The 8 most important series remaining in regular season

We are rapidly approaching the point in the season when every game seems to count a little bit more. One hot week can make your whole year … and one bad one can wreck everything you’ve been trying to build. And everyone -- everyone -- is keeping one eye on their team’s games and one eye on the scoreboard to see what the team next to them in the standings is doing.

It's the playoff chase. This is why this is fun.

But even at a time when every game is massive, some are more vital and urgent than others. These are the classic series, the ones that can make or break an entire season. It’s one thing to watch a scoreboard; it’s another just to beat the team you’re most worried about head-to-head, especially when that head-to-head record serves as the tiebreaker for postseason seeding -- or even getting to the postseason.

Here are the eight biggest series left on the schedule. These are the matchups that will settle everything.

Aug. 31-Sept. 3: Braves at Dodgers
L.A. leads season series, 2-1

Both teams are comfortably in first place and all but certain to punch tickets to the postseason before September is half over. But, as great as the Braves have been this year, the recent tear the Dodgers have been on has put them within shouting distance of Atlanta for the No. 1 seed in the National League. They’re only three games behind in the loss column at this point, and these two teams will play four at Chavez Ravine over Labor Day Weekend.

This is about more than just playoff positioning, though. These have been the two teams in the National League for the last half-decade, and in many ways, their battles are attempts to stake a claim for the current NL dynasty. Four of the past six times the Braves have reached the postseason, they’ve played the Dodgers, only beating them (finally) in 2021 en route to their World Series title. They may just meet each other again this year, making this an intriguing preview.

Sept. 1-3: Cubs at Reds
Cincinnati leads season series, 5-4

This one actually starts with a doubleheader on Friday, the perfect kickoff for a four-game holiday weekend series. If one team can sweep that twin bill, its opponent will be on its heels the rest of the weekend. These teams are ostensibly within sight of the Brewers in the NL Central, although the way Milwaukee is playing right now, that might not be the case for much longer. Chicago and Cincinnati are certainly in the thick of the Wild Card chase, though, with the Cubs occupying one of the three NL spots and the Reds close behind.

It's also a division matchup, obviously, and one that points to the future of the NL Central. The Brewers have serious questions moving forward, the Cardinals are in transition and the Pirates are probably still a few years away. The Reds and the Cubs are arguably going to be battling each other for NL Central supremacy for the new few years, and there’s no better way for one to stake a claim than by knocking the other out of the playoff chase -- and grabbing the spot.

Sept. 4-6: Astros at Rangers
Houston leads season series, 6-4

This is the closest division race in baseball, featuring two intrastate rivals who, suffice it to say, aren’t particularly fond of each other. It’s also the only series left between the two Texas teams, which makes each game that much more vital. And you might see Justin Verlander vs. Max Scherzer. The only thing that makes this series lose a little luster is that both teams, like the Dodgers and Braves above, look ticketed for the playoffs already. Though the way the Mariners are playing, that might not be so certain anymore. But we’ll get to the Mariners in a bit …

Sept. 11-14: Marlins at Brewers
Have yet to play this season

The Marlins have an unusually difficult schedule down the stretch, and not just because of the six intradivisional games against the Braves and Phillies. The major issue is the three games against the Dodgers, the two games against the Rays and, especially, the whopping seven games they have against the first-place Brewers. Four of those will be right in the middle of a brutal 13-game stretch in which the Marlins will also play the Dodgers, Phillies and Braves. The Milwaukee series will pit Miami against old pal Christian Yelich, who is streaking now, just like his team is. Meanwhile, the Brewers are still staving off the Reds and Cubs, with the latter heading to Milwaukee for three games to finish the regular-season schedule.

Sept. 14-17: Rays at Orioles
Baltimore leads season series, 6-3

Fun fact: If you discount the 2020 COVID season, these teams have won the AL East the exact same number of times since 2011: Once. Obviously, they’ve taken some pretty different routes over the last 12 years, but here they are, with the rest of the division in the rearview mirror, battling it out for a first-round bye. This four-game set at Camden Yards is the only time these two teams will play each other the rest of the year, intensifying every game that much more. It’s going to be quite the scene in Baltimore that weekend.

Sept. 25-27: Padres at Giants
Season series tied, 3-3

Is it too optimistic to think the Padres are still going to be in the NL Wild Card chase by this point? We don’t think so. If you’re looking for a reason to be optimistic about the Padres -- other than all that otherworldly talent -- you can point to their closing schedule. These three games against the Giants are the only ones they’ll play against a winning team after Sept. 13. (Their other opponents? The A’s, Rockies, Cardinals and White Sox.) The Giants, meanwhile, have Wild Card hopes of their own, hopes that are on a little more solid footing than the Padres’. This series could end up being huge for them, too, sandwiched between seven games against the first-place Dodgers.

Sept. 29-Oct. 1: Rays at Blue Jays
Tampa Bay leads season series, 4-3

There are two clear standout series on the final weekend, and this one, which may end up meaning a ton more for the Blue Jays than it does the Rays, is definitely one of them. Toronto is going to face some familiar foes over the final two weeks, with its final four series each coming against the Yankees or Rays. One doubts if the Blue Jays would mind very much if the Rays didn’t have much to play for that last weekend, because it’s highly likely they themselves will.

Sept. 28-Oct. 1: Rangers at Mariners
Texas leads season series, 5-1

The incredible run the Mariners have been on this month not only puts them in the conversation, it puts them at the center of the best series of the season’s final weekend. This might be vital for their Wild Card hopes, but don’t limit your imagination to just that. The Mariners’ hot streak has them within two games of the first-place Rangers. If the Mariners keep playing like they’ve been playing, they won’t be chasing the Rangers at this point; the Rangers will be chasing them.