As the MLB season churns toward the Memorial Day milestone, let's take a look at three teams that seem to have put it together in recent games and two that are going in the opposite direction.
For many, Memorial Day is not only a day off from work and a way to remember those who have given their lives for our country, but also a litmus test in the 162-game MLB regular season. By the time the last Monday of May rolls around, the "it's still early" card just doesn't fly as teams will have passed the 50-game marker, meaning almost one-third of the regular season is done.
With that in mind, which teams are cruising over the last week and which ones are stumbling? For this article, I will look beyond the top of the divisions where teams like the Texas Rangers, who recorded a weekend sweep over the Colorado Rockies in impressive fashion, outscoring them 31-10 inside Globe Life Field, continue to flex their muscles.
MLB stock report: Houston Astros going up
While the Rangers were cooking this weekend, the Astros were doing the same, posting a home sweep over the Oakland A's to move to 9-1 over their last 10 outings.
There is plenty of reason for optimism in south Texas as Jose Altuve has returned from his fractured thumb suffered in the World Baseball Classic and lengthened the Houston lineup. His RBI single on Sunday helped jumpstart the Houston offense to complete the sweep against Oakland.
Houston now heads out for a road trip through Milwaukee and Oakland before returning home to face the American League Central-leading Minnesota Twins. If the Astros can keep the momentum going from their past 10 games on the road trip, the Rangers are going to feel the heat to stay on top of the AL West.
MLB stock report: St. Louis Cardinals going up
Maybe, just maybe all of that talk about the St. Louis Cardinals already being done for the season was an overreaction? After all, the Redbirds have looked like the team that most MLB pundits thought they were going to be in recent games, going 8-2 in their last 10 games and recording series wins in their last four series. They've been beating division rivals (Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers) and taking care of teams that are off to their own strong starts (Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers).
How have they been winning? The drama from the Willson Contreras position changes and discussion seems to have subsided and the Cardinals are simply focused on playing right now. The offense has also roared to life, scoring double-digit runs in three of their last seven games (with the Cardinals going 5-2 during that stretch).
It felt like the Cardinals were going to turn it around at some point, and they've done just that. Now with a trip to Ohio this week to face the Reds and Guardians, we'll see if St. Louis can keep churning ahead.
MLB stock report: New York Mets going up
The Mets have been just okay so far this season, and that's simply not good enough for the massive payroll that Steve Cohen put together in the offseason. However, perhaps this weekend's series against Cleveland was just the spark that both Mets fans and the team itself needed. Between late heroics at the plate from Pete Alonso and Justin Verlander looking like Justin Verlander on the mound, there is plenty of good to take away from the five-game winning streak that New York has put together.
There is reason for optimism, but now New York heads to Wrigley Field to face the Cubs and Coors Field to take on the Rockies. At 13-14 this season so far away from Citi Field, the Mets have looked mortal on the road. Will the win streak continue after an off day on Monday?
MLB stock report: Pittsburgh Pirates going down
All of those who hopped on the Pittsburgh bandwagon … er, pirate ship … may be abandoning it as the early feel-good story from the Pirates is starting to take on water.
Pittsburgh is 3-7 over their last 10 games and have gone 4-14 over their last 18 games. That 20-8 start and the luster from it is starting to fade.
As our friends at Rum Bunter pointed out in this article, one of the biggest reasons for Pittsburgh's recent struggles have been losing the close games that they won earlier in the season. In May, the Pirates are 1-7 in games decided by three runs or less. Before the calendar flipped to the current month, Pittsburgh was 12-5 in those situations.
Pittsburgh welcomes in those hot-hitting Rangers for three games beginning on Monday night before leaving on a West Coast swing to Seattle and San Francisco. It's no exaggeration to say that if the Pirates are going to keep their good vibes afloat, these next three series are truly sink or swim moments.
MLB stock report: Toronto Blue Jays going down
After a testy series against the rival New York Yankees (losing three of four while so much of the focus was on Aaron Judge's wayward eyes and sticky stuff on the hands of Domingo German), the Blue Jays were flat against the Baltimore Orioles, getting swept to complete a 4-6 homestead. The maddening part for Toronto fans is that three of the four wins came at the start of the homestand when Toronto looked like the team that was advertised at the start of the year to be in contention for the AL East title, sweeping the Atlanta Braves.
However, all of the smiles that came out of the Braves series went away quickly when the Yankees paid a visit. The Orioles swooped in and continued the frustration, and now Toronto faces a tough road test with four games in Tampa Bay followed by three in Minnesota.
As Monday dawns, Toronto sits in the basement of the division, 8.5 games behind the Rays. The opening series in Tampa could set the tone for the road trip and Blue Jays fans are hoping they'll see a little more from their team as it hopes to cool off Tampa Bay inside Tropicana Field.
