The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees received a bit of a break from Mother Nature on Wednesday, with the cascading rain allowing the American League East rivals additional time to reflect on the events of Tuesday's chaotic contest at Camden Yards. After erasing an early five-run deficit in the 7-6 win, the Orioles vie for a series victory in the rescheduled rubber match on Thursday afternoon.

The Washington Nationals are on the fast track to their fourth National League East title in six years, while the Philadelphia Phillies have been on the road to nowhere for longer than they'd like to admit. The Nationals look to trim their magic number of six to win the division crown on Thursday, when they begin a season-high 10-game homestand with the opener of a four-game series against the Phillies.

The Chicago Cubs have hit a bit of an offensive slump, but they’ve managed to preserve their National League Central lead. The Cubs hope to get the bats going and add to their cushion in the division when they wrap up a four-game road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

Although Matt Harvey has plenty of pitches in his arsenal, it was New York Mets manager Terry Collins that tossed a change-up after electing against sending his right-hander to the mound on three days' rest due to a wet forecast. Mother Nature proved Collins correct as the Mets won a rain-shortened affair heading into Thursday's series opener against the visiting Cincinnati Reds.

The Miami Marlins travel to Atlanta to open a four-game series with the Braves on Thursday, and odds are Giancarlo Stanton will continue his march to the 60-homer plateau. Miami’s slugging right fielder, who leads the majors with 53 homers, has blasted three in six games so far at Atlanta’s new SunTrust Park and five total in 11 matchups this season with the Braves, who have surrendered 66 homers in their past 48 games.

The Cleveland Indians look to record a franchise-record 15th consecutive victory as well as complete a perfect 11-game road trip when they wrap up their four-game series against the host Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Cleveland equaled the club mark set last season with a 5-1 victory on Wednesday and is a major league-best 35-11 since July 21.

With red-hot Cleveland running away in the American League Central, the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals have been relegated to the wild-card chase in order to reach the postseason. That puts heightened pressure on the division rivals when they open a pivotal four-game series on Thursday in Kansas City.

The St. Louis Cardinals are enjoying life on the road as they continue their pursuit of a playoff spot on Thursday against the host San Diego Padres as they conclude their four-game series. The Cardinals have won four consecutive games and are 7-2 entering the finale of a 10-game road trip that has seen them climb within two games of Colorado for the National League's second wild-card spot.

The Colorado Rockies squandered their chance to distance themselves from the pack in the National League wild-card race, going just 3-6 on their nine-game homestand. Colorado will have to try to gain some separation on the road as it begins a crucial eight-game trek on Thursday with the opener of a four-game series against the major league-best - and supremely struggling - Los Angeles Dodgers.