The Atlanta Braves hold a six-game lead in the National League East and their much-maligned bullpen finally has settled into a rhythm heading into Monday’s make-up game at the Colorado Rockies. The Braves have won eight straight contests after they capped a three-game road sweep of the New York Mets with Sunday’s 2-1 victory, and Atlanta’s bullpen - bolstered at the trade deadline - has pitched to a 0.64 ERA with two earned runs allowed in 28 1/3 innings in that span.

The Philadelphia Phillies have fallen victim to perhaps the convenient narrative of playing down to the competition, with notable losses sustained against teams that are languishing in the standings. The Phillies aim to quell that talk at Citizens Bank Park on Monday when they open a three-game series against the National League Central cellar-dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates.

The St. Louis Cardinals' success inside their division since the All-Star break has played a key role in their ability to go from a team hovering around .500 to a club on the verge of creating some separation in the National League Central. The Cardinals seek their 14th victory in 17 contests Monday when they open a three-game set in Milwaukee against the Brewers.

The Cincinnati Reds have seen their once-promising season go south in a hurry with 10 losses in their last 14 contests. The reeling Reds look to pick themselves up after being swept in their last series when they open a four-game set against the host Miami Marlins on Monday night.

The Oakland Athletics are locked in a battle for an American League wild card spot but are coming off a disappointing weekend. The Athletics will try to pick themselves up on the road when they visit the Kansas City Royals for the opener of a four-game series on Monday.

A pair of teams struggling to stay in wild card contention in the National League face off when the Arizona Diamondbacks visit the San Francisco Giants on Monday in the opener of a two-game series. The National League West rivals are in a six-team battle for the second NL wild card spot and are lagging behind teams from the NL East and NL Central.

The Los Angeles Dodgers look to continue their dominance against division rivals when they start a stretch of 13 games versus the National League West with the first of three at the San Diego Padres on Monday. The Dodgers own the best record in the major leagues (86-46) despite dropping two of three to the New York Yankees over the weekend after managing just five hits in Sunday's 5-1 setback.

The New York Yankees have slugged their way to a major-league record and look to expand it when they visit the Seattle Mariners on Monday for the opener of a three-game series. New York went deep three times in Sunday's 5-1 road win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving it 61 homers in August - the most in a calendar month in league history.