The first full week of play after Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game offers plenty of intrigue and potentially even a preview of a postseason matchup.
Phillies face heat check against Dodgers, Yankees
Break out the popcorn at Citizens Bank Park this week.
The Philadelphia Phillies, who begin Monday trailing the Atlanta Braves by 3.0 games in the National League East, will welcome both the Los Angeles Dodgers (Monday-Wednesday) and New York Yankees (Friday-Sunday) to the City of Brotherly Love this week.
Both series will not only have plenty of star power, but are also critical in the standings for a trio of teams who could be very active at the MLB trade deadline. That could be especially true for the Yankees, a team not only trying to catch the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East but also hold off the fast-charging Boston Red Sox.
After this homestand, Philadelphia hits the road to Miami and Baltimore, so the path doesn’t get much easier. How the Phillies do in this homestand could well determine the level of urgency Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski feels as the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline approaches.
Orioles-Red Sox provides interesting AL East battle at Fenway Park
Kyle Bradish just signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension, showing just how much faith the Orioles have in the starting pitcher. Now the right-hander will get a test against the red-hot Red Sox in Boston.
If schedules hold, Bradish will go up against Boston’s Ranger Suarez in a marquee matchup. However, Bradish will need to exercise some of his Fenway Park demons as he has struggled historically in Boston. Yes, it’s a small sample size but Bradish has a 13.50 ERA in 10.0 innings on the mound in Boston.
No team will enter the Monday-Wednesday matchup on more of a roll than the Red Sox, a team that enters Monday with a 13-game winning streak to get right back in the AL postseason chase. During that run, they have also leapfrogged the Orioles in the standings.
However, while Boston has gotten the majority of headlines, the Orioles have been playing solid baseball as well. Baltimore has won seven consecutive games, keeping the AL East as arguably the most interesting division in all of baseball.
Mariners have a chance to make a statement
It’s been hard to get a read on exactly what kind of team the Mariners really are this season, but this week could provide some insight into how Seattle may approach the trade deadline and the rest of the year.
After facing the Cincinnati Reds in the Emerald City for a three-game set, Seattle will travel to Arlington to face the Texas Rangers for four games after an off day on Thursday. Texas has beaten the Mariners in four of six games this season, one of the reasons why the Rangers own a half-game lead in the AL West standings.
After facing the Rangers, the Mariners head straight to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers, so building some momentum in the Lone Star State could be key for Seattle with the MLB trade deadline looming.