefty is expected to undergo further testing before being re-evaluated today. While the coming update won’t have much impact on Tigers club that’s on the verge of being mathematically eliminated from the postseason, Rodriguez’s health could impact him as he looks ahead toward a likely return to free agency this coming November, having the ability to opt out of the three years left on his contract. With a strong 3.57 ERA and 3.65 FIP across 24 starts this season, the 30-year-old Rodriguez figures to rank fairly highly among starting options on the market this offseason, though it’s possible an injury that runs the risk of impacting him headed into 2024 could alter that perception.

As the 2023 regular season enters the home stretch, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Wainwright goes for #200:

After securing his 199th career win in Baltimore last week, Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright is slated to take the ball at home against the Brewers with a chance to become the 122nd player in MLB history to reach 200 wins in his career, joining the likes of Jon Lester and Chuck Finley. Pitching opposite Wainwright in what could be his final career start at Busch Stadium figures to be right-hander Freddy Peralta (3.79 ERA). The final season of Wainwright’s career has been a very difficult one, as the 41-year-old has posted a 7.95 ERA and 6.20 FIP in 94 innings of work across 20 starts. Wainwright’s Cardinals are struggling similarly, with the club facing just their second season below .500 since Wainwright debuted in 2005 with the possibility of their first 90-loss campaign since 1990.

2. Rodriguez heads to LA:

The Tigers are headed to Dodger Stadium for a three game set today. Despite the Dodgers having already clinched the NL West and the Tigers being all but eliminated from postseason contention, there’s still plenty of intrigue surrounding today’s game. That’s because left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who made waves in the baseball world at the trade deadline this year by using his no-trade rights to veto a deal that would have sent him to the Dodgers, will be taking the mound tonight against right-hander Lance Lynn, LA’s lone rotation addition at the deadline this year.  With Lynn sporting an ugly 8.18 ERA over his last four starts and much of the Dodgers rotation injured ahead of the club’s impending postseason run, Rodriguez’s 3.99 ERA in eight starts since the trade deadline would surely have been a major boost to the club in the final weeks of the season and have given them a third veteran arm to pair with Lynn and Clayton Kershaw this postseason.

3. Series Preview: Phillies @ Braves

A pair of division rivals are set to begin a three-game set that could prove to be a preview of what’s to come this postseason as the Phillies make their way to Truist Park in Atlanta. It’s the second series between the clubs in as many weeks, with the Braves having clinched the NL East crown by taking three of four in Philadelphia last week. Since then, however, the Braves suffered a brutal sweep at the hands of the Marlins while the Phillies took a series win against the Cardinals over the weekend, indicating momentum may have shifted to favor the Phillies headed into this week’s series. The coming set has no shortage of intriguing pitching matchups, starting with righties Zack Wheeler and Kyle Wright facing off this evening. Tuesday will see youngsters Spencer Strider and Cristopher Sanchez clash, while the final game of the series will see Aaron Nola take the mound opposite Bryce Elder.

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on throughout the baseball world this weekend…

1. Adam Jones honored in Baltimore:

The Orioles announced late last month that longtime Baltimore star Adam Jones will formally retire as a member of the O’s on Sept. 15. Jones will be honored in a pre-game at Camden Yards tonight, giving Baltimore fans that rooted him on as the heart and soul of many contending O’s clubs — and throughout his heroics for Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic — to bid farewell to a franchise favorite. Jones made five All-Star teams, won four Gold Gloves and captured a Silver Slugger Award as an Oriole. From 2008-18, the center fielder played in 1613 games as an Oriole, batting .279/.319/.459 with 263 home runs and 90 steals. He helped fuel postseason runs in 2012, 2014 and 2016 and played a major role in the Orioles being one of the American League’s winningest teams during his peak years in Baltimore. Following an 11-year stretch with the O’s, Jones played a year with the D-backs (2019) and spent two seasons (2020-21) with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, but he’ll always be remembered as an Oriole.

2. Cy Young candidates on the hill:

There are still multiple viable Cy Young candidates in both the American League and National League, and this weekend’s slate of games will see several of them take the hill as they make one of their final cases for that hardware. Friday will see American League innings (187) and ERA (2.79) leader Gerrit Cole take the mound against his former team in Pittsburgh. Minnesota’s Sonny Gray, who ranks second in the AL with a 2.96 ERA, will take Sunday against the visiting White Sox. His teammate Pablo Lopez — fourth in innings pitched, seventh in ERA, second in strikeout rate and riding a blistering second-half hot streak (1.89 ERA) — will look to continue his own late bid Saturday against the ChiSox. Astros lefty Framber Valdez, second in innings (181 2/3) and fifth in ERA (3.32) will host the Royals on Sunday.

In the National League, Cubs lefty Justin Steele (2.49 ERA) will be on the bump for tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks. He ranks just 15th in the NL in innings pitched but is second to Blake Snell in ERA among qualified hurlers. Baseball’s innings leader, Logan Webb (193), could cross the 200-frame threshold today versus the Rockies and will look to drop his fifth-ranked 3.40 earned run average in an ominous Coors Field setting.

3. The wild NL Wild Card chase:

The National League Wild Card race is as tightly contested as it’s been at any point this season, with each of the D-backs, Reds and Giants in a three-way tie for the third and final spot. That trio of teams is 2.5 games behind the Cubs for the second spot. As it happens, the D-backs and Cubs are set to kick off a three-game series this weekend that’ll be particularly pivotal for Arizona, where the Diamondbacks’ playoff odds have dwindled after a torrid start to the season. A D-backs sweep could flip the script and catapult them into the second Wild Card spot, whereas a series defeat or sweep at the hands of the Cubs could be a backbreaker for their playoff hopes.

Both Cincinnati and San Francisco will take on teams with losing records, as the Reds play host to the Mets and the Giants visit the Rockies at Coors Field. San Francisco’s weekend series will be particularly notable with regard to the playoff race, as they’ll play a doubleheader tomorrow to make up for yesterday’s rainout.

The Marlins, meanwhile, are just half a game behind the Reds, D-backs and Giants — but they’re in for the toughest challenge in baseball this weekend as they tangle with a juggernaut Braves club that is currently 46 games over the .500 mark with a staggering +239 run differential.

There’s enough time left on the schedule that this weekend won’t completely determine the postseason field, but we’ve reached the point in the calendar where every series — in some cases every individual games — can swing the playoff odds in significant fashion.