Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals
All signs point to the Nationals earning their first playoff berth in franchise history considering they have a comfortable five-game lead in the NL East and their magic number is three games, but it’s still important to keep momentum in the final weeks of the regular season.
As for the Dodgers, every game is important for them from here on out as they currently sit one game back of the St. Louis Cardinals for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. With teams such as the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies looking to make a late playoff run, the last thing Los Angeles wants is to see one of these teams move ahead in the standing because of losses to Washington.
Luckily, the Dodgers have won their last five games against the Dodgers–so that gives them a bit of an advantage heading into Tuesday.
Oakland Athletics vs. Detroit Tigers
Over the last couple of weeks, the Tigers have missed out on numerous opportunities to make a strong run at overtaking the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, but the keep finding ways to come through on the losing end. Detroit suffered another crucial loss to their division rivals on Monday and Tuesday’s series opener against Oakland doesn’t get any easier.
The Athletics seem to be in the perfect position to earn one of the two Wild Card spots and could even make a late-minute run for the division as they sit three games behind the Texas Rangers.
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