MLB series of the week

By this point in the season, contending teams know whether they need to trade for a starting pitcher. Most do, but they usually have to wait for rival teams to declare themselves as sellers. Here’s the wrinkle: In the American League, no team is more than six games out of a playoff spot. Yet the early seller often gets the best return, because the buyer gets the pitcher in the middle of June instead of the end of July, and that could mean eight extra starts. The results of this series could help propel the losing team toward selling, and the intriguing starters who could be available include Chicago’s Jose Quintana (5.60 ERA), Derek Holland (3.43) and Miguel Gonzalez (4.83) and Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer (3.74), Alex Cobb (3.67) and Jake Odorizzi (3.53). Closers could be had too: Chicago’s David Robertson (eight saves, 2.29) and Tampa Bay’s Alex Colome (15 saves, 2.05).