SERIES TO WATCH
MARINERS AT ASTROS (Aug. 9-12)
These games are a chance for Seattle to draw closer to American League West leader Houston, but the Mariners’ new goal is to leapfrog the surging Athletics. Seattle has dropped six of nine games this year to the defending World Series champions. Left-hander James Paxton, who pitched seven scoreless innings in a win over Houston on July 30, is scheduled to start the series opener. He’ll likely face Justin Verlander, fresh off a stellar performance against the Dodgers.
DODGERS AT ROCKIES (Aug. 9-12)
Four games in Denver, but the advantage in ballpark conditions goes to visiting Los Angeles. This goes beyond L.A.’s sweep at Denver in early June and the .655 slugging percent- age and 33 runs the Dodgers amassed. At altitude, pitchers are desperate for soft spots in the lineup, but L.A.’s depth allows manager Dave Roberts to create advantageous matchups. The Dodgers got three extrabase hits apiece from Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig and Chris Taylor in the June visit to overcome their pitchers’ 6.00 ERA.
CARDINALS AT ROYALS (Aug. 10-12)
The cross-state rivals meet for the second time this season in interleague play, this time in a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals took two of three on May 21-23 at St. Louis, a highlight in an awful season. Kansas City left fielder Alex Gordon was 5-for-11 (.455) with one home run in the series, and utility player Alcides Escobar went 4-for-10 with a double. Cardinals left fielder Marcell Ozuna was 5-for-7 (.714).
RED SOX AT PHILLIES (Aug. 14-15)
The Red Sox and Phillies have met regularly in interleague play over the last few years, and that usually has worked in Boston’s favor — the Sox won 12 of 17 games from 2012 to 2017. But the 2018 Phillies are a much better team, as they showed while splitting two close games in late July at Fenway Park. Mookie Betts won’t mind a trip to Philadelphia, where in five career games he has eight hits, including three home runs.
BREWERS AT CUBS (Aug. 14-15)
The rivals continue their battle for first place in the NL Central on two afternoons at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are 54-33 against the Brewers since the start of the 2014 season, including 8-3 this year. Chicago lefthander Jose Quintana is 2-0 with a 0.95 ERA in three starts in the season series, and backup catcher Victor Caratini is hitting .438 (7-for-16) with one double. The Brewers have scored 16 runs in the 11 games and have been shut out five times.
RAYS AT YANKEES (Aug. 14-16)
Although the Yankees have one of the best records in baseball, they have struggled against some lesser teams, including the Rays. However, while they are 6-6 overall against Tampa Bay, they are 5-1 at Yankee Stadium and have outscored the Rays 32-13 in those six games. The Yankees’ schedule the rest of the month is cushy if they can beat up on those lesser teams: The Rays, who were .500 as the week began, are the only team they’ll face that isn’t well below the break-even mark.