The Brewers are about to have what could be a defining couple of weeks with 12 games against three of baseball’s best teams, beginning with a three-game series against the Cardinals at Miller Park on Tuesday. After that, it’s three against the Cubs, two against the Astros and four more against the Cubs.

We think of Major League Baseball’s parity in all sorts of ways, and here’s one: The Brewers and Red Sox are in danger of missing the playoffs one year after having the best records in their league.

Here’s another: We could be headed for a 40 percent turnover in the playoff field with the Twins, Cardinals, Rays and Nationals all making the playoffs, if the season ended today.

And another: With five weeks remaining in the regular season, 14 teams are within two games of a postseason berth, and two more -- the Giants and D-backs -- are within 4 1/2.

And there’s no chaos like late September chaos! Here are seven series that could offer some clarity in this final week of August.

Cardinals at Brewers (Monday-Wednesday)

The Brewers got hot around this time last season, winning 23 of 30 to finish the season. They may need that kind of kick this season, and given how well they’ve pitched the last few days, anything is possible. As for the Cardinals, they arrive in Milwaukee playing their best baseball of the season led by a pitching staff that has had a terrific couple of weeks.

Cubs at Mets (Tuesday-Thursday)

The Mets have begun a stretch of 18 straight games against serious contenders by sweeping the Indians and then being swept by the Braves. If they can get to mid-September still in contention, they’ve got a legitimate shot at one of the National League Wild Card berths. The Cubs dropped to 2 1/2 games out of first on Sunday, their largest deficit since May 1.

Rays at Astros (Tuesday-Thursday)

This one begins with a five-star matchup on Tuesday: Justin Verlander vs. former Astro Charlie Morton. This also could be an interesting playoff preview for two teams playing for very different things. The Astros are going to win their third straight American League West division title and are competing with the Yankees and Dodgers for top playoff seeding. The Rays, Indians and A’s are bunched together in a race for the AL’s two Wild Card berths.

Brewers at Cubs (Friday-Sunday)

The Cubs had a tough weekend in getting swept by the Nationals, even though their offense scored as many runs on Sunday (five) as they’d scored in the previous two combined. They’re 15-17 since July 21 and have scored three runs or fewer in 15 of those games. The Cubs have won seven of 12 games against the Brewers this season.

Mets at Phillies (Friday-Sunday)

Don’t count the Phillies out just yet. They’ve won seven of 11 games and are just 1 1/2 games out in the race for the second NL Wild Card berth. Bryce Harper has homered five times in his last eight games, and a finishing kick that gets the Phils into the postseason in his first season could set the stage for October magic.

A’s at Yankees (Friday-Sunday)

The A’s are 38-18 since June 17 and coming off a homestand in which they won three of four against the Astros, swept three from the Yankees and lost two to the Giants. They’re off to Kansas City for four games and Yankee Stadium for three in a scoreboard-watching mode as they chase an AL Wild Card berth for the second straight year.

Indians at Rays (Friday-Sunday)

Every game will be a litmus test for the Indians in the wake of losing third baseman Jose Ramirez to a broken bone in his hand. He helped the Indians recover from a slow start, and this could be a preview of the AL Wild Card Game or the series that positions only one of these teams to make the playoffs.