As the second month of the 2024 season draws to a close, early divisional races are taking shape and solid MVP candidates are emerging -- all of which you'll be able to monitor over the next few days.

MLB action for the week of May 27 is set to include three intradivisional matchups, Shohei Ohtani's first trip to New York as a member of the Dodgers and a (brief) World Series rematch.

Royals (34-20) at Twins (28-24)
4 games (Monday-Thursday)

Head-to-head: The clubs have met once already this season, when the Twins took two of three games over Opening Weekend.

Storyline: Despite taking a loss on Sunday in St. Pete, the Royals are among the hottest teams in baseball, and their 16-7 May has come largely at the expense of the Twins, who were in second place ahead of the Royals as recently as May 14.

Watch out for: It'll be a day ending in a Y, so keep an eye on Bobby Witt Jr, who's rolling again after a brief slowdown earlier in the month. Over his last nine games -- starting at the beginning of the Royals' recent eight-game winning streak -- he's hitting .368 with four homers and 13 RBIs.

Astros (24-29) at Mariners (28-26)
4 games (Monday-Thursday)

Head-to-head: Since the Astros swept them in the 2022 ALDS, it's been all Mariners in this rivalry -- Seattle is 11-5 against Houston since the beginning of last season, including a 2-1 series win earlier this month.

Storyline: This hasn't been a banner year for anyone in the AL West so far, but despite their abysmal start to the season, the Astros have gone 11-5 in their last 16 games, putting them 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Mariners, setting up an interesting scenario for this four-game set.

Watch out for: Although he's still not quite right, Julio Rodríguez showed signs of breaking out of his prolonged funk over the weekend in D.C., going 4-for-9 with two home runs on Saturday and Sunday.

Cubs (27-26) at Brewers (30-22)
4 games (Monday-Thursday)

Head-to-head: Despite all of the changes to both rosters, it's tough to find a pair of rivals who've been more evenly matched over the past few seasons. The Cubs are 18-17 against the Brewers since the start of the 2022 season and took two of three from the Brewers at Wrigley in the first head-to-head series of 2024.

Storyline: Having spent six years with the Brewers as a player and another nine at the helm, Craig Counsell is set to manage his first games as an opponent at American Family Field in his native Milwaukee.

Watch out for: Rookie sensation Shota Imanaga will make his 10th start on Wednesday, already having set a new record for the lowest ERA in a pitcher's first nine Major League starts (excluding openers.) It'll be a great matchup, too, as Freddy Peralta, coming off seven innings of one-run ball in his last start against the Marlins, is expected to get the start for the Brewers.

Dodgers (33-22) at Mets (22-30)
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)

Head-to-head: The clubs have already met once this season, when the Mets took two of three from the Dodgers on April 19-21.

Storyline: The last week hasn't been one to write home about for either team. The Dodgers are riding a five-game losing streak during which they've gone 6-for-47 with runners in scoring position. The Mets, meanwhile, are 4-12 in their last 16 games and took back-to-back heart-wrenching losses on Friday and Saturday, although their weekend series with the Giants was just salvaged by a walk-off win on Sunday.

Watch out for: Mark Vientos, although still splitting time at third base with Brett Baty, has been great at the plate in seven games since his most recent callup, he's gone 8-for-25 (.320) with four doubles and two home runs.

D-backs (25-28) at Rangers (25-29)
2 games (Tuesday-Wednesday)

Head-to-head: This will be the teams' first meeting since the 2023 World Series, which the Rangers took in five games.

Storyline: This is shaping up to be a strange rematch, as just seven months removed from their face-off on baseball's biggest stage, neither club looks like one headed back to the postseason. The defending champions in particular are limping into this series, having lost 12 of their last 15 games.

Watch out for: Although his club is hurting, it has to be Corey Seager, who's broken out of his slump with six home runs in his last six games (and seven in his last 10).