This new week begins with the Ohio baseball teams -- that's the Indians and Reds, if you're sharp on your geography -- putting seven-game winning streaks on the line in St. Louis and Atlanta, respectively.
History buffs may remember that the Indians have had a couple of streaks in recent years, including a little 22-0 run last season that was part of a 27-1 stretch.
For the Reds, last weekend brought the first four-game sweep of the Cubs in 35 years and a shot of optimism that the great rebuild is headed in the right direction.
Cincinnati is a respectable 29-30 under interim skipper Jim Riggleman, who probably shouldn't have "interim" in his title much longer.
Elsewhere, this is an important week for the D-backs, who could learn a lot more after right-hander Shelby Miller takes the mound on Monday for the first time in 429 days on Monday.
In a tight National League West race, every little thing is connected to every other little thing. For instance, the Dodgers will watch Clayton Kershaw continue his latest comeback later this week after he passed one test -- 55 pitches against the Mets on Saturday -- in his first start in three weeks.

And this week includes another Yankees-Red Sox series, the Braves beginning one of their most important road trips of the season and the Nationals in a very unfamiliar place: third place in the NL East.
Here's a look at the best game each day (all times ET):
Monday: D-backs at Marlins (7:10 p.m., MLB.TV)
The Cardinals and Braves both considered Miller a future ace at one time. Now, having been traded twice, Miller makes his return from Tommy John surgery on Monday against the Marlins in an outing that could be an important part of the D-backs' attempt to take the NL West from the Dodgers.
Tuesday: Yankees at Phillies (7:05 p.m., MLB.TV)
This is the kind of regular-season matchup we love. First, it pits two aces -- Luis Severino of the Yankees and Jacob Arrieta of the Phillies -- against each other. It also pits two teams in tight division races. The Yanks have been unable to shake the Red Sox in the American League East, while the Phils and Braves continue to lead the favored Nationals in the NL East.
Wednesday: Indians at Cardinals (8:15 p.m., MLB.TV)
The Tribe has averaged 7.7 runs a game during a streak that has stretched its lead in the AL Central from 2 1/2 games to eight. Meanwhile, the Cards have lost eight of 12 as they return home for six games against the Indians and Braves.
Thursday: Cubs at Dodgers (3:10 p.m., MLB Network, MLB.TV)
The Dodgers could win the NL West without Kershaw being at his best, but it's pretty much impossible thinking they could make a deep October run without him. He got through his outing on Saturday without any problems and will look to go deeper into a game and shake off a bit more rust in his second turn. The Cubs, swept in a four-game series by the Reds this weekend, have spent just five days in first place as they try to get a sluggish offense on track.
Friday: Red Sox at Yankees (7:05 p.m., MLB Network, MLB.TV)
These two old friends have split their first six games this season and haven't been separated by more than 2 1/2 games in the standings since late April. Both are going to the playoffs for the second year in a row, and so the rest of this season will be about deciding which team avoids the AL Wild Card Game.
Saturday: Nationals at Phillies (6:05 p.m., MLB.TV)
The Nats begin the week in third place as the Braves and Phils continue to be baseball's surprise teams. Actually, the surprise part of this ended weeks ago. Now it's about finding out if Philadelphia can hold off the team a lot of people expected to win the NL East by miles.
Sunday: Braves at Cardinals (2:15 p.m., MLB.TV)
This series marks the beginning of a 10-game trip in which the Braves will play the Cardinals, Yankees and Brewers. Atlanta napped a three-game losing streak against Baltimore on Sunday. As for the Cards, they won back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday for the first time since June 8-9.