Two elite teams facing off. The Crosstown Classic. A battle between two of baseball’s best teams in the second half.
There are plenty of fascinating matchups this week across the Major Leagues. Here are five series to watch for the week of Aug. 17.
White Sox at Cubs
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head-to-head: The White Sox took two of three games at Rate Field from May 15-17, including a thrilling finale that ended on an Edgar Quero walk-off home run.
Storyline: The Cubs are 72-53 and have the top NL Wild Card spot. The White Sox, meanwhile, are 65-58 and have accelerated their competitive window as they occupy first place in the AL Central. It’s an enticing matchup and a rare occasion where both Chicago teams are performing at a high level. Who knows, maybe these two clubs will face off in October in a Crosstown Classic World Series?
Watch out for: Pete Crow-Armstrong has been the best player on the planet in 2026 and is seriously threatening to win NL MVP, no small feat in a league that Shohei Ohtani plays in. PCA has a .906 OPS, 28 home runs and 30 stolen bases and leads the Majors with 22 Outs Above Average (through Sunday’s games) and 7.8 WAR (per FanGraphs). After experiencing a second-half swoon last year, the Cubs’ center fielder has an .874 OPS since the All-Star break this season.
D-backs at Red Sox
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head-to-head: This is the first matchup between these two clubs in 2026. The D-backs won two of three games in Arizona last season.
Storyline: The Red Sox have caught fire after a tough stretch to begin their season, recently reeling off 27 wins in 30 games. While the D-backs haven’t been quite as hot, they’ve also been one of baseball’s better teams and have vaulted themselves into the Wild Card equation. This makes for a strong matchup of Wild Card hopefuls and a battle of two teams playing great baseball.
Watch out for: Gabriel Moreno has been one of the breakout stars of the 2026 season, as the 26-year-old catcher has already reached a career high in WAR (3.8), which is second among all catchers. Moreno has a career-best .850 OPS and has been a key reason why the D-backs are vying for a Wild Card spot.
Marlins at Phillies
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head-to-head: These two clubs have split 10 games so far this season and the run differential has been close too — the Phillies have outscored the Marlins 46 to 42.
Storyline: Can the Phillies get right and hang on to one of the Wild Card spots? It’s been an up-and-down season in Philly, as the club started slow, got hot in the middle of the season and has gone 19-20 since the beginning of July. Obviously, this team is plenty talented and has the star power to make another playoff appearance, but nothing is guaranteed at this point.
Watch out for: Bryson Stott has been one of the best players in baseball since a slow start to the season. The Phillies’ infielder has improved his OPS in every month this season and is running a 1.008 OPS in the month of August. Since the calendar flipped to June, Stott has been worth 2.8 WAR (entering Sunday), tied for the fifth-best mark among all position players. Given the Phillies’ precarious playoff position, Stott’s production has been even more important.
Braves at Brewers
3 games (Friday-Sunday)
Head-to-head: The Braves took two of three games in Atlanta from June 19-21. Atlanta won a pair of one-run games to begin the series before Milwaukee won the final game 9-4.
Storyline: These are the top two teams in baseball and in the National League, making this a juicy matchup with all sorts of implications. With the Dodgers right on the heels of both teams, every game, especially head-to-head matchups, will be vital in terms of playoff seeding and tiebreakers. And just for good measure, the series’ final game will be the 2026 Little League Classic at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Watch out for: It feels like malpractice to not highlight Jacob Misiorowski whenever the opportunity arises. Through 22 starts, Misiorowski has a 1.76 ERA and 204 strikeouts in just 133 innings. Every start from The Miz is must-watch television, as the talented right-hander possesses eye-popping stuff that we’ve essentially never seen before from a starting pitcher.
Twins at Padres
3 games (Friday-Sunday)
Head-to-head: This is their first matchup this season. The Twins took two of three games from the Padres last season.
Storyline: The Padres have caught fire with an MLB-best 11-4 record in August and a 19-10 record since the All-Star break. After slowly falling out of the Wild Card picture, San Diego has flipped the script in a hurry, thanks to their star players turning things around as the season progressed. While the NL West is likely out of the picture, the Padres are firmly in the Wild Card mix.
Watch out for: Fernando Tatis Jr. rather famously went homerless in his first 55 games. Since homering in his 56th game, Tatis has looked much more like himself, posting an .872 OPS with 13 homers since that point. As Tatis and Jackson Merrill have both caught fire, so too have the Padres, who will need those two playing at their best to make it back to October.
