The last week of August could do a number on baseball's playoff chase, especially in the National League where the Wild Card races are just as close as the division ones.

On Tuesday the top series to watch include the Mets at the Phillies, and the Brewers at the Cardinals. Less than a game separated the Mets and the Phillies in the East at the beginning of the week, and even though New York and Philadelphia are only clashing in a short two-game series both contests are extremely important in the race.

The pitching matchups in the short series will be Pedro Martinez (4-3, 4.97) versus Jamie Moyer (11-7, 3.54) on Tuesday, and Johan Santana (12-7, 2.64) versus Kyle Kendrick (11-7, 4.87) on Wednesday

The Brewers and Cardinals are both still chasing after the Cubs in the NL Central, but more importantly the Brewers are also trying to hold off the Cards for first place in the Wild Card race.

Despite owning a solid 16-6 in the month of August, Milwaukee only has a 3.5-game lead on St. Louis. This series is also only two games, so St. Louis won't be able to catch the Brewers, but Milwaukee still can't afford to lose them both. Starting in the series will be Ben Sheets (11-7, 3.16) and Todd Wellemeyer (11-4, 3.79) on Tuesday, and Manny Parra (10-6, 4.10) and Adam Wainwright (7-3, 3.04) on Wednesday.

Looking ahead, there's also a number of series getting started on Friday that could be key for teams fighting for the playoffs.

These matchups include an NL East clash between the Mets and the Marlins, an important NL West battle between the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks, and a key series between Chicago and Boston over in the American League.

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