On deck: Phillies-Braves, Astros-Rays carry big implications

With the National League East title hanging in the balance, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies meet four times in what could be a postseason-shifting week.

That rivalry and two other interesting series featuring teams trying to lock in their postseason spots highlight the week ahead in Major League Baseball.

Phillies-Braves rumble with NL East in the balance

In a bit of a scheduling anomaly, the Phillies and Braves will wrap up a weekend wraparound series on Monday in the City of Brotherly Love before the rivalry shifts to the south for three weekend games.

With Atlanta's 5-4 come-from-behind win on Sunday, the Braves now have a 5.0-game lead in the division and continue to battle the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL's second-best record and a potential first-round bye in the postseason.

The Braves are now 7-2 against the Phillies this season and have clinched the season series. However, the four games this week still loom large for both teams for potential postseason seeding as the Phillies currently hold the second NL wild-card spot.

Astros-Rays could be postseason preview

In their first meeting of the season, Houston took two of three games from Tampa Bay over the Fourth of July weekend in south Texas. Now, the series moves to Florida with plenty on the line for both teams that are leading their respective divisions.

Houston reliever Josh Hader played a big role in the July matchup, earning a win and a save to close out the three-game series. He could play a pivotal role in this series as well, entering Sunday's action on a roll, logging 21 consecutive scoreless appearances, spanning 22.0 innings since July 21. Opposing batters have a .070 average against Hader during the stretch.

Rangers-Diamondbacks meeting about more than World Series nostalgia

These two franchises met in the 2023 World Series, with the Rangers winning the title in five games. However, when Texas and Arizona square off this weekend in the desert, the focus will be on the present and not the past.

Arizona enters Monday's play hanging onto the third seed in the NL wild-card chase. The Diamondbacks will head to Kansas City for three games to start the week before a Thursday off day ahead of the first game against Texas, the start of a season-long nine-game homestand and the final home games of the year at Chase Field.

Meanwhile, the Rangers begin the week just 2.0 games behind Houston in the AL West chase and the same distance out of the final AL wild-card spot. After an off day on Monday, Texas kicks off a three-game series in Seattle (with the Wednesday game moved up to accommodate what will be a crowded area as the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots start the season at nearby Lumen Field later that day) before meeting the Diamondbacks.