Wild Card rematch among 5 series to watch this week

A wildly eventful Trade Deadline has come and gone, and in the baseball calendar, this is when things start to get real.

It's officially go-time in the pennant race, with postseason spots up for grabs across the board. In the National League, all three division races look like they may go down to the wire. Meanwhile, in the American League, no one wants to pull away in a contentious Wild Card race. Each game is of the utmost importance.

It's only fitting that these regular season games have a postseason feel to them, and that will certainly be the case. Here are five series to watch this week.

Astros at Marlins: 3 games (Monday-Wednesday)

Head-to-head: Once NL foes, these two Interleague teams are meeting for the first time this season. The Astros have won five straight games against the Marlins, dating back to 2023 -- including a three-game sweep in Houston last July.

Storyline: At this point, the Marlins -- an MLB-best 30-14 since June 13 -- are must-watch TV. Kyle Stowers may be a bona fide star. Agustín Ramírez is bashing home runs left and right. Edward Cabrera and Sandy Alcantara are still around, despite a wave of trade rumors leading up to the Deadline. Suddenly, Miami has won six consecutive series for the first time since 1997, which, of course, was a pretty good year for the franchise. This is a fun team that deserves your attention.

Watch out for: Carlos Correa. In a true Deadline shocker, the Twins shipped the three-time All-Star back to Houston, where he spent the first seven years of his career. Correa isn’t having a dynamic offensive season, but merely his presence should solidify a Houston lineup ravaged by injury. Over the weekend in Boston, he went 3-for-12, batting out of the three-hole and playing third base for the first time in his career. We’ll see what sort of thump he provides in Miami.

Yankees at Rangers: 3 games (Monday-Wednesday)

Head-to-head: The Yankees swept a three-game series from the Rangers in the Bronx in May, but all three games were close. The Bombers’ dominant pitching set the tone, allowing just five runs in the entire series.

Storyline: Can the Rangers continue to gain ground? It wasn’t long ago that the Rangers looked like they might be Deadline sellers. But Texas has gone 10-5 since the All-Star break entering Sunday, vaulting itself back into the race on the back of stalwart starting pitching and timely hitting. This series could go a long way towards dictating Texas' postseason fate.

Watch out for: Aaron Judge. The defending AL MVP is targeting a return to the Yankees lineup on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Judge won’t play the field as he fights through a flexor strain in his right elbow, instead serving as the team’s primary DH. Needless to say, New York could use Judge in the middle of a new-look lineup, especially against a team that it’s competing with for a Wild Card spot.

Reds at Cubs: 3 games (Monday-Wednesday)

Head-to-head: It may be August, but the NL Central counterparts have met only six times this year -- with seven additional head-to-head meetings to come. That includes a four-game set at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati in late September, which could have huge implications. So far, the Cubs have the upper hand, winning four of the first six games against the Reds.

Storyline: The NL Wild Card race has thinned out over the past few weeks, with a number of teams fading. But the Reds are still very much alive in the race. Can they start making up ground? Cincinnati received a boost at the Deadline, shoring up its lineup with Ke'Bryan Hayes and Miguel Andujar, while adding Zack Littell to bolster the rotation. There’s plenty of meaningful games to be played for a franchise that hasn’t made the postseason since 2020.

Watch out for: Pete Crow-Armstrong. The All-Star center fielder has tortured Reds pitching this season, with a .391/.423/.739 slash line through six games. In July, Crow-Armstrong hit .308 with a .984 OPS -- both single-month highs on the season. But he’ll certainly be tested by a strong Reds pitching staff, with stalwart left-handers Nick Lodolo and fellow All-Star Andrew Abbott potentially getting the ball for Cincinnati.

Blue Jays at Dodgers: 3 games (Friday-Sunday)

Head-to-head: These two teams don't meet too often, and it's their first clash this season. But, who knows, the way things are shaping up, perhaps they'll meet again in October. The Dodgers took a series in Toronto last April.

Storyline: Will both teams be able to maintain their respective division leads? The Padres are hot on the Dodgers’ heels, looking even more formidable after the Deadline. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is just 7-8 since the All-Star break. And in the AL East, the Blue Jays have lost five of their last eight games, cooling off over the last week. They haven’t lost any ground in the division race, but the Red Sox and Yankees are each in the rearview mirror.

Watch out for: Blake Snell. The left-hander made his long-awaited return to the big league mound on Saturday, and he showed flashes of his dominant self, notching eight strikeouts. It was Snell’s first start since April 2 following a lengthy IL stint with a shoulder injury. Any significant contribution from Snell down the stretch would certainly behoove the Dodgers, whose rotation suddenly looks complete again. We’ll see how Snell fares against a solid Blue Jays lineup over the weekend.

Mets at Brewers: 3 games (Friday-Sunday)

Head-to-head: These teams have plenty of recent history, as the Mets return to Milwaukee for the first time since last year’s thrilling Wild Card Series. Pete Alonso -- whose three-run home run off Devin Williams in Game 3 brought New York back from the brink -- is sure to receive a smattering of boos. The Mets also won two out of three games from the Brewers at Citi Field in July.

Storyline: Can the Brewers' rotation keep this up? The injury to Jacob Misiorowski is certainly a blow, but this unit has dominated for months. Brandon Woodruff has been sensational since re-joining the Brewers' rotation, pitching to a 2.01 ERA in five starts. Quinn Priester has been a reve;atopm, too, with a 10-2 record and a 3.27 ERA. Both players are slated to start this weekend, and they'll continue to play outsized roles as Milwaukee looks to fend off the Cubs atop the division.

Watch out for: Andrew Vaughn. In a star-studded series, it’s Vaughn who deserves your attention. He's done nothing but rake since coming over from the White Sox in mid-June, batting .386 with a 1.220 OPS across his first 17 games with his new club. Suddenly, he’s a vital right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup, with Rhys Hoskins and now Jackson Chourio sidelined. We'll see how long he can keep his hot streak rolling.