Baseball never leaves us wanting for drama.
The week of June 9 will have yet more rivalry games -- including a Yankees-Red Sox rematch and an early battle for the NL West -- plus a gut check for a great team down on its luck and a couple of opportunities to evaluate mid-tier contenders against each other.
Here are five key series you can catch this upcoming week.
Cubs at Phillies
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head to head: The Phillies won the first matchup of 2025, a three-game set at Wrigley in late April, two games to one. Since being swept in the 2022 season series (0-6), the Phillies have gone 11-4 against the Cubs.
Storyline: After going 19-9 in May and ending the month tied for first place in the NL East, things seemed to be looking up for the Phillies. A week later, they're down Bryce Harper (sidelined with the same right wrist inflammation that bothered him through most of the 2024 season) and riding a five-game losing streak after being swept by the Pirates over the weekend. Literally and figuratively, the Phillies need a win -- but they'll be trying to get one against the second-best team in the league.
Watch out for: Michael Busch saw an opportunity to turn the page in June, took it, and is now running with it -- in seven games this month, he's 9-for-21 (.429) with a triple and three homers.
Dodgers at Padres
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)
Head to head: Although they've been competing indirectly all year, this will be the division rivals' first meeting of 2025. The Padres won the 2024 season series, eight games to five, their first single-season winning record against the Dodgers since 2010. Los Angeles, of course, followed by winning a tense NLDS between these two teams in five games.
Storyline: The Dodgers make the Padres look scrappy by comparison -- sometimes, anyway -- but they've been neck-and-neck all season, and they'll be playing seven of their next 10 games against each other, with the Dodgers hosting the Giants (another potentially critical series) and the Padres visiting the D-backs in between. Two weeks in June is unlikely to make or break any season, but the days ahead could have huge implications for the NL West for the rest of the summer.
Watch out for: In his last eight games -- beginning with a 3-for-6 performance against the Yankees on May 31 -- Max Muncy is 11-for-35 (.379) with five home runs and 11 RBIs.
Twins at Astros
3 games (Friday-Sunday)
Head to head: The Astros and Twins haven't seen each other since early April, when the Astros took two of three in Minnesota. This is also a recent playoff rematch -- the Astros won the 2023 ALDS over the Twins in four games.
Storyline: Challengers with similar aspirations trending in opposite directions. The Astros can't seem to catch a break but have managed to take over first place in the AL West through sheer force of will. The Twins, meanwhile, seem to be spinning their wheels. Winning 13 straight from May 3-17 gained them four games in the AL Central standings; they've given back three by going 9-9 since.
Watch out for: Mercifully for the Twins, despite a couple of injury scares, Carlos Correa has been steadily heating up over the past few weeks, and although he's 2-for-20 at Daikin Park as a member of the Twins, he's a lifetime .275 hitter in Houston and ranks fifth among active players with 64 career home runs there.
Guardians at Mariners
3 games (Friday-Sunday)
Head to head: The Guardians enter the 2025 season series having taken four of six games from the Mariners in 2024. Also a rematch of two vintage postseason series -- the Guardians won the 1995 ALCS in six games and the Mariners won the 2001 ALDS in five.
Storyline: Bit by key injuries and still hampered by their own lineups, it's not actually clear whether either of these teams can keep up with the rest of the American League. In any event, they both have work to do, and owing to their similarities, this isn't a bad matchup for either of them.
Watch out for: George Kirby, likely getting the start on Saturday. Delayed to start the season by right shoulder inflammation, Kirby's first two starts of 2025 were, for lack of a better word, lousy, and his third, although fine, ended with him taking a glancing blow on the mouth from a 102 mph line drive. In the immediate aftermath he said he was fine, and now we believe him, having seen him strike out a career-high 14 Angels in seven innings on Sunday.
Yankees at Red Sox
3 games (Friday-Sunday)
Head to head: This will be another quick turnaround -- their first mutual series of 2025 came this past weekend, with the Red Sox winning two of three in New York.
Storyline: The Red Sox aren't exactly a threat to the Yankees at this point, but that kind of makes losing this past weekend's series -- at home, no less -- even worse. But if you're the fourth-place Red Sox, strolling into Yankee Stadium and taking two of three from a good team is quite the ego boost -- taking this David and Goliath narrative a step further with another series win at Fenway would be huge for the vibe in Boston.
Watch out for: In good news for the Yankees, Jazz Chisholm Jr., activated last week, doesn't look any worse for having spent a month on the IL -- in six games since his return, he's gone 8-for-21 (.381) with two home runs and seven RBIs.