Lance Lynn began an impressive scoreless innings stretch by scattering three hits over seven dominant frames against the New York Mets on July 9. After pushing that total to 13 1/3 innings in his last outing, the right-hander aims to continue his torrid play on Thursday afternoon as the St. Louis Cardinals look to exit Citi Field with a third victory in the finale of the four-game series.

The Arizona Diamondbacks' storybook season has encountered a rough chapter of late, with a horrific twist seemingly averted as recent trade acquisition J.D. Martinez prematurely exited his debut with a left hand contusion. X-rays were negative for Martinez, who is considered day-to-day and could return to the lineup on Thursday afternoon as the Diamondbacks play the rubber match of their three-game series with the host Cincinnati Reds.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a chance to reach the .500 mark for the first time since April 16 when they go for a four-game sweep of the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday afternoon. The surging Pirates have won a season high-tying four in a row and 10 of 12 to draw within four games of first-place Milwaukee in the National League Central.

After watching his team play 58 innings in a four-day span, Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell was grateful for a stress-free win on the eve of Thursday afternoon's finale of a four-game series versus the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. "The fact that we played that game in under three hours, it felt like we were only at halftime," Farrell told reporters Wednesday.

Cole Hamels had a rocky return in his first start following a stint of nearly two months on the disabled list, but he has quickly re-established himself as the ace of the Texas Rangers. Hamels carries a streak of 21 scoreless innings into Thursday's start as the visiting Rangers attempt to avoid a sweep in the finale of four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Michael Fulmer began his four-start winning streak by falling one out shy of a complete game versus the Kansas City Royals last month. The 2016 American League Rookie of the Year looks to continue his winning ways at the expense of the Royals on Thursday as the Detroit Tigers aim to exit Kauffman Stadium with a third victory in the finale of the four-game series.

The Atlanta Braves face the unenviable task of trying to cool down the Los Angeles Dodgers when the clubs begin a four-game series at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. The National League West-leading Dodgers are riding an 11-game winning streak and have captured 31 of their last 35 contests - the best stretch in franchise history since the 1899 Brooklyn Superbas put together an identical string.

The Seattle Mariners are trying to make up ground in the American League wild-card chase and they are presented with the opportunity to move closer when they host the New York Yankees on Thursday in the opener of a four-game set. Seattle has won six of its past seven games to reach the .500 mark and sits just 1 1/2 games behind New York, which possesses the second wild-card spot.

Madison Bumgarner takes aim at producing his first win of the season when the San Francisco Giants open a four-game series against the visiting San Diego Padres on Thursday. The Giants' ace left-hander missed nearly three months after injuring his pitching shoulder in a dirt-bike accident and received a no-decision in his return last Saturday against the Padres.