On deck: Cubs, White Sox open big series, plus Yankees-Padres

There is no love lost between the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers. Beginning on Monday, the two National League Central rivals meet seven times over the next 10 days with big implications for both teams.

With Milwaukee holding an 8.0-game lead in the division and a three-game advantage for the best record in the National League heading into Monday's opener at Wrigley Field, every game between the two teams matters down the stretch. However, with the two teams going against each other, the games take on extra significance.

The Brewers are already 4-2 against the Cubs this season, including a three-game sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley Field from May 18-20. How the Brewers fare this week, however, could come down to the effectiveness of Cubs pitching.

Entering Sunday night, Cubs starting pitchers had allowed eight runs in their last 30.0 innings pitched (equating to a 2.40 ERA) across their previous five games. Cincinnati, however, tagged Shota Imanaga for six runs in 5.0 innings in Sunday's 7-5 loss.

Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros

This four-game series between the White Sox and Astros that begins on Monday is a potential postseason preview, and one that both teams could certainly use to expand their lead in their respective divisions.

Heading into Monday, the White Sox have been in first place in the American League Central for 79 days this season, including every day since July 4. That's quite a turnaround for a team that entered this season with three consecutive 100-loss campaigns.

While Chicago's grip on the AL Central has some cushion (3.5 games over second-place Cleveland), Houston is trying to find some distance between them and the Texas Rangers in the AL West, with the Astros leading by just 2.0 games. The Astros took two of three from the White Sox in Chicago in late July, part of Houston's 15-10 advantage against AL Central teams this season.

New York Yankees at San Diego Padres

A six-game California swing for the Yankees concludes with a weekend series at Petco Park against the Padres. It's also the beginning of an NL West-heavy stretch for the Yankees, who will play nine of their next 15 games against NL West teams (home series against Colorado and a road series against Arizona).

Yankees fans may also get a firmer timeline for Aaron Judge's return during this weekend series, as it was announced on Sunday that he was heading to California with the team this week.

Who's someone for the Padres to watch against the Yankees? That would be Jackson Merrill, who has excelled in interleague games this season. Heading into Sunday's play, across his last 12 games against AL teams, eight of his 14 hits had gone for extra-bases (including seven home runs) with 13 RBI. He slashed .304/.385/.804 during that run.

This series comes not long after the Padres were swept by the Rays this weekend, dropping San Diego to 6-6 against the AL East this season. Those three losses at the Tropicana Dome caused the Padres to fall a half-game out of the final Wild Card spot, so the pressure is on in Southern California.