Yankees-Royals matchup among this week's 5 series to watch

It's never too early to get hyped for potential postseason matchups, and this week features several series that could serve as October previews – or at least play a role in how playoff berths shake out.

Just consider this baseball feast: The slugging Yankees vs. the scrappy Royals. The veteran Braves vs. the young Orioles. The surging Phillies vs. the surprising Red Sox. The World Series-aspiring Dodgers vs. the World Series champion Rangers. The Cardinals-Cubs rivalry, with potential Wild Card implications at stake. Delicious.

It's only mid-June, but there are plenty of reasons to be excited about a slew of games that should have a playoff-like feel.

Yankees at Royals
4 games (Monday-Thursday)

Head-to-head: This will be the first meeting in 2024 for these two exciting teams, but last season the Yankees won four of their six meetings, including a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium in late July.

Storyline: Led by emerging superstar Bobby Witt Jr. and steady veteran Salvador Perez, the Royals are surging, having already had winning streaks of seven and eight games this season. But there are still questions about whether it's real, given that the team lost 106 games in 2023. New York, with the highest team OPS in baseball as well as the lowest team ERA, also owns the best record in the AL and has been clicking on all cylinders for most of the season. The Yankees will be a good test to see just how good Kansas City might be.

Watch out for: The Juan Soto Factor. Soto has been sidelined with forearm inflammation, making his availability for this series uncertain. The Yankees are still good without Soto in the lineup, but his bat is an obvious difference-maker that the team needs to keep up its dominant ways. But if he plays, it could make for a fun back-and-forth dynamic between he and Judge, and Witt and Perez to see which pair of stars will shine brightest this week.

Braves at Orioles
3 games (Tuesday-Thursday)

Head-to-head: Atlanta and Baltimore haven't met this season, but the Braves took two of three in a thrilling series last season at Truist Park.

Storyline: The Braves' bats, or lack thereof. The Braves and Orioles each lead the Wild Card race in their respective league, but it sure hasn't felt that way in Atlanta. The Braves' offense has sputtered for the better part of six weeks, averaging only about 3.6 runs per game, with no obvious cause or solution to be found. Even before Atlanta lost Ronald Acuña Jr. to a season-ending ACL injury, the bats had been consistently quiet for a while. Manager Brian Snitker and others have been steadfast in their belief that the offense will soon find its way and look more like the 2023 version, which produced an MLB-record .501 team slugging percentage for the season.

Watch out for: The Braves' pitchers vs. the Orioles' hitters. The O's have hit the most homers in MLB this season (led by Gunnar Henderson's 20) and scored the second-most runs, while the Braves have allowed the fifth-fewest long balls and allowed the sixth-fewest runs. Max Fried, who has allowed a total of three earned runs over his past three starts, is lined up to start the series opener for Atlanta, followed by rookie Spencer Schwellenbach in Game 2, which might be the Orioles' best chance to do damage. In the series finale, Baltimore will have to contend with Reynaldo Lopez and his 1.85 ERA.

Phillies at Red Sox
3 games (Tuesday-Thursday)

Head-to-head: Tuesday marks the first time the teams have met this season. Last season, the Red Sox took two of three in Philly in early May.

Storyline: Will the Phillies slow down? They've been the best team in the National League this season, and they've done it with contributions from just about everyone. While their individual and team offensive stats aren't eye-popping (Bryce Harper's .920 OPS is tops among their regulars), they lead the NL in runs and had a team OPS+ of 111 entering Sunday. And combined with their stellar pitching staff (NL-leading 2.93 ERA, led by Ranger Suárez's 1.81 ERA), it's made for a very productive two-plus months.

Watch out for: Edmundo Sosa, who has carried an OPS+ north of 150 while filling in for the injured Trea Turner at short. The 28-year-old utility man has been a godsend for the Phillies, as he's come up with a number of big hits and played great defense (he's already been worth 1.9 bWAR). Harper, Alec Bohm and Kyle Schwarber get most of the offensive attention, and rightfully so, but definitely don't sleep on Sosa to be a difference-maker. Also watch out for: The Phillies' energy. Philadelphia has been red hot for more than a month, carrying its usual intensity on the way to building a healthy lead in the NL East. But with just one day off after their series with the Mets in London, Philadelphia will have to battle jet lag and general travel fatigue as this series gets underway.

Rangers at Dodgers
3 games (Tuesday-Thursday)

Head-to-head: The teams haven't met yet in 2024, but the Dodgers won two of three in Arlington last season.

Storyline: Can the Rangers find a groove? The Rangers have yet to put it all together this season after winning the World Series last year. Texas hasn't been above .500 since May 18 and has lost 17 of its past 26 games. Injuries to regulars (Josh Jung, Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford) and under-performance (Carter and Langford again, among others) can share the bulk of the blame, but it's not what Texas envisioned at the start of the season. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have been chugging along just as everyone expected after they took an already strong team and added Shohei Ohtani (.947 OPS and 3.0 bWAR), Tyler Glasnow (12.1 K/9) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10.4 K/9) to go along with Mookie Betts (3.6 bWAR) and Freddie Freeman (150 OPS+).

Watch out for: Corey Seager's hamstring. The Texas slugger and World Series MVP has missed the past few games with left hamstring tightness. An IL stint isn't expected, but hamstrings are tricky, and it's something that could affect his availability and performance in the Dodgers series. Before the hammy issue, Seager had been on a tear, carrying a 1.022 OPS from May 1 through June 5, including a period in which he hit eight homers in eight games. The Rangers obviously need his bat to win consistently.

Cardinals at Cubs
3 games (Friday-Sunday)

Head-to-head: In their only meeting so far in 2024, the Cardinals won two games in St. Louis in late May (the series opener was rescheduled due to rain).

Storyline: Though the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry remains strong, and though both teams remain in the thick of the playoff race, these are two squads going in seemingly opposite directions. After a slow start, the Cardinals have won 16 of their past 25 while the Cubs have lost 17 of their past 25 after playing solid ball for much of the first two months. The Cardinals have averaged nearly five runs per game during their hot stretch, while the Cubs have hit just .212 as a team and carried a .632 OPS while averaging about 3.5 runs per game.

Watch out for: Masyn Winn's continued emergence. The rookie has already had an 18-game hitting streak this season and has been a spark plug for the Cardinals' offense. Since May 9, Winn has hit .347 with an .894 OPS and has played outstanding defense at shortstop.