A full slate of games is scheduled today in MLB, with a few critical matchups as teams battle for position in their divisions. There are several key games tonight as the league advances to the halfway mark.

Padres Hope To End Losing Streak Against Diamondbacks 

The San Diego Padres have hit a roadblock in their quest to again move into first place in the AL West standings against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Since losing three out of four to the Philadelphia Phillies in their last series, they have fallen 1.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the standings. 

Yesterday, Arizona came from six runs down to beat the Padres 7-6 and win their second straight game after being swept by San Diego in three games last week. They are now 34-41 on the season and are 12 games behind the Dodgers in the division standings. 

Mike Clevinger of San Diego makes his sixth season start and is 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA. He’ll go up against Madison Bumgarner, who is 3-7 with a 3.75 ERA for the Diamondbacks.   

The Padres will get the win to end their three-game slide.  

Twins Look To Extend Lead Over Guardians

The Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians play the final game of their four-game series tonight at Progressive Field. The visitors have a 2-1 lead and are looking to win the series and extend their three-game lead over the Guardians in the AL Central standings. Since winning eight of nine games, Cleveland has lost six of their last seven contests after winning two straight against Minnesota last week. 

Minnesota shut out Cleveland in last night’s contest 6-0 as the Guardians have been outscored 19-4 in the series’ first three games.  

Dylan Bundy brings his 4-4 record and 4.80 ERA to the mound for the Twins and will go up against Cal Quantrill, who is also 4-4 on the season with a 3.76 ERA for the Guardians.  

The Guardians will bounce back tonight to get the win in a close game.  

Cardinals Hope To Take Division Lead Against Marlins

The St. Louis Cardinals are still just a half-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central since winning two straight games against the Miami Marlins. They have a 43-34 record and have one more loss than the first-place Brewers. A win tonight could move them back into the lead in the division if Milwaukee loses their matchup today against the Tampa Bay Rays. 

The Marlins are 33-40 on the season and have lost four of five games since sweeping the Rockies at home last week, and are 13 games behind the New York Mets in the NL East standings. They need a win in the final season matchup between these two teams tonight to avoid being swept in this series. The Cardinals have shut them out twice this season, winning four out of five games. 

The Marlins have a great chance to get the victory tonight as they send their ace Sandy Alcantara to the mound. He’s 7-3 on the season and is third in the Majors with a 1.95 ERA. The Cardinals will counter with Andre Pallante making the start tonight. He’s 2-3 with a 2.03 ERA in 48.2 innings. 

The Marlins win a low-scoring contest to end the Cardinals’ streak.