There's a shared problem out west as the Giants and Angels meet in this week's interleague series, and it has to do with juggernauts and shadows. Both teams are heading into the All-Star break with wild-card aspirations, and both are facing a miserable climb to take down the entrenched rivals at the top of their divisions — the Rangers and Dodgers.

On Monday night, Matt Cain pinballed through five innings in his first start since the perfect game last Wednesday, and the Giants managed a 5-3 win. The next two nights, with Wilson-Zito and Weaver-Vogelsong duels, promise to be just as interesting. But does either team have the tools to pull off a West Coast coup and unseat the ruling powers? Let's run the numbers.

Here are the most alluring matchups, stories, and personalities in Major League Baseball for the coming weekend.

It's an interleague play weekend, which means we get to see some interesting individual and team matchups. As you'll see, the NL East vs. AL East showdowns steal the show.