The National League East division race grabs the headlines Tuesday, as the division-leading Phillies begin a three-game series with the second-place Marlins.

The Phillies hold a 2.5-game lead on the Marlins in the East, while the Mets are right behind Florida, three games back. The series begins on Tuesday with Josh Johnson getting the ball for Florida and Jamie Moyer taking the hill for the Phillies.

Johnson picked up a no-decision against the Phillies last month after giving up two runs in 6 2-3 innings, while Moyer is 3-0 with 3.00 ERA in three starts against the Marlins. Click here for several baseball betting trends and the full matchup report.

The rest of the pitching matchups in the series are expected to include Kyle Kendrick versus Anibal Sanchez on Wednesday, and Cole Hamels versus Chris Volstad on Thursday.

The Mets will keep a close eye on this series at home on Tuesday, where they're hosting the Padres in a three-game set. Mike Pelfry will try to lead the Mets to a much-needed win on Tuesday, and he'll be opposed by Padres starter Chris Young.

Pelfry held the Padres to one run in six innings in a no-decision earlier this season, while Young will be making his first start of the season against the Mets. Young returned from a two-month layoff last week and pitched five shutout innings against Arizona. Mets vs Padres matchup report with underdog odds.

Looking ahead in this series Pedro Martinez takes on Cha Seung Baek on Wednesday, and Mets ace Johan Santana faces off against John Banks on Thursday.

Things should also get interesting in the AL East this week, where the Tampa Bay Rays continue to cling to a small lead. Entering the week Tampa Bay was three games up on the Red Sox and 5.5 games ahead of the Yankees. Tampa Bay will host Cleveland for three games, in a series that started on Monday.

On Tuesday the Rays send Edwin Jackson against Fausto Carmona, while Wednesday's pitching matchup sees Scott Kazmir take on Jeremy Sowers.

Both the Red Sox and Yankees could have a chance to make up some ground if the Rays stumble, as Boston takes on the awful Royals this week and the Yankees get the mediocre Rangers on the road.

Boston began their three-game set with Kansas City on Monday, and they'll send Josh Beckett up against Brian Bannister on Tuesday. The Yankees kicked off four games with Texas on Monday, and their Tuesday matchup is veteran Andy Pettitte versus rookie Matt Harrison.

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