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While a fellow up-and-coming starter has taken the Big Apple by storm, rookie Zack Wheeler is starting to garner some well deserved acclaim, too. Seeking a third straight win, Wheeler takes the mound opposite Cliff Lee as the New York Mets open a four-game set against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.

After posting a 5.06 ERA in his first three starts, the 23-year-old Wheeler (6-2, 3.49 ERA) has compiled a 5-1 record and a 3.02 ERA in nine outings since the start of July. "When I first came up, I think I was trying to do a little too much, trying to make guys chase rather than just relying on a good, quality pitch," Wheeler told MLB's official website. "It's starting to work here and I'm trying to continue that."

Still pitching in the shadow of Mets All-Star starter Matt Harvey, Wheeler has gone at least six innings in a season-best three straight starts and has four walks in that span -- he averaged 3.1 in his first nine outings. After striking out a career-high 12 in a 4-1 win at San Diego on Aug. 15, Wheeler allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings to beat Atlanta 5-3 on Tuesday.

"That's what I like about the days he pitches. He competes," manager Terry Collins said. "... I'm very impressed with the way he went about things. The more he pitches, the better he's going to get." The right-hander also earned high praise from Braves outfielder Jason Heyward. 

New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies August 26, 2013

The New York Yankees haven't fared too good on the road of late, but they could get an emotional boost during the final stop on their six-game trip.

 The Yankees are expected to get Derek Jeter back for their attempt to extend a 10-game win streak over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night. New York (69-61) has lost eight of 12 road games this month and barely avoided a three-game sweep Sunday, getting a sacrifice fly from Curtis Granderson in the 11th inning for a 3-2 win at Tampa Bay.

New York will try to change its fortunes away from home by adding to one of its longest win streaks over Toronto (58-73). The Yankees, 12-1 in this season's series, claimed a series-best 13 in a row over the Blue Jays from 1995-96. New York might have already matched that streak if not for an 8-4 loss April 21 that denied it a three-game sweep at the Rogers Centre. 

Jeter might get to help the Yankees keep beating the Blue Jays in his return from a strained right calf. The team's captain, 10th on the all-time hits list with 3,308, has played just five games in this injury-plagued season.

Toronto Blue Jays vs New York Yankees August 26, 2013

The St. Louis Cardinals are locked in a contentious NL Central race, and they have plenty of matchups with the other two contenders over the next two weeks.

 In the first of 13 games against the other top division rivals, the Cardinals will try to take sole possession of first place for the first time this month while topping the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night. The Cardinals (76-54) haven't been alone in first place since July 29 and could have ended that drought by finishing off a four-game sweep of Atlanta. Instead, they fell 5-2 on Sunday to the NL East leader and remained tied for first with Pittsburgh after the Pirates' 4-0 loss in San Francisco the same day.


"We were looking to get the win and couldn't get it, but it was a really good series for us, winning three games out of four against a tough team," first baseman Allen Craig told the team's website. In his return to the rotation, Tyler Lyons (2-4, 5.09 ERA) will try to help St. Louis keep at least a share of the division lead and add to a slim 2 1/2-game edge over third-place Cincinnati (74-57). The rookie left-hander, starting in place of an injured Jake Westbrook, is 0-4 with a 7.66 ERA in his last five major league starts after winning his first two. 

Lyons gave up four runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 4-2 loss in Cincinnati on June 8. "(I'm) just sticking with what I was doing down (in the minors) and trying to use that here," he told the team's website. The Cardinals, however, haven't dropped many games to the Reds lately, winning eight of the 12 matchups this season and 12 of the past 18. They've also won 10 of 14 overall.

The Reds enter this series having won 13 of 19 but dropped two of three to lowly Milwaukee this weekend. They were shut out for eight innings in a 3-1 loss Sunday.

Wil Myers was once seemingly a major part of the Kansas City Royals' future. Instead, he's trying to help the Tampa Bay Rays return to the playoffs. A makeup game at Kauffman Stadium on Monday will give Myers the chance to face the Royals for the first time since a blockbuster offseason deal sent him to Tampa Bay.


Myers was consistently one of the top prospects in the majors after being drafted in the third round by Kansas City in 2009, but the Royals were in desperate need of quality starting pitching after their rotation posted the majors' fifth-highest ERA in 2012. Kansas City used the outfielder to acquire James Shields and Wade Davis in a seven-player deal in December. 


Myers has hit .302 since being called up from the minors June 18, but is 5 for 31 (.161) in his last eight games. The excitement of playing his first major league contest in Kansas City, though, might be just the spark he needs. His last appearance at Kauffman Stadium came at the 2012 Futures Game. "Now, I'll have a big league game there," Myers told the Rays' official website. "I'm excited to play in Kansas City. I really want to win.


That's the biggest thing." While Myers has cooled off, Evan Longoria has been red hot. He's batting .395 (17 for 43) with six homers, five doubles and nine RBIs in helping the Rays (74-54) win eight of their last 11. Longoria hit a tying home run in the sixth inning Sunday against the New York Yankees but Tampa Bay couldn't complete a three-game home sweep, losing 3-2 in 11 innings.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Kansas City Royals August 26, 2013

Matt Garza pitched well against the White Sox during his time with the team from Chicago's North Side. He's usually been very good when facing them on the South Side. Back in the Windy City, Garza looks to continue that success against the White Sox and help the Texas Rangers bounce back from their first road defeat in three weeks Sunday.

During the two-plus seasons Garza (3-1, 4.32 ERA) pitched for the Cubs, he went 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA in four career starts against the White Sox (53-75). The right-hander allowed an earned run in seven innings of an 8-2 victory on July 8 to improve to 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA in five career regular-season starts at U.S. Cellular Field. 

Thanks to an average of 8.56 runs of support, Garza is 2-1 in four August starts despite posting a 5.60 ERA. He yielded four runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings against Milwaukee on Aug. 14, then five and eight more hits in 6 2/3 frames of a 16-5 win over Houston on Monday. 



"We battled but they got the big hit it counted," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "We had our chances but we just didn't deliver." Ex-White Sox outfielder Alex Rios had a two-run homer for Texas, which also had a four-game overall winning streak end. It was Rios' first homer in 13 games since joining the Rangers earlier this month. He's 3 for 9 in the series and 7 for 20 with four RBIs in five road games with Texas. 

Dayan Viciedo added two hits for the White Sox, who have won seven of eight and 13 of 19. Viciedo is 8 for 17 the last four games following a 3-for-27 stretch. Teammate Avisail Garcia is batting .364 during an 11-game hitting streak.

Though Austin, Texas, native and Chicago starter John Danks (3-10, 4.22) is 0-4 despite posting a 3.83 ERA in his last seven starts against the Rangers, the left-hander got his first win since July 2 on Tuesday when he gave up seven hits in eight innings of a 2-0 victory at Kansas City. "You can look at each game and pick out an at-bat or a certain pitch where I didn't do myself any favors. Fortunately, I was able to stay away from that (Tuesday)," said Danks, who went 0-5 with a 4.70 ERA in the previous eight starts. "I felt like I was giving myself the best chance to win." It's possible Danks won't have to face Texas outfielder Leonys Martin, who left late in Saturday's game with an ankle injury.

After slowing down baseball's hottest team, the Boston Red Sox are looking for more. Boston tries to become the first team since mid-June to take a series from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night at Chavez Ravine.

While the Red Sox (76-55) were held to a pair of singles in Friday's 2-0 loss, they got going right away in a 4-2 victory Saturday. Jonny Gomes' three-run homer capped a four-run first inning, and Jon Lester pitched effectively into the eighth. "If you've got a good aggressive hitter like Jonny who can hit the ball out of the ballpark and he jumps on that first pitch, it's huge," catcher David Ross said.


Boston has now won three of five, a stretch in which its rotation has posted a 1.21 ERA. "Our starting pitching has been absolutely grinding and keeping us in the game," said Gomes, who has seven RBIs in his last four games. 

Boston Red Sox vs Los Angeles Dodgers August 25, 2013

The Dodgers (76-53), meanwhile, saw their four-game winning streak come to an end after going 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. Los Angeles is still 46-11 dating to June 22, by far the best record in the majors over that stretch, but on Sunday it'll be in danger of losing its first series since dropping two of three in Pittsburgh from June 14-16. Yasiel Puig, third in the NL with a .345 average since getting called up June 3, collected two of the team's five hits Saturday. 


"More times than not with our offense we're going to be able to get back in the game all the way, but (Lester) didn't allow it," catcher A.J. Ellis said. The Dodgers will try to bounce back against Jake Peavy (9-5, 4.25 ERA), who has allowed one or two runs in three of his four starts since being traded to the Red Sox on July 30. 


The right-hander yielded one run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings in a 3-2 walkoff loss at San Francisco on Tuesday. "You don't ever like to come out of a game," Peavy, who was removed after throwing 92 pitches, told MLB's official website. "It was tough coming out. But that's the way the game goes." Peavy hasn't faced the Dodgers in more than four years, but he gave them fits while with San Diego from 2002-09.

 The former NL Cy Young Award winner is 13-2 in 24 career starts versus Los Angeles while compiling a 2.27 ERA -- his second-lowest mark against any NL club. Andre Ethier is 5 for 33 (.152) with 10 strikeouts versus Peavy, and Hanley Ramirez is 1 for 13. Former Padres teammate Adrian Gonzalez, though, is 3 for 7 with a homer. Gonzalez drove in both Dodgers runs Saturday, giving him 14 RBIs in his last 17 games. Los Angeles tries to get back on track behind Chris Capuano (4-6, 4.70), who has compiled a 7.53 ERA over his last three starts. The Dodgers, though, have won each of his last seven outings, including Tuesday's 6-4 victory at Miami after the left-hander gave up three runs and six hits in five innings.


Capuano now returns home, where he is 2-4 with a 6.23 ERA in nine outings, for his first career start against the Red Sox. Boston, which has outscored opponents 79-30 during an 11-3 stretch in interleague play, is 1-4 all-time at Dodger Stadium.

Lance Lynn and Mike Minor may be among the NL leaders in wins, but they're both seeking improvement.

Success from Lynn could be just what the St. Louis Cardinals need to gain sole possession of the NL Central lead. Lynn attempts to avoid a fourth straight start without a win, while Minor attempts to rebound from the shortest outing of his career in Sunday's finale of this four-game set with the Cardinals and Atlanta Braves.

Lynn (13-7, 3.97 ERA) is following up his career-best 18-win season with another impressive one, while Minor (12-5, 3.06) has set a personal-best in wins and his 145 strikeouts match his career high from last year. Both pitchers are playing a key role in St. Louis and Atlanta, respectively, bidding to return to the postseason.

Atlanta Braves vs St. Louis Cardinals August 25, 2013

The Cardinals (76-53) are tied with Pittsburgh atop the Central, while the Braves (7-52) are comfortably leading the East by 12 games on second-place Washington. 

 Lynn is 0-2 with a 5.50 ERA over his last three starts, losing his most recent 6-3 at Milwaukee on Tuesday.

He allowed six runs and nine hits in six innings, but five of those runs came in the fifth. "When you have that kind of stuff and you give up five runs on all singles -- they don't get any extra-base hits -- it's tough to swallow," Lynn told the team's official website. He's split his two career starts with Atlanta last year, allowing five runs with 15 strikeouts in 13 innings.

While Ivan Nova has been one of the New York Yankees' most consistent starters of late, Alex Cobb has pitched extremely well since returning from a frightening injury for the Tampa Bay Rays. 


Cobb (8-2, 2.85 ERA) looks to help the Rays sweep a home series from New York for a third straight season. He has allowed two earned runs, six hits and overcome six walks in 11 innings to win both starts since he missed two months after being hit in the head by a line drive June 15. Cobb walked four but gave up one of those earned runs and three hits in six innings of a 7-4 victory at Baltimore on Tuesday. "Physically, he is (OK)," Maddon told the team's official website.

The talented right-handers square off Sunday when the Rays try to complete a three-game home sweep of the Yankees. New York (68-61) came into the set winners of five straight and 10 of 12, but managed four runs and 11 hits through the first two. 

After David Price outpitched CC Sabathia in Saturday's 4-2 loss, the Yankees are seven games back and in fourth place in the AL East and 4 1/2 behind Oakland -- with Cleveland and Baltimore in between -- in the race for the final wild-card spot. "It's not what you want, but you've got to turn it around (Sunday)," manager Joe Girardi said. "You can't let this carry over." 

Tampa Bay (74-53), which leads the East by percentage points over Boston, has won eight of 10 overall and 20 of 25 at Tropicana Field. "Our guys believed we were going to win (Saturday)," manager Joe Maddon said. "Not in a cocky way, just in a very confident way. "When you get to that point in the year and you get that vibe among your group, it's kind of a good thing." 



"Mentally and emotionally, I think he is. I don't see any after-effects from what happened. He's throwing the ball really well. The ball has been alive." He has a 1.52 ERA while winning three straight starts against Yankees, including a pair at home this season in which he's yielded two runs, eight hits and struck out 15 over 16 2/3 innings. Nova (7-4, 3.17), meanwhile, is 5-2 with a 2.30 ERA in eight starts since the beginning of July. 

Although Nova has lost both previous 2013 starts versus Tampa Bay, he's posted a 2.63 ERA while the Yankees have been outscored 4-1. Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria is 5 for 22 with a home run versus Nova, but had three hits Saturday and matched a career high by homering in three straight home games for the second time this season. Longoria, who delivered a tiebreaking single in the sixth, is 12 for 26 with four home runs and five doubles in his last seven home contests. 

Mark Reynolds had two hits Saturday for the Yankees after going 0 for 12 in the previous five games. He's 0 for 5 with three strikeouts versus Cobb. Teammate Alfonso Soriano is 2 for 27 over the last seven contests following a five-game stretch where he went 15 for 22 with five homers and 18 RBIs.

New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays August 25, 2013

A little more than one month after they both started the All-Star game, Max Scherzer and Matt Harvey will square off at Citi Field once again. Scherzer will look to pick up his 19th victory on Saturday as the Detroit Tigers visit Harvey and the New York Mets. 

"I figure this place will be hopping pretty good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "It should be fun." It's the first time in history that two All-Star game starters have faced off in the same regular season. "You can't beat that matchup," Detroit's Torii Hunter said. "If you blink you're going to miss something." Scherzer (18-1, 2.82 ERA) will look to become the fastest in the major leagues to 19 victories since teammate Justin Verlander picked up his 19th on Aug. 22, 2011, en route to a 24-win season. 

Scherzer has pushed his way toward the 20-victory mark with five wins and a 1.69 ERA over his six starts since pitching a scoreless first inning against the NL All-Stars. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer each time, giving up just 21 hits in 42 2/3 innings. He gave up two runs in eight innings of a 6-3 victory over Kansas City on Sunday, pushing his streak without allowing a homer to 34 2/3 innings. Scherzer has taken advantage of some weak opposition in the second half, making three of his last six starts against the White Sox. 

Detroit Tigers vs New York Mets August 25, 2013

The right-hander's other three starts came against Philadelphia and Kansas City, among the major league's worst in runs scored, and Cleveland, which is 26th in runs this month. Scherzer has twice as many victories as Harvey (9-4, 2.25) despite the 24-year-old's lower ERA. Scherzer has the most victories in a season with just one loss since Roger Clemensstarted 20-1 in 2001. Much like Clemens, who had the fourth-highest run support average in baseball that year, Scherzer has benefited from a league-best 7.47 mark. "The win-loss record is a little fluky," Scherzer said. "Every time I go out, the guys are putting up runs for me and are playing great defense so I can't take credit for being 18-1."