Overview

• MLB.com spotlights five series with playoff stakes this week: Phillies at Mets, Padres at Mariners, Reds at Dodgers, Brewers at Blue Jays, and Tigers at Royals.
• Detroit sits atop the American League at 78-54 after overtaking Toronto, while Milwaukee holds MLB’s best record at 81-50.
• The Dodgers and Padres enter the week deadlocked for first in the NL West after Los Angeles stopped a sweep to pull even.
• New York clings to the final NL Wild Card with Cincinnati 1.5 games back, raising the stakes for the Mets’ set against Philadelphia.
• Player storylines loom large, with Kyle Schwarber at 45 home runs nearing a 50-homer season and Shohei Ohtani’s pitching workload managed as he eyes a longer outing.