The Washington Nationals' offense was slow to wake up against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, but the bats finally came alive and they have a chance at a series win in the rubber match of a three-game series Thursday. The Nationals were shut out for the first 15 innings of the set before a Daniel Murphy homer in the seventh inning and seven more runs in the eighth propelled the National League East leaders to an 8-5 triumph Wednesday.

Rookie center fielder Bradley Zimmer is starting to consistently flex his muscles as the Cleveland Indians go after a season-high seventh consecutive victory in the finale of a three-game series Thursday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Zimmer is 8-for-13 with two homers and eight RBIs in his last four games after belting a homer for the second straight night in the Indians’ 10-4 triumph Wednesday.

The Toronto Blue Jays have represented themselves as rude hosts whenever the Oakland Athletics have crossed the border over the last few years. After rallying to victory with back-to-back homers in the ninth inning, the Blue Jays vie for a sweep of the Athletics on Thursday afternoon when the teams conclude their four-game series at Rogers Centre.

The New York Yankees are shaking off the funk that followed them into the All-Star break and are getting back to the business of competing for the top spot in the American League East. The front office is clearly behind the team on the field and the players are poised to make another statement of their own when they host the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a four-game series on Thursday.

The Cincinnati Reds have limped out of the gate following the All-Star break, batting a National League-worst .210 en route to losing 11 of 13 contests. Manager Bryan Price's contingent hopes its bats wake up from their deep slumber on Thursday as the Reds open a four-game series at the Miami Marlins, who erupted for a franchise-high 22 runs in their last contest.

The Arizona Diamondbacks hope that J.D. Martinez's show of power travels well as the team begins a 10-game road trip on Thursday with the opener of a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Acquired from Detroit last week, Martinez recorded his third multi-homer performance of the season and increased his series total to seven RBIs following Wednesday's 10-3 romp over Atlanta.

For the first time since May 26, the Chicago Cubs sit alone atop the National League Central. The defending World Series champions will try to hold onto that perch when they head to the South Side to face the crosstown-rival Chicago White Sox in the finale of a four-game, home-and-home series Thursday. 

The rebuilding San Diego Padres are hoping to reach the postseason by 2020, and they might be ahead of schedule. The Padres’ young nucleus is trending in the right direction heading into Thursday’s finale of a four-game series against the New York Mets, who are looking to win their first series in San Diego since 2011.