5 series with huge playoff implications this week

With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, every matchup means more. And rest assured: There are plenty of interesting contests on tap for this week.

Those enticing matchups include a series between division rivals that could narrow the pool of National League Wild Card contenders. There’s also a matchup of the new guard and the old guard at the top of the American League standings. Add in two more series that will have massive AL East and AL Wild Card implications, and it’s a must-watch week around MLB.

Here are the top five series of the week.

Twins at Reds
3 games, Monday-Wednesday

Head-to-head: These two teams haven’t met in 2023. They last faced off in 2021, splitting a pair of two-game series -- one at Target Field and the other at Great American Ball Park.

Storyline: While these two interleague foes aren’t jockeying with one another for postseason positioning, this three-game set in Cincinnati is meaningful for both squads. The Twins have the chance to put away the Guardians for good and clinch the AL Central, which they’ve led for the vast majority of the season. The Reds, meanwhile, are squarely in the mix in a competitive NL Wild Card race, and they need every win they can get.

Watch out for: Twins rookie Royce Lewis. It’s not just the four grand slams in a 19-day span -- Lewis has had a very impressive rookie season across the board. A Top 100 prospect by MLB Pipeline for six straight seasons, Lewis is succeeding in the Majors despite two torn ACLs in his right knee, which sidelined him for much of 2021 and 2022. He’s hitting .310/.372/.543 with 14 homers and has been a staple in the Twins’ lineup as well as one of the best young hitters in MLB; Lewis owns the highest OPS of any rookie with at least 150 plate appearances.

Orioles at Astros
3 games, Monday-Wednesday

Head-to-head: The first matchup of the season between the Orioles and Astros was a classic, with Kyle Tucker hitting a go-ahead grand slam off Félix Bautista for a Houston win on Aug. 8. The Astros took two of three games from the O’s in that series at Camden Yards.

Storyline: The AL’s No. 1 seed against the defending World Series champion? It’s hard to do much better than that in the season’s closing weeks. The Orioles are still fighting for the AL East crown after splitting four games with the Rays over the weekend. On Sunday, Baltimore clinched its first postseason appearance since 2016, while the Astros have made the playoffs every year since their World Series win in 2017.

Houston is currently in the lead in a crowded AL West with the Rangers and Mariners well within striking distance. The Astros own the tiebreaker over their in-state rivals but would lose out in a tiebreaker scenario with Seattle, so they’ll be looking to maintain their separation, win the division and likely assure themselves a first-round bye in the AL playoffs. The AL East winner will almost certainly receive the other bye, so both the Astros and Orioles will be playing for division titles and some extra rest come October.

Watch out for: Yet another standout young Orioles hitter. Heston Kjerstad, MLB Pipeline’s No. 24 prospect, made his MLB debut Thursday against the Rays. One day later, he homered for his first Major League hit. Kjerstad, a left-handed-hitting outfielder, fits in well in a potent Baltimore lineup led by potential AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson and 2022 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Adley Rutschman.

Giants at D-backs
2 games, Tuesday-Wednesday

Head-to-head: The Giants hold a 6-5 edge in the season series with only these two games to go. After losing three of four in Phoenix in May, San Francisco has gone 5-2 against Arizona at Oracle Park.

Storyline: It’s only two games, but this series could be a decisive one when it comes to the NL Wild Card picture. Both the Giants and D-backs are eliminated from NL West contention yet still vying for playoff spots. But it’s a crowded field: The Phillies, Cubs, Marlins and Reds are also in the mix, and only three of the six teams can end up in a Wild Card series.

Additionally, the head-to-head tiebreaker between the Giants and D-backs is on the line, with San Francisco needing just one win to clinch the season series. That could be huge: If the Giants won the tiebreaker and the two teams finished with the same record, S.F. would have the edge when it comes to postseason positioning. With both teams badly needing wins to stay afloat in the playoff race, it should be a massive series at Chase Field.

Watch out for: Standout starting pitching from both teams. Off-days for both teams on Monday mean both squads’ best starters should be lined up for this crucial two-game set. The Giants are expected to go with Alex Cobb, who came within one out of a no-hitter against the Reds on Aug. 29, and Logan Webb -- MLB’s innings leader. The D-backs should have Zac Gallen, who came in third in the NL in MLB.com’s latest Cy Young Award poll, and righty Merrill Kelly on the hill. If these starters are in full form, it should make for a pair of pitchers’ duels in the desert.

Blue Jays at Rays
3 games, Friday-Sunday

Head-to-head: The Rays are 4-3 against the Blue Jays this season after winning three of four at Tropicana Field from May 22-25. Toronto took two of three from April 14-16 at Rogers Centre.

Storyline: After a three-game set with the Angels from Tuesday to Thursday, the Rays’ final eight games will all be division contests. Tampa Bay will host Toronto for the first of two series between the two teams; the Blue Jays will host the Rays from Sept. 29-Oct. 1 to conclude the regular season.

This weekend’s series will be crucial as the Rays seek an AL East title and the Blue Jays contend for an AL Wild Card spot. Tampa Bay is still battling it out with Baltimore after this weekend’s huge series at Camden Yards, hoping to win its third division title in four years and likely secure a bye to the AL Division Series. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, are competing with the Astros, Rangers and Mariners -- one of whom will win the AL West -- for a playoff berth. But they’ll have a tough task this weekend on the road at the Trop.

Watch out for: Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz. Díaz has had a somewhat unheralded season despite ranking second in the American League in batting average (.319), third in on-base percentage (.398) and sixth in slugging (.503). He’s been even better since Sept. 9, batting .371/.405/.657 with four doubles and two homers in that span. Díaz has been the best hitter on one of the AL’s best teams, and he’s been known to have some success in big moments.

Mariners at Rangers
3 games, Friday-Sunday

Head-to-head: The Rangers own a commanding 5-1 record against the Mariners thus far in 2023. Seattle’s only win came in the middle of a three-game set at T-Mobile Park; Texas won that series and swept three games at Globe Life Field. The two division rivals haven’t faced off since the beginning of June, though.

Storyline: This weekend’s series is one of two remaining between this pair of AL West clubs; they’ll play again in Seattle for four games to close out the regular season. The Mariners face a four-game deficit in the season series with the Rangers and would have to win six of the seven remaining games to win the head-to-head tiebreaker. But they have a great chance to finish ahead of the Rangers in the standings and render that tiebreaker null and void.

The Mariners have had one of MLB’s best records since the All-Star Break, while the Rangers won six straight games before being swept by the Guardians over the weekend. With two weeks to go, both teams are not only in the AL Wild Card mix but in contention for the AL West title. Of course, they’ll have to surpass the Astros -- and each other -- if they hope to win the division and secure a likely first-round bye in the postseason.

Watch out for: Julio Rodríguez, naturally. Rodríguez earned AL Player of the Month honors for August, and the way his September is going, he might have a chance to go back to back. The 2022 AL Rookie of the year is hitting .296 with a .949 OPS in September as the Mariners make their playoff push -- and he’s an elite baserunner and fielder as well. There are few players more fun to watch than Rodríguez, and he’ll likely bring his best game to this series in Arlington.