Top MLB Series of the Week (Aug 22-28)

In spite of dropping their weekend series to the Colorado Rockies, the Chicago Cubs are still holding fort as the best team in the nation with an MLB-best 78-45 record, five games ahead of their closest competitors, the Washington Nationals. To stay atop the league, the Cubs will need to take care of their back-to- back road series against San Diego and the LA Dodgers. The Padres (4-6 in last 10) don’t appear to offer much a competition to Chicago, given their iffy pitching staff and their rather wobbly offense. The same can’t be said of the Dodgers (68-55), who have been among the best home teams in the league and will be countering Chicago from Aug. 26-28 with some decent arms in Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda. Outside the Cubs @ Dodgers series, here are the other top MLB betting series you should look out for in the course of this week.

Take a Look at the Top MLB Series of the Week (Aug 22-28)

Series Preview: The Orioles have won 4 consecutive season-series against the Nationals dating back to 2012 #Birdland pic.twitter.com/HwFd1RDeTX

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 22, 2016

Baltimore Orioles vs. Washington Nationals

The Orioles and Nationals will be going against each other four times this week, starting with two games at Baltimore’s Camden Yards (Aug. 22-23), followed by two more at Washington’s Nationals Park (Aug. 24-25). The Orioles have recently dominated this "Beltway Series," going 14-6 in their last 20 overall meetings since 2012, and their offense is easily among the best in the nation. Meanwhile, Chris Tillman and his fellow pitchers have been silently doing well in Baltimore’s rotation. That, however, isn’t to say that the Nationals will be losing this series. With some of the best arms in the league– like Stephen Strasburg, Mark Scherzer and Tanner Roark–set to lead the team against the O’s, and an efficient-enough offense to support the pitchers; I wouldn’t be surprised if the Nats end up taking care of Baltimore. After all, Baltimore is coming off a 1-5 week while the Nationals decently went 4-3 in their 7 games last week.

Cleveland Indians at Texas Rangers

The Indians and Rangers lead the AL Central and AL West divisions, respectively, and their series from Aug. 25-28 will definitely shakeup the AL playoff race. Remarkably, Texas owns a slightly better winning percentage at .584, compared to Cleveland’s .582 mark. You should, nonetheless, take those numbers with a pinch of salt, as the Rangers have been struggling lately, losing their last two straight entering Monday and going 5-5 in their last 10 overall, while the Indians are enjoying a good form, going 7-3 in their last 10 overall. As if that is not enough, Cleveland will be sending its top-3 pitchers–Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar– to Texas’ Globe Life Park, meaning the Rangers will have their work cut out for them.

San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers

NL West rivals San Francisco and LA Dodgers will be squaring it out in a crucial series at the Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium from Aug. 23-25. Entering Monday, the Dodgers own a half-a-game lead atop the division over the Giants, with these two teams seated third and fourth, respectively, in the National League. Winning this series will therefore be very important, especially for the Dodgers who will be facing Chicago at the end of the weak. The LA team still has star pitcher Clayton Kershaw nursing back injuries and Rich Hill not fully recovered for the Giants’ series. With the Giants having aces Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto lined up for starts in this series against the Dodgers, we don't need to tell you that wins will be hard to come by for the hosts. As a consolation, the Giants’ offense has been up-and- down this season, so the LA Dodgers may just stand a chance vs. the San Fran aces if they can get their bats cracking in this pivotal series.