Oakland A’s and Pittsburgh Pirates continue to impress

With the 2013 MLB season passing the halfway point, there are a few surprising division leaders in the AL West and NL Central. This week, those two hard-working teams will collide in a three-game interleague series starting Monday as the Oakland A’s visit the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Oakland enters the series on an impressive 8-3 run. Pittsburgh has cooled off a bit, but ended June on a 9-0 run to take over first place in the NL Central. The two teams have only played three series since 2002 (most recently meeting in 2010), but Oakland is a perfect 9-0 in those three series. Bartolo Colon takes the mound for the A’s on Monday and is a +102 underdog against Jeff Locke and the Pirates (-112) at 5Dimes.

The New York Yankees host the Kansas City Royals in a four-game series starting on Monday. After losing five straight to end the month of June, the Yankees bounced back to win six straight to kick off July before having their streak snapped on Sunday. They are currently a -142 favorite at 5Dimes to start up a new winning streak with Phil Hughes on the mound against Jeff Locke (+132) and the Pirates.

Later in the week, two of baseball’s best offenses take the field when the Detroit Tigers host the Texas Rangers in a three-game series starting on Friday. Since 2012, Texas is 10-4 in 14 games against Detroit, including a current streak of 7-2 over the last nine meetings.

With The Open Championship coming up next weekend, many golfers use this weekend’s John Deere Classic as a final tune-up. Last year’s winner, Zach Johnson, will look to defend his crown against a talented field that includes first-time participant Keegan Bradley and three-time winner Steve Stricker. Stricker had won this event three straight years before Johnson snapped his streak last year, and he’ll look to take it back this weekend.

On Sunday, NASCAR’s best will take to the track for the Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson sits atop the Sprint Cup Series standings with 658 points and four wins this season.