We’re entering the final week of August, which means the end of the 2025 regular season is upon us.
That means every matchup and every series will carry even more importance the rest of the way. That’s certainly true this week, as there is an NL East showdown of the top two teams, a battle of Wild Card hopefuls also contending for their respective divisions and a matchup between two of the top teams in baseball.
Here are five series to watch this week.
Phillies at Mets: 3 games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head-to-head: The Mets have taken four of six games from the Phillies but the season series has been very close, with Philadelphia outscoring New York 29 to 28. However, when these two teams faced off from June 20-22 in Philadelphia, each of the games were blowouts: a 10-2 Phillies win in the first game, an 11-4 Mets win in the second game and a 7-1 Phillies victory in the series finale.
Storyline: At this point, the Mets winning the division feels like a long shot, considering they’re seven games back with 32 games remaining in their season. To be blunt, just making the playoffs is the bigger question for New York. With a slim 1 1/2-game lead over the Reds, it’s getting awfully dicey for the Mets as they enter the stretch run. The Phillies, too, might have something to say about the Mets making the playoffs and could lower their chances this series.
Watch out for: Kyle Schwarber's first career 50-home-run season is in sight. No, it probably won’t come this series, but with 45 home runs -- two shy of his career-high 47 homers hit in 2023 -- that day is near, especially with the way Schwarber has been going in recent months. Schwarber, a pending free agent, has chosen a career year at an optimal time and, at 32 years old, is showing no signs of slowing down. Perhaps more importantly, Schwarber’s offensive prowess could help shape the Phillies chances of winning their first World Series since 2008.
Padres at Mariners: 3 games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head to head: The Mariners thoroughly trounced the Padres in a three-game sweep on May 16-18 in San Diego, outscoring the Friars 15-3. San Diego managed to score just one run in each of its three games.
Storyline: Both teams aren’t just vying for Wild Card spots in their respective leagues -- they’re also seriously threatening to win their division. The Padres enter the series tied with the Dodgers for first place in the NL West, while the Mariners are only two back of the Astros. Making the playoffs in any form is the goal for both teams, but winning the division is still a possibility for San Diego and Seattle.
Watch out for: There’s no shortage of star power on display. Cal Raleigh is a switch-hitting catcher with 49 home runs and could legitimately rival Aaron Judge for the AL MVP. Fernando Tatis Jr. (.802 OPS and 5.2 Wins Above Replacement, per FanGraphs) could find himself as a top-five MVP finisher in the National League. Julio Rodríguez (25 home runs, 23 stolen bases and 4.1 WAR) and Manny Machado (.834 OPS and 3.8 WAR) should receive MVP votes when it’s all said and done, too.
Reds at Dodgers: 3 games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head-to-head: The Dodgers took two of three games on July 28-30 in Cincinnati, outscoring the Reds by a thin margin of 12 to 11.
Storyline: Could Wednesday be Shohei Ohtani's first outing of five-plus innings to qualify for a win? The Dodgers have, understandably, built Ohtani's pitching progression up slowly and we saw him pitch at least four innings in each of his last three outings. It's quite possible that this is where the Dodgers decide to cap Ohtani's innings, considering his importance as a hitter -- you might notice his 45 home runs and 1.008 OPS at the dish -- and his return from a second major arm surgery. But nothing about Ohtani is normal, and he's perhaps ready to return to pitching deeper into games for the Dodgers.
Watch out for: There's pitching galore in this series. The series opener features the dynamic Hunter Greene (2.63 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 72 innings) against Emmet Sheehan, who has a 4.17 ERA in nine outings since returning from injury. Veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw (3.13 ERA in 16 starts) will face Nick Martinez on Tuesday, while the aforementioned Ohtani will toe the rubber against Nick Lodolo (3.05 ERA in 23 starts) in the series finale on Wednesday.
Brewers at Blue Jays: 3 games (Friday-Sunday)
Head-to-head: This is the first and only regular-season matchup between these two clubs this season. The Brewers took two of three games from the Blue Jays in Milwaukee from June 10-12 last season.
Storyline: There's an emphasis on this being the only regular-season matchup. As you're surely aware, these are two of the best teams in baseball, with Milwaukee boasting the top record (81-50) and Toronto's 76-55 record tied for fourth best in the Majors. Your usual playoff randomness aside, it's not that far-fetched to think about these teams meeting up in this year's Fall Classic. The Brewers are one of five teams that haven't won a World Series -- Milwaukee lost in seven games to the Cardinals in its only World Series appearance 1982 -- while the Blue Jays haven't made it since winning their second of two straight World Series in 1993 against the Phillies.
Watch out for: Brice Turang is just one of many players responsible for the Brewers' best record. But he's been especially good in the month of August, with Turang going yard eight times in 21 games this month. That's especially remarkable when you consider that Turang only had seven total home runs last season. Turang's power improvement has been impressive -- he's had the biggest jump in hard-hit rate (16.4 percent) and average exit velocity (3.8 mph) of any qualified player from last season -- and has helped turn him into an excellent all-around young player.
Tigers at Royals: 3 games (Friday-Sunday)
Head-to-head: The Tigers have thoroughly dominated the season series, taking four of six games while outscoring the Royals 34 to 20.
Storyline: The Tigers own the top record in the American League. The Royals have clawed their way back into the playoff mix after going 20-14 since the break. With just over a month left in the season, there's a chance for these AL Central rivals to alter the fate of the other team's season. For the Tigers, they could do serious damage if they pull off a sweep of a Royals team just three games back of a Wild Card spot. On the flip side, the Royals could bump the Tigers from their top spot in the American League and make their playoff journey more difficult.
Watch out for: Vinnie Pasquantino has been one of baseball's biggest power threats since the All-Star break. The Royals first baseman has gone yard 13 times, which only trails Shea Langeliers (16), Schwarber (15) and Junior Caminero (14). For a club that has been starved of power for much of the year, Pasquantino's thump has no doubt played a huge role in the Royals' resurgence in recent weeks.