We are just under a month away from the culmination of the 2025 MLB season. Based on where things sit in the standings, we have four marquee matchups coming up this week that will have the eyes of the MLB universe set upon them. All four series will have massive playoff implications, so let's dive right in and understand why these will be games you don't want to miss.
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1. New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies
If you told me the New York Mets would be just a game and a half up in the third Wild Card spot with September around the corner, you would have come off as delusional. Nevertheless, here we sit with the Mets set to take on the first-place Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game set starting Monday night. The implications are apparent: Seven games up in the division, Phillies can not only strengthen their grip on the NL East with a series win, but they can also effectively push the Mets out of a playoff spot altogether.
Pitching probable's for Phillies vs. Mets
Game one: Cristopher Sanchez vs. Kodai Senga
Game two: Jesus Luzardo vs. Sean Manaea
Game three: Taijuan Walker vs. Nolan McLean
Monday's contest has all the trappings of a low-scoring pitcher's duel, with Sanchez (2.46 ERA) taking on Senga (2.58 ERA). The Mets need this game badly, as losing Monday puts them a nearly insurmountable eight games back in the division. Game two's contest may be a bit more of a high-scoring affair between Luzardo, who has been hit or miss this season, and Manaea, who has not been able to find his groove since returning from injury.
With the way the rookie McLean has pitched since his call-up, you have to give the nod to the Mets in game three. If the Mets can manage two wins this series, their deficit in the NL East will still be six, but more importantly, they will have a good chance to gain ground in the Wild Card race based on a couple of other series on this list.
2. San Diego Padres vs. Seattle Mariners
Game one: JP Sears vs. Bryce Miller
Game two: Dylan Cease vs. Luis Castillo
Game three: Yu Darvish vs. Bryan Woo
Two of the most aggressive teams at this year's trade deadline are hoping to ride those additions up the standings in the season's final weeks. San Diego took two of three from the Dodgers over the weekend to pull into a tie atop the NL West, but L.A.'s win on Sunday clinched the season series, meaning the Padres now have their work cut out for them. The Mariners, meanwhile, are now just two games back of the Astros after winning a weekend series over the A's.
Both of these teams don't have a ton of ground to give right now, and both have been looking a little rocky of late after strong starts to August. Which version of Darvish and Cease will show up for San Diego? And can Seattle's bats finally get rolling after putting up 11 on the Athletics on Sunday? The loser of this series is going to have some tough questions to answer and a potentially brutal playoff draw staring them in the face.
3. Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Game one: Hunter Greene vs. Emmet Sheehan
Game two: Nick Martinez vs. Clayton Kershaw
Game three: TBD (likely Nick Lodolo) vs. Shohei Ohtani
Greene, Kershaw, Lodolo (hopefully returning from an IL stint due to a blister) and Ohtani is quite the stacked pitching lineup in this series. And it's also a crucial one in the standings: With the Mets facing Philly, Cincy has a chance to cut into or erase its 1.5-game deficit to New York for the third and final NL Wild Card spot. And we already know the dogfight the Dodgers are in to maintain their grip atop the NL West.
Pitching has gotten the Reds to this point. Can Greene and Lodolo prove equal to this challenge? Can Elly De La Cruz help Cincinnati find some offense? And how long are the Dodgers looking to stretch Ohtani on the mound? Watching this Cincy pitching staff take on one of the deepest lineups in the sport is going to be a ton of fun, and will go a long way toward deciding how the NL playoff picture shakes out.
4. Milwaukee Brewers vs. Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays have taken the baseball world by surprise with their 5.0 game lead in the AL East. Their opponent, the Milwaukee Brewers, also has a 5.0 game lead in the NL Central, but that lead diminished from seven over the weekend with a series loss to the San Francisco Giants. That made consecutive series losses for the Brewers after dropping three of five to the Cubs last week. Milwaukee had a chance to all but wrap up the division if they took care of business against the Cubs, but now faces a tall task to remain on top the rest of the way.
According to Tankathon, the Brewers have the fourth-hardest schedule the rest of the way. They face the Blue Jays this weekend and still take on the Phillies, Rangers, Padres, and division rival Reds, who, as of now, will have something to play for at the end of the year. The Cubs, on the other hand, have the second-easiest strength of schedule remaining, and are only set to face two teams currently above .500 for the rest of the season.
The Brewers, who went on an earth-scorching streak in August, appear to be cooling off at the worst time. They need to take this series and avoid their division lead whittling down to nothing, but it won't be easy in Toronto, where the Blue Jays look to continue building on a lead of their own.