MLB: Big Intra-Division Match-Ups

Posted on | August 23, 2008 | No Comments

This weekend there really aren’t any big divisional match-ups. There aren’t two teams at or near the top battling it out. But there are a few series that feature teams at or near the top of their own division battling it out.

First the Philadelphia Phillies (2.5 games back in the NL East) are playing the LA Dodgers (2 games back in the NL West). This is series that’s important for both teams because they don’t want to fall any further back in their division and, if possible, they’d like to gain some ground.

Meanwhile the leader of the National League West, the Arizona Diamondbacks, are currently playing the third place team in the NL East, the Florida Marlins. As play opens on Saturday the Marlins are sitting at six games behind the New York Mets. Just like the other series, both of these teams need to win ball games. Obviously the situation is a little more important for the Marlins (since they are 6 games back) but the D-Backs don’t want to let the Dodgers catch them either.

Over in the American League the Tampa Bay Rays are in first place in the AL East and they’re playing the Chicago White Sox who just recently got knocked out of first place in the AL Central. So that series is very important.

And so is the series featuring the Minnesota Twins, the team who just took over first place in the AL Central. The Twins are playing the AL West leading Anaheim Angels. The Angels have nothing to play for since they are 15 games ahead in their division. But they’ve been playing horrible baseball the last 2 weeks and they don’t want to get into a slide heading into the last part of the season.

Related posts:

1. MLB: Match-Ups to Watch
2. MLB: Early Season Match-Ups Might Predict Season
3. MLB: Division Leading Surprises Abound
4. MLB: Two Huge Divisional Match-Ups
5. MLB: Surprise Division Leaders

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