With only three weeks remaining in the regular season, every day is full of games that will make a major impact on the postseason race.
This week’s premier matchups — which include two series between NL division rivals, two clashes of AL contenders and a recent World Series rematch — are no exception.
Here are five series to watch during the week of Sept. 7.
- Full standings
- Bracket and tiebreakers
Guardians at Orioles
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head-to-head: The Guardians are 3-1 against the Orioles this season, taking three of four in a mid-April series at Progressive Field.
Storyline: Do the Orioles have a shot at an AL Wild Card berth? This series against the Guardians, who currently hold the league’s third and final Wild Card spot, might tell us. After winning eight of 10 games and winning three consecutive series, Baltimore has dropped six straight games, losing two of three at Coors Field and getting swept in four games by the Red Sox at home. Four games back of Cleveland — with the Blue Jays and Rangers in between — the Orioles would need a sweep to secure a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Guardians.
Watch out for: Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, whose .352 batting average in the second half ranks second in MLB among hitters with at least 150 at-bats. The two-time All-Star had an OPS under .600 into early July before getting hot at the plate, upping his batting average to .272 — a major increase, considering it was as low as .199 through Kwan’s first 50 games of the season. Kwan is also an excellent defender, beginning his career with four straight AL Gold Gloves in left field.
Cubs at Brewers
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head-to-head: The Brewers are 6-4 against their NL Central rivals this season. It’s not long since these teams last met: They split a four-game series last week at Wrigley Field.
Storyline: Can the Brewers put away the NL Central once and for all? With a seven-game lead over the Cubs, they’re the overwhelming favorites to win the division for the fourth straight season, especially after Chicago failed to gain ground last week at the Friendly Confines. A series win for Milwaukee would all but cinch up the division and get the Brewers closer to the No. 1 seed in the NL and an important first-round postseason bye.
Watch out for: The Cubs’ OTHER big bats. NL MVP frontrunnerPete Crow-Armstrong has garnered most of the attention — for good reason — but PCA has had plenty of help. Alex Bregman has a .296 batting average, a .603 slugging percentage and a .974 OPS since the All-Star break, and Seiya Suzuki is slashing .273/.403/.511 in that span. Bregman’s 15 homers in the second half are tied with Fernando Tatis Jr. for the third most in MLB, behind only Crow-Armstrong (19) and Rafael Devers (16).
Rangers at D-backs
3 games (Friday-Sunday)
Head-to-head: These Interleague rivals haven’t met since mid-August 2025, with the D-backs taking two of three at Globe Life Field.
Storyline: A rematch of the 2023 World Series, this series features two clubs in playoff contention in their respective leagues. The Rangers, who are two games behind the Astros in the AL West, have the greater division hopes of the two clubs, thanks to the Dodgers’ hold on the NL West. Still, Arizona has a half-game lead over the division-rival Padres for the final NL Wild Card spot, while the Rangers are two games out of an AL Wild Card berth.
Watch out for: D-backs catcher Gabriel Moreno. The Arizona backstop has put together a fine offensive season, batting .300 with 12 home runs and 69 RBIs. Moreno’s .847 OPS ranks second among catchers with at least 300 plate appearances, trailing only the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers. He has led a lineup featuring Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo.
Astros at Rays
3 games (Friday-Sunday)
Head-to-head: The Astros took two of three when the Rays came to town from July 3-5, winning the middle game on a walk-off homer from Yordan Alvarez and shutting out Tampa Bay in the series finale.
Storyline: Is this an ALCS preview? The Rays are the current top seed in the AL, while the Astros hold the No. 3 spot by virtue of their lead in the AL West. That would put them on opposite sides of the postseason bracket and could mean an October clash for which club will represent the league in the World Series. Of course, Tampa Bay — well ahead of the White Sox for the best record among AL division leaders — has an inside track on a first-round bye, while the Astros might have to grind through the Wild Card round. Still, it’s hard to count Houston out.
Watch out for:Junior Caminero, who launched his 38th home run of the season on Saturday and is tied with Alvarez, a Triple Crown candidate, for the AL lead. After crushing 45 home runs in his second full season in 2025, the Rays third baseman has improved his OPS by almost 50 points to .896 and came in second to Alvarez in MLB.com’s most recent AL MVP poll. He’s been even better at pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field than on the road, posting a .949 OPS at home.
Phillies at Braves
3 games (Friday-Sunday)
Head-to-head: The Braves are 7-2 against the Phillies so far in 2026, winning five of six games against their division rivals in April and winning two of the first three games of their current set in Philadelphia.
Storyline: With the Braves unable to sweep this weekend’s four-game series at Citizens Bank Park, the NL East race will carry into a crucial three-game set in Atlanta. Holding a five-game lead in the division and wrapping up the head-to-head tiebreaker with Sunday’s comeback win, the Braves can either put away the resurgent Phillies once and for all or let the Phils gain more ground. Following this series at Truist Park, the Braves will face the Cubs and Astros on the road while the Phillies take on the Nationals and Mets, so it’s an important opportunity for Atlanta.
Watch out for: Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo, who was named the NL Pitcher of the Month for August and followed that honor with 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball against the D-backs to start September. The lefty, who will start Monday’s series finale in Philly and is lined up to pitch again during next weekend’s series in Atlanta, has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 14 of his 15 starts since June 10.
