5 series to watch this week as playoff races heat up

With September right around the corner, the postseason races are coming into focus and heating up down the stretch. Every game becomes that much more important, and in some cases, each game could end up being the difference between playing in October or watching the playoffs from home.

The week ahead promises to be an exciting one with several must-see matchups between postseason contenders. There will be division rivals facing off as races get tighter, sluggers in both leagues chasing history, and much more.

Here are five series you don’t want to miss this week:

Royals (73-58) at Guardians (75-56)
4 games (Monday-Wednesday; doubleheader on Monday)

Head to head: After taking the first game of a doubleheader, 4-3, on Monday, the Royals have won five of seven games in the season series between these American League Central rivals. They split a two-game set at Progressive Field from June 4-6, and Kansas City won three of four against Cleveland at Kauffman Stadium from June 27-30.

Storyline: The surprising Guardians jumped out to a big division lead in the AL Central under new manager Stephen Vogt, but the upstart Royals have cut that lead to just two games as the two clubs have gone in opposite directions of late. Kansas City has won eight of its last 11 games, while Cleveland has lost seven of its last 10. This series is one of two remaining between these clubs this season, with another big showdown at Kauffman Stadium from Sept. 2-4.

Watch out for: Continuing the theme of diverging trends, the two players to keep an eye on in this series are the two superstar infielders, Bobby Witt Jr. and José Ramírez. Witt has continued his monster season in August, keeping himself in the AL MVP discussion despite the prodigious and potentially historic season Aaron Judge is authoring.

After a phenomenal July, when he posted a 1.353 OPS, Witt had an OPS over 1.050 this month entering Monday, and he stayed hot by hitting his 27th homer in the twin bill opener. Ramírez, meanwhile, is hoping to turn things around following a 1-for-20 slump at the plate -- Saturday’s 2-for-4 performance in which he belted his 33rd home run was a good start, and he doubled and scored a run while going 1-for-4 in the Game 1 on Monday.

Yankees (77-54) at Nationals (59-72)
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)

Head to head: This will be the first meeting between these clubs in 2024. Last season, the Yankees took two of three games at Yankee Stadium from Aug. 22-24. This will also be the Yanks’ first trip to Nationals Park since July 23-26, 2020, the opening series of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

Storyline: The storylines will abound for this series, from Juan Soto making his first appearance as a Yankee in the ballpark where he began his Major League career, to fellow slugger Judge continuing to chase home run history, to MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect anticipated to make his big league debut. Judge is on a home run tear (not that that’s surprising), having launched nine of them in his last 12 games. Dylan Crews, selected second overall by the Nats in the 2023 Draft, is set to make his MLB debut on Monday.

Watch out for: All of the above. Soto’s every plate appearance will be watched with even more interest than usual, particularly by the crowd at Nats Park. Judge is currently on pace to challenge his own single-season AL record of 62 home runs. And Crews’ debut comes after the 22-year-old outfielder posted a .792 OPS with 13 homers and 25 steals in 100 games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester this season.

Braves (70-60) at Twins (72-58)
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)

Head to head: The Braves and Twins last faced off last season, with Atlanta sweeping Minnesota at Truist Park from June 26-28. The upcoming series will be the Braves’ first at Target Field since 2019.

Storyline: The Braves are trying to survive injuries to some of their greatest stars -- reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., flamethrowing right-hander Spencer Strider and slugging third baseman Austin Riley among them. They’re currently in possession of an NL Wild Card spot thanks to six wins in their last eight games, but they need Matt Olson and others in the lineup to rediscover their form from 2023.

The Twins, meanwhile, have continued to have injury troubles of their own -- oft-sidelined stars Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa are currently on the IL -- but Minnesota is also holding onto a Wild Card spot while eyeing an AL Central title.

Watch out for: Chris Sale seems to be the man to beat in the NL Cy Young Award race and given that he’s 35 and coming off several injury-plagued seasons with the Red Sox, each of his starts have become must-see television. The veteran left-hander has enjoyed a renaissance in 2024, and he’s lined up to start Wednesday against the Twins. Sale has a 2.19 ERA over four starts this month with 36 strikeouts to just five walks.

Mets (68-63) at D-backs (75-56)
3 games (Tuesday-Thursday)

Head to head: The Mets and D-backs split a four-game set at Citi Field from May 30-June 2.

Storyline: Since June 29, the D-backs have been red-hot, winning 36 of 49 games to vault themselves into not only an NL Wild Card position, but within striking distance of the NL West-leading Dodgers. The Mets, meanwhile, had a hot streak of their own, going 33-18 over the months of June and July, but they’re currently on the outside looking in after hitting some speed bumps in August.

Watch out for: The Polar Bear. Pete Alonso isn’t having a bad season, but the Mets are waiting to see him heat up for an extended period of time. Now would be a great time, as New York is 2 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot and could use a player who’s capable of carrying an offense for a while to join Francisco Lindor in that endeavor.

Orioles (76-56) at Dodgers (78-53)
3 games (Tuesday-Thursday)

Head to head: This will be the Orioles’ first trip to Dodger Stadium since 2016. The clubs met last year at Camden Yards, where the Dodgers won two of three from July 17-19.

Storyline: The O’s bolted out of the gate this season with 17 wins apiece in April, May and June. By July 7, Baltimore was 57-33. But since then, the Orioles have gone 19-23. They’re hoping to turn things around quickly as they run a neck-and-neck race with the Yankees in the AL East.

The Dodgers are suddenly in a position they’re not very accustomed to, with the D-backs and Padres surging and putting heat on the division leaders. But Los Angeles is hoping to get star starters Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto back off the IL soon and will try to hold off Arizona and San Diego in the meantime.

Watch out for: Shohei Ohtani continues to do what he does best -- make us watch in awe as he amazes us again and again after everything he’s already accomplished. That includes becoming the fastest player (and first Dodger) to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season (126 games), accomplishing the feat last Friday with a walk-off grand slam.

He’s already a two-time MVP Award winner, but Ohtani has a chance this year to become the first full-time designated hitter to be named MVP. He could also become the first player in AL/NL history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in the same season. More than any other player, he is appointment viewing every time he steps to the plate.