As the second half of the regular season gets underway, here are three things to watch around baseball this weekend: 1. Weekend matchups: The two clubs battling at the top of the AL West will face off this weekend, as the Mariners host the Astros for a three-game set.It will be the final matchup between the division rivals until mid-September. Probable starting pitchers for the Mariners are , , and (per ), while the Astros are lined up to counter with , , and (per ). The series begins tonight at 9:10 PM CT. Since the last time these two teams faced off, the Astros have gained 4.5 games on the Mariners, putting them just one game back in the AL West. With a series win this weekend, Houston would reclaim first place in the division for the first time since 2023. Meanwhile, if Seattle wins at least two of the three games, the Mariners will clinch the season series against the Astros. Winning the season series against a divisional rival became especially important in 2022 when the new CBA replaced tiebreaker games with mathematical tiebreaking procedures. Just last year, the Astros beat the Rangers for the AL West crown because Houston took the season series 9-4. Over in the National League, the top two Wild Card teams are getting ready for a weekend matchup. If the regular season ended at the All-Star break, the Braves and Cardinals would be gearing up to play in a three-game Wild Card Series at Truist Park. Now, of course, there is still plenty of regular season left to play, which means their face-off this weekend in Atlanta is only a postseason preview. , , and are lined up to pitch for the Braves (per ), while , , and are in line to start for the Cardinals (per ). The Braves will hope to increase their lead in the Wild Card race with a series victory, while the Cardinals could find themselves just 0.5 games back of the top Wild Card spot if they manage to sweep the three-game set. The first game begins tonight at 6:20 PM CT. 2. Top prospect promotions: As reported yesterday, the Athletics are planning to promote Mitch Spence Jersey 22-year-old prospect , likely as soon as this evenings contest against the Angels. The As selected him with the sixth overall pick in last years draft. Presumably, he will take over from as the everyday shortstop in Oakland. The As have open spots on the 40-man and the active roster, so they do not need to make a corresponding move before announcing Wilsons promotion. Although a knee injury limited his playing time earlier this season, Wilson has been nothing but electric throughout his brief career in the minor leagues. Quickly rising through Oaklands system, he has hit .401/.445/.613 (180 wRC+) acro s four levels. In 19 games at Triple-A this year, he has a .398 batting average with eight doubles, four home runs, and only three strikeouts. recently ranked Wilson as the No. 19 overall prospect in the game, while has him at No. 50. The Athletics Keith Law did not include Wilson on his preseason top 100 prospects list but ranked the young infielder No. 2 . Meanwhile, down in S outhern California, the Dodgers are reportedly planning to promote top pitching prospect , according to .Manager Dave Roberts has not yet announced how he plans to line up his rotation to begin the second half, so its po sible Ryan could make his first big league start this weekend against the Red Sox. ranks Ryan as the No. 10 prospect (No. 3 pitching prospect) in the organization, while has him at No. 4 (No. 2 among pitchers). was particularly high on Ryan entering the season, considering him the best pitching prospect in the organization and one of the top four pitching prospects in the sport. Shoulder i sues delayed the beginning of Ryans season, but the 26-year-old has looked sharp in five Triple-A outings, pitching to a 2.76 ERA and 3.67 FIP with a 28.8% strikeout rate and a 60.0% groundball rate. L.A. has an open spot for Ryan on the 40-man and active rosters. Although he has limited experience at Triple-A and likely needs a bit more seasoning in the minors, the Dodgers will hope he can provide their beleaguered rotation with some temporary relief. 3. Hall of Fame induction ceremony: , , and Jim Leyland will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend, with the ceremony set for Sunday at 12:30 PM CT. The festivities will be broadcast on MLB Network. Beltre, Mauer, and Helton were elected by the Baseball Writers A sociation of America for their playing careers, while Leyland was elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee for his work as a manager. An additional 50 Hall of Famers will be present to celebrate their induction. More details about the event can be found on . Zack Gelof Jersey