On deck: Cubs-Braves, Mookie Betts return, fall of Astros, Blue Jays

Baseball moves into the middle of May and the quarter mark of the season. Here are five things to watch this week.

NL powerhouses collide in Atlanta

Two National League division leaders meet this week, and it is sure to be emotional.

The East-leading Atlanta Braves host the Central-leading Chicago Cubs in a three-game series that begins on Tuesday night. Tears will flow before the opener when the Braves honor the memory of former owner Ted Turner and manager Bobby Cox. Both legends died last week while the Braves were on a road trip.

The Braves’ 28-13 record is the best in the major leagues, and they already hold a nine-game lead in the NL East. The Cubs have had two 10-game winning streaks in the early going. Yet, their 27-14 record is good for just a 3.5-game advantage in the NL Central, where all five teams are at least three games over .500.

Colin Rea, Shota Imanaga and Ben Brown are scheduled to start for the Cubs. The Braves plan to counter with Grant Holmes, JR Ritchie and Chris Sale.

Mookie Betts should help the Dodgers' mojo

The Los Angeles Dodgers looked invincible when they got off to a 15-4 start this season following back-to-back World Series titles. However, they are 9-12 since then and have fallen into a first-place tie with the San Diego Padres in the NL West. Both teams have 24-16 records.

Shortstop Mookie Betts is expected to be activated from the injured list on Monday night when the Dodgers host the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a four-game series. Betts has been out since April 5 because of a strained right oblique.

Betts was off to a slow start, hitting .179/.281/.429 with two home runs in eight games. Yet, he is an eight-time All-Star and was the 2018 American League MVP.

The Dodgers could gain their mojo back this week as they face two of the worst teams in MLB, the Giants and the Los Angeles Angels, who visit Dodger Stadium for a three-game Freeway Series this weekend.

Mariners-Astros is no big deal

When the season began, it seemed certain that the four-game series between the Seattle Mariners and Astros that begins on Monday night in Houston would be a good one.

Instead, the injury-riddled Astros are 16-25 and tied with the Angels for the worst record in the American League. The Astros lost three-time All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa for the season last week when he underwent surgery on his left ankle. The Mariners (19-22) have also been a disappointment, but are just 2.5 games behind the AL West-leading Athletics.

Blue Jays are not in flight

The Toronto Blue Jays spent over $300 million on free agents in the offseason after coming agonizingly close to upsetting the Dodgers in the World Series. Yet, the Blue Jays are 18-22 and 8.5 games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

The Blue Jays will try to claw their way back into the division race this week. They host the Rays in a three-game series that begins on Monday, followed by a three-game weekend series with the Tigers in Detroit.

Right-hander Dylan Cease (3-1, 2.58 ERA) and third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (10 homers) have been worth the free-agent expenditures, though.

Weak division saving Tigers

The AL Central is the opposite of the NL Central, as neither of the five teams has a winning record. Thus, the Tigers should feel fortunate to be just 1.5 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians despite a 19-22 record.

Two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is out indefinitely after undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery last week. Three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander has pitched only once this season because of hip inflammation. The Tigers play a three-game series against the Mets in New York that starts Tuesday before the Blue Jays visit Detroit.