Week Ahead: Contenders clash from coast to coast

There’s only a quarter of the MLB regular season left to be played, and it’s time for teams with an eye on the playoffs to make their move. This week shouldn’t disappoint: in the last dog days of August, baseball’s heavyweights are set to duke it out from coast to coast.

On Tuesday in Los Angeles, the Giants and Dodgers, neck-and-neck for the National League West title, meet for the first of nine critical games remaining between them this season. Across the country, the Nationals and Orioles, both in postseason position, clash in the Beltway Series, starting Monday — two games in Baltimore, followed by two in D.C.

And there’s more. The juggernaut Cubs follow the Giants into Chavez Ravine for a weekend series against the Dodgers showcasing some of the league’s brightest young stars. The American League, not to be outdone, brings together two of its top teams, as the West-leading Rangers host the Central-leading Indians from Thursday through Sunday.

Last year, the Dodgers didn’t clinch the NL West title over the Giants until Sept. 29, when Clayton Kershaw outdueled Madison Bumgarner, and the two titans of the division appear poised for another high-stakes stretch run.

“We have a jolt every day. We love to play this game. We love this time of year,” Giants right fielder Hunter Pence said of the Giants and Dodgers’ jockeying atop the West.

The Giants had a firm grip on the division for much of the season, but the Dodgers — without the injured Kershaw — …

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