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The Chicago Cubs visit the San Diego Padres on Monday night to open a three-game series at PETCO Park, with first pitch set for 9:40 PM ET on MARQ. Chicago enters at 17-11 and second in the NL Central, but the Cubs are trying to stop a two-game skid after running into trouble against the Dodgers over the weekend. San Diego is 18-9 and second in the NL West, and even after blowing a 7-1 lead in a 12-7 loss to Arizona in Mexico City, the Padres have still won 16 of their last 20 after a slow 2-5 start. They are 9-4 at home and have gone 7-3 over their last 10, so this is not exactly a soft

The New York Yankees open a road series against the Texas Rangers on Monday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, with first pitch set for 8:05 PM ET on YES. New York enters at 18-10 and first in the AL East, although its eight-game winning streak ended Sunday in a 7-4 loss to Houston. Texas comes in at 14-14 and second in the AL West. The Rangers have been more uneven, splitting their last 10 games and dropping a tight 2-1 game to the Athletics over the weekend. The setting should be controlled with Globe Life Field’s retractable roof limiting weather impact, so this handicap is more about pitching, lineup health, and price. The Yankees are favored behind Max

The St. Louis Cardinals open a four-game road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night at PNC Park, with first pitch set for 6:40 PM ET. St. Louis enters at 14-13 and fifth in the NL Central, which says more about how competitive the division has been than anything else. Every team in the division is above .500, so a four-game losing streak can move a club quickly in the wrong direction. Pittsburgh is 16-12 and third in the NL Central. The Pirates were shut out 5-0 by Milwaukee on Sunday, but they still return home after a 3-3 road trip against Texas and Milwaukee. That is not bad, especially with this being a divisional series at PNC Park,

The Seattle Mariners visit the Minnesota Twins on Monday night to open a three-game series at Target Field, with first pitch set for 7:40 PM ET. Seattle comes in at 14-15 and third in the AL West, but the recent form is moving in the right direction. The Mariners have won four straight and six of their last eight after finishing off a sweep of the Cardinals. Minnesota is heading the other way. The Twins are 12-16, third in the AL Central, and have lost five straight. They have also dropped nine of their last 10, so this seven-game homestand feels important. Not must-win in late April, obviously, but this is the kind of stretch where a struggling team needs