David Ortiz is set to get booed at Yankee Stadium, Chris Sale is ready to resume striking out Kris Bryant and the Kansas City Royals are facing a rugged road back to the playoffs.Now that the All-Star fun is finished, a look at whats on deck as Major League Baseball makes the turn and heads home toward October:---PENNANT PUSH: All eyes will be on Joe Maddon and his Cubs as they chase their first World Series crown since 1908. Theyre in prime position so far -- Jake Arrieta, Bryant and Co. hold the biggest lead at the break, up seven games over St. Louis in the NL Central.The Cubs have never won a title while at Wrigley Field. All those past failures? Thats something we dont really discuss very often, Arrieta said.Only one division race closer than five games: The AL East, with Baltimore up two on Boston and Toronto. Ortiz got a lot of love this week, but what Big Papi really wants is one more swing in the postseason. The Red Sox begin the second half Friday night in the steamy Bronx.Quite a scramble is shaping up for wild-card spots -- 18 teams are within five games of the slots. World Series MVP Salvador Perez, All-Star Game MVP Eric Hosmer and the defending champ Royals are hovering at 45-43.DEAL OR NO DEAL: Will Aroldis Chapman soon be closing somewhere else? Can Jonathan Lucroy catch on with a contender? How about Carlos Gonzalez? Could Drew Pomeranz or Jake Odorizzi be starting a new chapter?Plenty to track before the Aug. 1 deadline to make trades without waivers. Last year, a lot of big names moved in the final week -- Yoenis Cespedes, Johnny Cueto and Troy Tulowitzki, among them.This year, several elite teams need bullpen help. The Yankees have two of the top targets in Chapman and Andrew Miller. A few more wins might quiet all the trade noise, Miller said.We can shut down those rumors, and I think thats the goal. Thats what need to do. Thats what we should do, the lefty said.HEAL OR NO HEAL: Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Craig Kimbrel come out of the break on the disabled list, as do Felix Hernandez, Michael Brantley and several Texas pitchers.How fast the likes of Jordan Zimmermann, Wade Davis, Matt Carpenter and others can effectively come back might determine how far their teams go.The defending NL champion Mets had already lost captain David Wright and former ace Matt Harvey for the season and power-hitting Lucas Duda for a long time when slugger Yoenis Cespedes and hard-throwing Noah Syndergaard recently got hurt in the same game.I dont want it to sound like woe is me, Mets manager Terry Collins said, but woe is us.STEP IT UP!: Andrew McCutchen, Prince Fielder and Giancarlo Stanton are among several stars who slumped through the first half. Jose Bautista, Jason Heyward and Dallas Keuchel also have been shaky.All over the majors, All-Stars who havent performed that way get 2 1/2 months to return to form.A big second half by Justin Upton could propel Detroit in the playoff chase, same for Yordano Ventura in KC and Adam Wainwright in St. Louis.FLY, BALL, FLY: Giancarlo Stanton is done putting dents in the Western Metal Supply Co. building at Petco Park. Time now for mere mortals to swing away.Home runs are at a point that rivals the peak of the Steroids Era, but Commissioner Rob Manfred isnt worried that PEDs are juicing performances.The increase takes place against the backdrop where Major League Baseball does 22,000 drug tests a year, he said.The ball tends to travel when temperatures heat up -- former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel used to call this hittin season.It always goes back and forth, and you never know when its going to kind of take the swing the other way, Orioles catcher Matt Wieters said.DATES TO WATCH: Coming up, Ken Griffey Jr. (in a Mariners cap, not a backward lid) and Mike Piazza (Mets hat) step to the Cooperstown podium for their Hall of Fame induction speeches on July 24.Later, the Atlanta Braves play for the last time at 20-year-old Turner Field (Oct. 2 vs. Detroit) before moving to a suburban ballpark.Also in range: Ichiro Suzuki needs 10 hits to reach 3,000 in the majors and Alex Rodriguez is five home runs shy of No. 700. Custom Padres Jerseys . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Cheap Padres Jerseys . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. http://www.custompadresjersey.com/ . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Ozzie Smith Jersey Large . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. Cheap Custom Padres Jersey . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead.With Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended for Manchester Uniteds clash with Arsenal, Jose Mourinho faces a selection dilemma up front. The stats suggest its time to unleash Marcus Rashford through the middle. Arsenals visit to Old Trafford on Saturday stirs special memories for Marcus Rashford. The teenager scored twice in three minutes when he made his Premier League debut in the same fixture last season, helping Manchester United to a memorable 3-2 win and catapulting his name into the headlines.Three days earlier he had netted two goals on his senior bow against Midtjylland, but doing it against a Premier League title contender was a different story. Rashford became a superstar-in-waiting, and the previously unknown youngster finished the season as Louis van Gaals first-choice striker with eight goals in 18 appearances. Nine months on from those thrilling beginnings, Rashford finds himself in a rather different situation. Jose Mourinho made a point of defending his youth policy at his Manchester United unveiling in July, but the critics appeared to be vindicated as Zlatan Ibrahimovic took centre stage and Uniteds rising star started the season on the bench. Marcus Rashford scored twice against Arsenal last season Rashford had to be patient, but he has made a habit of taking his chances. He came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner against Hull in his first competitive appearance under Mourinho in August, and he won his new managers trust with an industrious second-half cameo in the Manchester derby.Rashford was rewarded with a chance to lead the line for Uniteds Europa League trip to Feyenoord a few days later, but he struggled to make an impact in a 1-0 defeat at De Kuip. Ibrahimovic was restored up front, and Rashford has been confined to the flanks ever since.Its an unfamiliar role for the academy product. Rashford revealed he had not played as a winger since the age of 12 or 13 in an interview with Sky Sports in September, and he was clear about his priorities, too. On a personal level, scoring lots of goals is the main objective, he said. Marcus Rashford struck a dramatic winner against Hull in August Four goals in his first six appearances of the campaign augured well, but Rashford has struggled to hit the heights of last season since then. He has not scored in his last seven appearances for United. The barren run stretches to 10 games for club and country. Its the longest of his fledgling career.Rashford hopes the experience of playing out wide will make him a more complete player and Mourinho has been impressed by his defensive work-rate, but his new responsibilities are clearly coming at a cost. A statistical comparison between this season and last reveals his attacking output has dropped in all departments. Marcus Rashford 2015/16 vs 2016/17 Stat 2015/16 2016/17 Games played 18 14 Goals scored 8 4 Assists 2 1 Shots per game 2.0 1.5 Shots on target per game 0.dddddddddddd8 0.4 Chances created per game 0.7 0.6 Dribbles attempted per game 4.7 3.3 Dribbles completed per game 1.6 1.0 Touches in opposition box per game 6.5 6.1 Rashford is a penalty box predator who scored with his first shots on his Europa League, Premier League and international debuts. But since moving to the flanks he is shooting less and spending less time in the areas where he is most effective. In Uniteds goalless draw at Anfield last month, he didnt touch the ball once in Liverpools box. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch Man Utd v Arsenal on Saturday and get the first six months half price Its not just his goal threat which has been diminished. Rashford is creating fewer chances than last season, his dribbles have fallen from 4.7 per game to 3.3, and his crossing stats are those of a striker shoehorned into an unnatural position. Of 25 attempted deliveries, only two have found a team-mate. It gives him a success rate of just eight per cent. Marcus Rashfords heatmap in Manchester Uniteds 0-0 draw with Liverpool Despite the obvious drawbacks of moving Rashford from his favoured position, Mourinhos faith in Ibrahimovic has been unwavering. The Swede went six Premier League games without scoring before his double against Swansea prior to the international break, but he is still the only outfield player to have started every minute of Uniteds campaign.Rashford, of course, is not the only player in the frame to deputise against Arsenal. Wayne Rooney has lost his place in the United team this season, but he could get the nod to start up front on Saturday having recovered from the apparent knee injury which forced him out of England duty. Importance of Carrick The details behind why Michael Carricks return can be the catalyst for Manchester United. Mourinho might be tempted to err on the side of experience when he comes to pick his team, but he would be better off casting his mind back to the last time Arsenal visited Old Trafford. Rashford was the hero that day. Moving him back into his natural position could be Uniteds best hope of claiming another three points against the Gunners. Get a Sky Sports Pass Dont miss Man Utd v Arsenal. Watch live on NOW TV for £6.99. No contract. Also See: Nevilles Man Utd-Arsenal preview Tylers Man Utd-Arsenal special Rooney celebrations defended Your clubs Premier League omens ' ' '