Despite he is leaving Philadelphia Phillies today disappointment we be on Rob Thomson…..
One of the biggest storylines at the start of the season was the Cleveland Guardians’ explosive start, going 8-2 and 17-6. This was especially shocking because the club didn’t look all that different from the one that finished last year with disappointments galore. It made sense for the Guardians to return to Earth somewhat once they emerged from the gates, even though their level of success could not last. After all, it’s the same team!
The Guardians are, in fact, more attractive now than they were back then. They’re now riding a nine-game winning run, which is their best since a crazy 22-game winning streak in 2017. This puts them ahead of the Yankees by percentage points for the top record in the American League and, more importantly, a lead of 2 1/2 games in the AL Central. They play the Rockies and Nationals this week before a thrilling series against the nearly unstoppable Royals, so this run may continue. This week, the Guardians soared to the third spot in the rankings. For “the same team as last year,” this is fairly good.
The words are mine, as always, but the rankings are based on those of MLB.com contributors, whose names appear at the bottom of this (and every) article. Please shout at all of us if you don’t like the ranks. However, you are welcome to yell at me if you don’t like the language.
1. Phillies (former: 1).
Season low: 8 | Season high: 1.
It’s hardly a huge issue to lose a series at Coors Field because the Rockies are always strong at home, even if they aren’t a great club overall. The Phillies accomplished this in an odd way—by not hitting. In two of the three games, one of baseball’s finest offenses managed just two runs. I have to admit, when all you’re managing at Coors Field is that, you have to be glad that you weren’t swept clean.
Suárez, the ranger, fans nine batters.
May 26, 2024 · 1:15
Suárez, the ranger, fans nine batters.
2. Yankees (three earlier).
Season low: 7 | Season high: 2.
The fact that Anthony Volpe’s hitting streak is the longest by a Yankee since Derek Jeter’s 19-game stretch in 2012 has received a lot of attention. This week, Volpe needs to reach 24 to tie Don Mattingly’s streak from 1986. Jeter’s career high of 25 from 2006 is one away. Since Joe DiMaggio, what is the Yankees’ longest hitting streak? Joe Gordon, who was 29 the year after DiMaggio turned 56, would be that person. Volpe will almost certainly be there if we’re still discussing this after a week.
3. Defenders (formerly: 6).
Season low: 21 | Season high: 3.
José Ramírez has changed this season, which is one of the intriguing parts of the Guardians’ start. Though his on-base percentage has decreased, he is still hitting the ball hard, leading the Majors with 52 RBIs and more than halfway to his season-high 24 home runs. In actuality, his lifetime OBP average is 37 points lower than it was, but his career slugging average is 30 points higher. His walk rate of 7% is the lowest it has ever been throughout his career.
The two-run home run by José Ramírez (15)
May 25, 2024 · 0:29
The two-run home run by José Ramírez (15)
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4. Orioles (four years ago).
Season low: 5 | Season high: 1.
With a useful sweep of the White Sox, the Orioles managed to withstand the Yankees’ recent hot streak and pull within two games of the AL East lead in what appears to be the most exciting AL East contest of the season for everyone. Given that they eventually snapped their 106-series sweepless drought this week—three straight losses against the Cardinals, of all teams—their buoyancy seemed all the more remarkable. The Orioles had 0.07 percent chance of going that long without being swept, according to a calculation made by MLB.com’s Tom Tango last week. That number alone leads me to believe that a streak like that won’t come around for a while.
Over seven no-hit innings, Kyle Bradish strikes out eleven batters.
May 26, 2024 · 1:26
Over seven no-hit innings, Kyle Bradish strikes out eleven batters.
5. Dodgers (two years ago).
Season low: 6 | Season high: 1.
Even the best teams have rough patches throughout the regular season—the 1998 Yankees, for example, had a 1-4 start. Therefore, even if the Dodgers’ five-game losing streak was unrelenting and unstoppable during the weekend in Cincinnati, fans shouldn’t lose hope. Even said, Los Angeles’ haste to get Shohei Ohtani back into the lineup on Sunday despite his strained hamstring indicates that they are growing restless about their “inconsistent” offense. Ohtani went 1-for-4 and the Dodgers lost 4-1, so that didn’t help. Even then, it’s hardly time to get disoriented: Los Angeles leads the NL West by a margin of 5 1/2 games, which is the second-largest margin of any current division leader.
Ohtani Shohei’s triple
May 25, 2024 · 0.31%
Ohtani Shohei’s triple
6. Royals (old number: 8).
Season low: 24 | Season high: 6.
The Royals’ amazing eight-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday afternoon against the Rays, but it’s important to remember just how hot Kansas City has been all week. These offensive explosions were the backbone of the team’s success. For the second time in franchise history, the Royals scored eight runs or more in five straight games (they hadn’t done so since 1978); no other team had done so since the Dodgers in 2021, which took place from September 29 to October 1. 3. People, they really are. They are not leaving.
Bobby Witt Jr.’s double-home run event
May 21, 2024 · 0:57
Bobby Witt Jr.’s double-home run event
7. Braves (old number: 5).
Season low: 7 | Season high: 1.
The Braves are usually deep, but now that Ronald Acuña Jr. is sidelined for the entire season due to an ACL tear, it will be much harder to catch the Phillies than it was before. It serves as a reminder that the Braves’ 2023 offense was historically successful because of their ability to maintain player health throughout the season. That’s not how things are working out in ’24.
Ronald Acuña Jr. sustains an ACL tear that ends the season.
May 26, 2024 · 0:58
Ronald Acuña Jr. sustains an ACL tear that ends the season.
8. Brewers (used to be: 7).
Season low: 19 | Season high: 5.
The Brewers and Cubs have appeared to be within shouting distance of one another since Opening Day, but this weekend in Milwaukee, the Brew Crew has the opportunity to put some serious separation between themselves and the North Siders as they move into the summer. On Memorial Day, the clubs begin a huge four-game series. Savor these moments while they last: the Brewers and Cubs will square off in a three-game series in July, following which their seasons will end.
In the third, the Brewers score five runs.
May 25, 2024 · 1:04
In the third, the Brewers score five runs.
9. Twins (formerly: twelve).
Season low: 23; Season high: 8.
Be quiet. Carlos Correa appears to be himself once more. Correa seems like his old self again after a very poor 2023—the first below-average offensive season of his career—putting up a slash line of.279/.366/.467 that is comparable to his best during his time in Minnesota and his fifth-place MVP vote season from 2021.
10. Cubs (formerly: 9).
Season low: 12 | Season high: 8.
The Cubs’ beginning pitching, which was regarded as a genuine potential threat after Justin Steele was injured, has ended up being the team’s standout feature. Right now, they share the second-best starters’ ERA in the National League with the Braves, only behind the Phillies. The hitting has been the issue lately; at the same time, Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki, and Christopher Morel have all in a severe rut.
The seven-strikeout performance of Shota Imanaga
May 18, 2024 · 1:07
The seven-strikeout performance of Shota Imanaga
11. Mariners (10 formerly).
Season low: 21; Season high: 10.
The baseball community has been anticipating Julio Rodríguez’s expected offensive outburst, the moment when he switches on after his customary sluggish start. It could be happening: in the last two games, he has doubled his season total with home runs. Do you recall how insane he became in August of last year and managed to get the Mariners back into the AL West race? Seattle is already in first place if he does that again right now.
Julio Rodríguez hits three home runs in a day of hits.
May 26, 2024 · 1:07
Julio Rodríguez hits three home runs in a day of hits.
12. Giants (former: 19).
Season low: 23; Season high: 12.
With the way the NL Wild Card race is developing, all it takes to lead the pack is a brief hot streak; eventually, any team could have a chance. It was the Giants’ turn this week. At the center of it all was, at last, Matt Chapman, who had an incredible week at the plate and made what he acknowledged might be the play of his career to secure a thrilling comeback win over the Mets on Friday. Their thrilling run of comeback victories propelled them up the standings.
Matt Chapman’s incredible play to end the game
May 24, 2024 · 0:28
Matt Chapman’s incredible play to end the game
13. Red Sox (16 years ago).
Season low: 22 | Season high: 13.
With just one more extra-base hit than Jim Rice before turning 28, the fiery Rafael Devers of the Red Sox fell to 0-for-2 on Sunday. After this one, Devers, who turns 28 in October, is renowned for having a nine-year contract. He is already 200 home runs behind Rice, so if he plays for the full nine seasons in Boston, he will be a Red Sox player for one more season than Rice was.
Rafael Devers has hit six home runs in a row.
May 19, 2024 · 2:00
Rafael Devers has hit six home runs in a row.
14. Parents (formerly: 14).
13 is the season’s high; 21 is its low.
Without his swag, who is Fernando Tatis Jr.? Does he not bleed if he is so swaggerless? After hitting a home run against the Yankees on Saturday, which came the night after the Bronx Bombers had thrown baseballs at a number of gullible onlookers all evening on Friday, Tatis did not perform his customary stutter-and-hop routine. He claimed that this was the first time he hadn’t done it since before COVID. Why?
He declared, “I’m not swaggy right now.”
People, Fernando Tatis Jr. is not a swagger. Everything is chaos: black is white, forwards is backwards, and upwards is down.
The lone home run by Fernando Tatis Jr. (9)
May 25, 2024 · 0:24
The lone home run by Fernando Tatis Jr. (9)
15. Astros (18 in the past).
Season low: 26; Season high: 6.
The phrase “the rest of the AL West should have buried the Astros while they had the chance” has become a cliche, but it’s also true that the Astros are passing up a couple chances to really capitalize. This week, the Astros were struggling, dropping two of three games against the Angels and failing to sweep the A’s as we’re used to seeing them do, while the Mariners and Rangers were on losing streaks. Despite all the hoopla about the Astros coming “back,” they are not improving their situation.
The two-run home run by Kyle Tucker (18)
May 26, 2024 · 0:26
The two-run home run by Kyle Tucker (18)
16. Tigers (15 formerly: 15).
Season low: 20 | Season high: 7.
The Tigers received the Blue Jays tonic after a five-game losing slide that threatened to eliminate them from the AL Central race as the Royals and Guardians just wouldn’t go away: Detroit is back to one game below.500 after three straight wins over the weekend. The issue is that, in spite of everything, they are now 10 games behind the leaders, which is a greater deficit than, say, the Angels.
Matt Vierling had a four-hit, two-homer day and wins it.
May 26, 2024 · 1:11
Matt Vierling had a four-hit, two-homer day and wins it.
17. The Diamondbacks (formerly: 17).
Season low: 21; Season high: 10.
Mike Hazen, the general manager of the D-backs, deserves praise for his candor in acknowledging that his team has been fortunate in recent years. “Considering how we’ve played, we’re fortunate to still be in the Wild Card race,” he said to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. “We were fortunate last year that nobody absconded with [the final Wild Card berths] and we lost all those games following the Trade Deadline. Because we took action regarding that chance last year, we were able to take advantage of it. Thus, maybe this year, we can take action on that opportunity. Still, the D-backs have a greater run differential than the Cubs, all of the AL West teams, and the 2023 Diamondbacks. So no, it doesn’t cheer you up.
18. Rays (formerly: 13).
Season low: 19; Season high: 9.
Remarkably, Kevin Cash is still the baseball manager with the longest tenure, so you can believe that when he says the Rays are in a bad spot right now, he means it. He declared, “We’re not getting it done.” “Every aspect of it. We’re expanding on pitches, after all, that we most likely can’t manage. We’re not causing any harm with the pitches we can manage. Right now, we can’t put too much of it together. It is somewhat comprehensive. Even though they bounced back to win on Sunday, this is not the kind of division where it is simple to weather a six-game losing skid. I’m concerned, yes, but I’ve been concerned for quite some time.
19. Rangers (former: 11).
Season low: 19 | Season high: 4.
From “moderately worrisome” to “overcome by injuries” to “holy cow, is the bottom falling out?” the Rangers have gone through a lot.They are falling in the standings after an utterly awful road trip to Philadelphia and Minnesota; they are only hanging on because the rest of the division is also having a terrible time right now. They still have time to make things right, but this is not the behavior of the reigning champions.
20. The Cardinals (formerly: 23).
Season low: 27 | Season high: 18.
Before starting a homestand on May 17 against three winning teams—the Red Sox, Orioles, and Cubs—the Cardinals were 18–25 and in last place. Their season was about to blow up in their faces. They proceeded to defeat the Red Sox two games to one, the Orioles (of all teams) to two, and the Cubs to two. They feel better about themselves than they have all year, and they are right in the heart of the Wild Card chase. This will be the week that the Cardinals preserve their season, assuming they can accomplish anything this year.
21. The pirates (20 earlier).
Season low: 25 | Season high: 9.
Finally, Mitch Keller’s moment has come. For a number of years now, the former Pirates sensation has been this team’s ace-in-waiting, and in May, he had a 4-0 record with a 1.30 ERA. Though the Pirates are talking about Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, who offer optimism for the future, don’t forget about the “old guy.”
22. The Blue Jays (formerly: 21).
Season low: 23; Season high: 8.
According to a story this week by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, an AL official believes that if the Blue Jays don’t improve this season, they might “not be opposed” to dealing Bo Bichette and/or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Although this makes some sense—both players will be free agents following the 2020–21 season—what a disappointing way to cap off an era. With a new generation of players, the Blue Jays were expected to lead that competitive division, but they are now in last place and have not yet won a postseason series. This cannot be the conclusion, can it?
23. Reds (formerly: 25).
Season low: 25 | Season high: 11
The Reds have a crucial stretch coming up, so they selected a great time to enjoy a fantastic series at home against the suddenly struggling Dodgers. They are currently in last place in the NL Central due to their disappointing record in one-run games, but they will have a great opportunity to catch up over the next two weeks with seven games against the Cubs, three against the Cardinals, and three against the Rockies. Now is the perfect opportunity for the Reds to turn things around if they want to this season.
David Bell talks about the Dodgers victory.
May 26, 2024 · 1:56
David Bell talks about the Dodgers victory.
24. Citizens (formerly: 24).
Season low: 27; season high: 19.
Is there a MacKenzie Gore ace? How many more starts are you going to need to become an ace? Gore made his 50th start of the season on Friday, and it was one of his best: across seven innings, he gave up just three hits and no runs to the Mariners after giving up a leadoff home run. The Nationals’ lineup, which includes Gore, Trevor Williams, and Mitchell Parker—who is even younger than Gore—is expected to be a major source of issues for the remainder of the season.
25. Mets (formerly: 22).
Season low: 25; Season high: 10.
With one stunning comeback loss after another, the Mets have had a terrible week. To what extent was it bad? Announcer Gary Cohen concluded his show after the Mets’ extra-inning loss to the Giants on Saturday, stating, “I promise you, the sun will still come up tomorrow.” (He was right, it did. The Mets had a wild comeback victory of their own on Sunday.)
26. A’s (formerly: 26).
Seasonal peak: 20; Seasonal trough: 30
Mason Miller, the A’s standout rookie closer this season, needed a nickname. While “Mason Miller” is a nice name, it’s not especially terrifying by itself. That’s one of the only significant changes we’ve made to him. He now has one, “The Reaper,” and he likes it: “I actually had a buddy in college whose nickname was ‘The Reaper’ also,” he remarked, according to A’s announcer Chris Caray. However, this was a result of his delayed work.
27. Angels (27 formerly).
Season low: 27; Season high: 24
If the only question any sane person could have at this point regarding the Angels is, “Hey, how’s Mike Trout feeling?,” then that query is perfectly acceptable.You can find comfort in the fact that the response is: “Better!Before the Angels lost again on Saturday, Trout told reporters, “I’m feeling good.” Don’t get too excited, though; he also mentioned that he isn’t jogging or running just yet.
28. Marlins (old number: 29).
Season low: 30 | Season high: 23
Congratulations to Braxton Garrett for his Maddux against the Diamondbacks on Friday night. This Power Rankings writer never lets a Maddux pass unremarked, as he recorded a six-strikeout, four-hit shutout on just 95 pitches. (It was only the second left-handed Maddux for the Marlins; Dontrelle Willis pitched one in 2005.) If you can believe it, it was also the fifth shutout for Marlins pitchers in the previous nine games.
29. Rockies (old number: 28).
Season low: 29; Season high: 28
During his month-long stay in the major leagues, Jordan Beck hadn’t exactly been killing it, but at least the power-hitting prospect was gaining valuable experience that would probably help him in the long run; even though he wasn’t hitting yet, you could see progress every day. Now that Beck has shattered his hand, that optimism is gone. Kris Bryant is hitting and healthy in the interim. 179.
30. White Sox (29 formerly).
Season low: 30 | Season high: 28
When your beat reporters are already speculating about who will be dealt by the deadline, it is never a good indication.stories by Memorial Day, but that is the current situation with the White Sox. General manager Chris Getz stated, “I think there are some players on the team that make a little more sense than others.” Tommy Pham is one of those players that any baseball team might have had a month ago. The White Sox now have a trade chip that is slugging.459 because they picked him up.
