We have myriad traditions in baseball and one of the many is using Memorial Day as a tentpole. There’s still plenty of time for teams that have been good so far to fall apart and also tons of time for a disappointing team to get hot and do something like win 15 of 20 to thrust themselves into contention. For the most part, though, we have gotten a decent glimpse of what is to come by Memorial Day.
On the disappointing end, the Baltimore Orioles are the leaders by a country mile. It cannot be stressed enough what an utter disaster this season has been and will likely continue to be. This team won 101 games just two years ago and is pacing toward a 100-loss season. Here’s some perspective: Last year on May 27, they won their 34th game. How long until the O’s (currently 18-34) get to 34 this year?
How about we focus more on the positives, though? After all, it’s a long weekend and that’s always cause for celebration.
- Who would’ve thought I’d be talking positively about the Angels right now? They recently won eight in a row and they are actually only four games out of first place right now. For real.
- The Mariners are in first place. Though they’ve hit a bit of a rough patch recently, they have now been in first place for a month. Though the Mariners were considered a playoff contender by many, I’d say it qualifies as a pleasant surprise that they’ve been in first for so long.
- The Cardinals shopped Nolan Arenado all offseason and after starting 14-19, many of us were checking out their roster to see who else might be traded when they were sellers this summer. They’ve won 16 of 20 since.
- The Twins collapsed last season, and after starting 13-20, they certainly didn’t look like a contender. They’ve won 16 of 19.
- The Giants were ticketed for fourth place and a mediocre season, at least that was the general vibe from most onlookers back in March. Instead, they are the ones pushing the Dodgers the hardest in the NL West, sitting 31-22. Every time it looks like they are falling back to Earth, so the saying goes, the Giants respond with a string of victories.
- Though the Tigers were an excellent story last season with the late surge to make the playoffs and then the upset of the Astros in the wild-card round, they weren’t slated to be a powerhouse team this season. Sure, many predicted them to make the playoffs, but they had the best record in baseball very recently and are only a half-game back of the best record right now.
- Finally, through all we heard about how much better the Dodgers were than every other team, I’ve had a nice and steady stream of different No. 1 teams here in the Power Rankings. This time around, the Phillies have gotten hot enough to reclaim the spot they held back when they were 7-2.
To reiterate, yeah, there’s an awful long way to go this season and teams like the Twins and Cardinals have already shown how quickly things could turn if a team gets hot. Teams could fall apart, too, as we’ll discuss with the Athletics below. For the most part, though, we have a general idea of who the contenders and pretenders are in 2025 and the list of teams that seem capable of winning the World Series is relatively long. That’s a good thing. Rock on, baseball.
6
Guardians
1 |
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The loss Sunday broke a nine-game winning streak. | 5 | 34-19 |
2 |
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A 3-4 week after the promotion to the top spot? Yep, they couldn’t handle the pressure. It happens to the best. | 1 | 34-20 |
3 |
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The Bronx Bombers have the best run differential in baseball at +108. The second-best mark here is +91 (Cubs). | — | 32-20 |
4 |
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Stupid rain delay. Clayton Kershaw looked great through two innings and it would’ve been nice to see how he held up as he got deeper in the game. | 2 | 32-21 |
5 |
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You know what would be cool? If Juan Soto went absolutely bonkers for like seven games and shut all the naysayers the hell up. Please, Juan, get it done. | 1 | 32-21 |
6 |
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In their last nine games, the Cubs have outscored their opponents 53-3 from the sixth inning on (hat-tip to Cubs broadcast for that one). | 1 | 32-21 |
7 |
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The pitcher win-loss record has rightfully lost steam as a mainstream stat, but seeing Robbie Ray sitting 7-0 still seems pretty fun. | 3 | 31-22 |
8 |
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Steven Matz had been an incredible weapon out of the bullpen, but he’s now been touched up two of his last three outings. | 3 | 30-23 |
9 |
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Bailey Ober had a disaster of a start in March, coughing up eight runs in 2⅔ innings. Since then, he’s got a 2.28 ERA in 10 starts. The Twins have gone 8-2 in those starts with both losses coming by one run (one of them in extra innings). | — | 29-23 |
10 |
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The Mariners have lost four of six, but they have a bit of a soft schedule coming up, including the Nationals and Orioles at home before heading to Anaheim. | 3 | 29-23 |
11 |
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The six-game losing streak is over, the Padres won two of three in Atlanta and now get to play the Marlins and Pirates at home. Ebbs and flows, baby. | 3 | 29-22 |
12 |
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What a nice bounce-back week to win four of six in Minnesota and Detroit. | 6 | 29-23 |
13 |
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Remember a few years ago when the Astros were amazing on the road and bad at home? That was 2023 when their season ended after four home ALCS losses. This year, the Astros are the opposite. They are 18-10 at home and 10-15 on the road. | — | 28-25 |
14 |
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This run of being ace-like for Kris Bubic is now 11 starts. They really might have unlocked something in him. | 2 | 29-25 |
15 |
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Sunday, the Rays had a “home” game with a “feels like” temperature of 101 degrees. The few home games they have in July and August are gonna be absurdly sweltering. | 5 | 26-26 |
16 |
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That’s five straight losses, and the D-backs have fallen under .500. | 4 | 26-27 |
17 |
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It was so awesome seeing Ronald Acuña Jr. return with a home run. Unfortunately, the Braves didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to be good again. They’ve gone 2-5 since finally getting over .500. | 3 | 25-27 |
18 |
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Again, it’s still plenty early, but if I could change one of my preseason picks it would be the Red Sox winning the AL East. That ain’t happening. | 1 | 27-28 |
19 |
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Believe it or not, the Reds have only won one series since sweeping the Rockies last month. | 2 | 26-28 |
20 |
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The win on Sunday broke a six-game losing streak. These Rangers are just so inconsistent and difficult to trust. They are also still only four games out. | 5 | 26-28 |
21 |
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Now through four career starts, Logan Henderson has a 1.71 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He also has 29 strikeouts against only six walks. He’s legit. | 1 | 26-28 |
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They had won nine of 13 after sweeping the Padres and looked the best they had all season. Then they were swept by the Rays, including a 13-0 humiliation on Sunday. This is probably just what they are: A mediocre, at best, team. | 1 | 25-27 |
23 |
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Win eight in a row to tease their fans and then lose a home series to the Marlins. That’s the Angels Way in a nutshell. | 2 | 25-27 |
24 |
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Through 11 starts, MacKenzie Gore has 93 strikeouts. The only pitchers in franchise history to top 275 are Max Scherzer (three times) and Pedro Martinez. | — | 24-29 |
25 |
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I wonder if the Marlins would trade Ryan Weathers? He looks like a possible difference-maker in what could well be a breakout season. | 1 | 21-30 |
26 |
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The A’s got within one game of first place after a win on May 5. They have just completely fallen apart since. They won on Sunday, but that snapped an 11-game losing streak. | 3 | 23-31 |
27 |
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With a win Friday in extra innings, the Pirates moved to 4-7 in Paul Skenes starts this year. | 1 | 19-35 |
28 |
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All things considered, this has to be one of the worst months in Orioles history. | 1 | 18-34 |
29 |
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They remain ahead of last year’s pace. They didn’t win their 17th game until June 9 in 2024. Baby steps are still steps. | — | 17-36 |
30 |
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It isn’t even funny anymore. The Rockies are on pace to go 28-134. | — | 9-44 |
