The slog is almost over, yet there’s still a fair amount of business to take care of during the final week of Major League Baseball’s 2026 season.
All three wild-card berths in the National League are technically still up for grabs
, while the American League has two division titles and a wild card to give out. The slightly less pressing matter of playoff seeding also needs settling, though several teams are virtually locked into position.With that, a look at four series that will impact this final week:
Cleveland Guardians at Boston Red Sox
When: Tuesday-Thursday, Fenway Park
Key matchup: Tuesday – Guardians LH Parker Messick vs. Red Sox LH Payton Tolle
Outlook: The Chicago White Sox will certainly be interested
to see just how motivated the Red Sox (who clinched a playoff berth Sunday) are to take down the Guardians. Cleveland enters the week holding a one-game lead over Chicago in the AL Central. Most notably, Red Sox aces Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez are lined up for all three games – but how deep will they go in their final starts ahead of their highly expected AL wild-card assignment against the Yankees?
Regardless, Tuesday’s game is a fantastic matchup of rookie left-handers, both likely to finish high on AL Rookie of the Year balloting but likely behind Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle.
Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees
When: Tuesday-Thursday, Yankee Stadium
Key matchup: Tuesday – Rays RH Nick Martinez vs. Yankees LH Carlos Rodón
Outlook: Well, this four-game series got downgraded in a hurry, from "showdown for AL East title" to "possible ALDS preview" to "Will the Yankees be upright come playoff time?"
The Diamondbacks’ series win over the weekend in the desert was hardly the worst news for the Bombers, who learned Aaron Judge could miss at least part of the postseason. Now they will get an up-close look at a seemingly unstoppable Rays squad that’s 17-6 and likely to celebrate their East title on the Yankees' turf. After that, it's simply fine-tuning while taking the week off before the ALDS.
The Yankees have a 5 ½-game lead over Boston for home-field advantage in the wild-card series, so they're all but locked in. Yet the Yankees need to show some signs of life and get some good news – on Judge, and center fielder Trent Grisham, who’s aiming to return from a hamstring injury. Tuesday’s doubleheader will line up the Rays’ top starters – Martinez and Drew Rasmussen – against lefties Rodón and Max Fried.
Milwaukee Brewers at Philadelphia Phillies
When: Tuesday-Thursday, Citizens Bank Park
Key matchup: Wednesday – Brewers RH Logan Henderson vs. Phillies RH Aaron Nola
Outlook: A carbon copy of Yankees-Rays: A small-market team simply tuning its engine before a first-round bye faces a bigger-market behemoth crashing out at the worst time. Make no mistake, the Phillies’ plight is much worse than the Yankees’. Their bullpen is a mess, with Orion Kerkering demoted to the minors and Jonathan Bowlan’s groin barking, All-Star lefty Jesus Luzardo will be fortunate to come back as a short reliever for the playoffs and the lineup ranks 26th in the majors in September OPS, at .671.
The Brewers? Basically sunning themselves before the NLDS, with a franchise-record 98 wins in hand and the No. 1 seed in the NL soon to follow. That said, they’ll want to see Dustin May provide quality length in his Tuesday assignment opposite Zack Wheeler and emerge as a solid No. 3 playoff starter. And Henderson-Nola is a fantastic matchup – perhaps one we’ll see in the NLDS, should the Phillies get their heads together.
Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres
When: Friday-Sunday, Petco Park
Key matchup: Sunday – Diamondbacks RH Michael Soroka vs. Padres RH Michael King
Outlook: This is it. This is the big one.
OK, not really, but in a lackluster final week short on head-to-head showdowns, Arizona possibly fighting for its life against the team it’s been chasing all year is as good as it gets. Shoot, the D-backs could be eliminated by then, but winning two of three against the Yankees breathed new life into their flagging playoff hopes.
They cannot screw things up on their three-day diversion to Coors Field before heading to San Diego.
The Padres? Simply the game’s most devastating offense in the second half, second only to the Cubs in slugging and OPS and tied with the Brewers in batting average. The Padres and Cubs (87-69) and Phillies (86-70) enter the final week almost assured of a playoff spot yet could land in any of three slots: Hosting a wild card series, on the road at the division-winning Braves or out of the money altogether.
That can only happen if Arizona – four games behind the Phillies and five behind the Cubs and Padres – virtually wins out this final week. If nothing else, they can keep it interesting into the weekend.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoffs loom: 4 series that could shape the final field during final week
