Yardbarker
x
Getaway Day: There's a murderer's row in the NL West
May 28, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Gerardo Parra (8) and left fielder Ian Desmond (20) celebrate with center fielder Charlie Blackmon (19) after being brought in on a play in the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field.  Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Getaway Day: There's a murderer's row in the NL West

One of baseball's annual check-in points is finally here: Memorial Day. And as we remember those who did so much in service of our nation, we also can take time to have a good look around the game's early goings-on as well. 

And here are a few things the last week proved to us without a doubt: the National League West has three legitimate powerhouses who would lead nearly every other division in the game. Meanwhile, while the Nationals' and Astros' beeline through the spring looks ready to ride out through the summer, the Twins continue to affirm the fact that they are legitimate contenders too. Meanwhile, we are still waiting to hear from the Cubs in full bloom, the Rays are climbing while the Orioles are sliding and things are getting really, really bad in Seattle. 

All of that and more is true, as we take our Memorial Getaway Day spin around the MLB horn.

American League

Baltimore Orioles:The O’s are knee deep in the worst stretch of their season, suffering through a week-long losing streak at the hands of the Twins and Astros. As a result, they have fallen into third place in the ever-relentless AL East and are closer to fourth place Tampa Bay than to the Yankee club they have been intertwined with throughout the year. The week ahead offers a tremendous chance for the Orioles to either sink or swim, as they will head home for back-to-back series with both teams ahead of them in the standings. Not only can they stave off the Rays, they very well could end up back in control of their destiny if they can turn things around immediately. 

Boston Red Sox: The BoSox enter the new week on an encouraging note, having put together a six-game win streak (their longest run on the year) and finally gaining ground in the AL East standings. Xander Bogaerts has been a driving force for the club, working up a seven-game hit streak and climbing into the top three in AL batting average. The week ahead offers even more promise, as David Price is slated to make his long-awaited season debut on Monday. If he can regain his customary form soon, Boston could be on the verge of becoming a true threat in the new month. 

Chicago White Sox: It was a tale of two halves for the Sox, as they had to pick up the pieces following a sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks. But pick up they did, as they took three of four critical games from the Detroit Tigers. The Sox are leveling off from their strong start, but are still putting up a fair amount of fight on a regular basis.


May 26, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians left fielder Michael Brantley (23) hits an RBI single during the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Indians: Getaway day was a wake-up call for the Tribe, who took four unlikely losses on the chin at the hands of the Reds and Royals over the week. They responded in strong fashion on Sunday, thoroughly defeating the Royals 10-1, and putting the brakes on a bad week that allowed the Twins to gain some a much-needed comfort zone in the AL Central standings. 

If the Indians are to regain that consistency, they must get their reeling starting pitching sorted out. To do so, Terry Francona shifted Danny Salazar, whose ERA has soared past 5.00, to the bullpen. With ace Corey Kluber still on the mend, the Indians are now down two All-Star arms from this point a year ago. 

Detroit Tigers: The hard times have continued for the Tigers, who enter the new week having dropped three consecutive series and nearly being no-hit by Miguel Gonzalez and the White Sox to cap a weekend where they lost three out of four games. To complicate things further, they will have to make due without second baseman Ian Kinsler, who headed to the disabled list over the weekend with a hamstring strain.


May 27, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) and right fielder George Springer (4) celebrate after the Astros defeated the Baltimore Orioles at Minute Maid Park.  Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Astros: A week ago, a streak of panic went through the Houston faithful when ace Dallas Keuchel headed to the disabled list, citing nerve issues. But those concerns were put to bed on Saturday, when he made a swift return to action and picked up right where he left off, holding the Orioles to one run over six innings, lowering his AL-best ERA to 1.81, and picking up his record to 8-0 on the year. Houston will enter June on the verge of increasing their AL West lead into double digits, and will have an intriguing matchup against the Minnesota Twins. But despite the matchup against another division leading team, there is little to prove here: the Astros are the best team in baseball. 

Kansas City Royals: As May winds down, it has been much kinder month to the Royals than April was. The Royals have doubled their win total from the previous month, and capped the week by taking a series from the Cleveland Indians. But what does it all mean? Their disastrous start has the team still a full game in the cellar of the widest open division in the American League. And they have what could be the definitive run for the future of the club ahead, as they have series against the Tigers, Indians and Astros ahead. How they fare in the next week and half could determine when (but likely not if) their fire sale begins. 

Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout is playing the absolute best baseball of his life. In the last week, he hit three home runs (including a monster 443 foot shot off the back of Marlins Park on Saturday night), and is currently tied for the AL lead in home runs with 16 and the sole leader in batting average at .333. And for once, he’s not alone, as Andrelton Simmons (.448) and Cameron Maybin (.348) had tremendous weeks as well. And their upswing is more important than ever, as the team could be without Trout for a while, as he sprained his wrist sliding into second base on Sunday afternoon.


May 28, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier (2) steals third base in the eleventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Target Field. Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Twins: Heists don’t come easily, so it should be no surprise that the Twins’ overtaking of the AL Central has been one that has consisted of a lot of clawing and scratching to the top. Thus, it should be no surprise that the three-game lead they carried into Sunday was the largest they have enjoyed all year. It was built on the back of an impressive sweep over the Baltimore Orioles and will be immediately tested in the upcoming week, when the Twins host the MLB-best Astros. It’s proving time for the upstart division leaders in Minneapolis. 

New York Yankees: Outside of Aaron Judge-mania, which saw the ‘The Judge’s Chambers’, an outfield seating area dedicated to the young slugger, the Yankees regained their footing in the last week, with a pair of well-timed series against the Royals and Athletics. They enter the new week with a chance to put a foot on the chest of the struggling Orioles as well. 

Oakland Athletics: With nearly two months in the books, I think it the A’s have made it clear who they are. They are a club that will not lose for too long, but won’t win for much longer either. They spent the past week losing two, then winning a pair…. before losing a couple more. One encouraging thing has been the return to form of Sonny Gray, who has won twice in the past 10 days, striking out 19 over 13 innings. His resurgence has him rapidly becoming the most attractive trade chip on a market hungry for proven pitching.


May 28, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Nelson Cruz (23) watches the game from the dugout during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Seattle Mariners: Any time a club’s manager describes his team’s performance as ‘embarrassing’, it is fair to say the worse has come to worst. And those are the words Seattle manager Scott Servais used to describe his team’s performance of late, and rightly so. The Mariners decline has bottomed out over the last week, as they have lost nine of their last 13 games and are 13 games out of the race in the West.

On the bright side, James Paxton could rejoin the team shortly after missing nearly the entirety of May and Felix Hernandez is throwing again as well. The biggest issue is whether any of it will matter by the time they can return. 

Tampa Bay Rays: Tampa’s strong play of late has continued, as they took the fight to both the Angels and Twins over the past week. Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi combined for 35 strikeouts over three starts, while Matt Andriese hurled eight shutout innings in a victory over the Angels. Tampa is in striking position to move into third place in the AL East this week, as their steady ascent continues to be something to take note of. 

Texas Rangers: Reality bit the Rangers in a major way this week, as they washed away the momentum they built off last week’s 10-game winning streak completely by following it up by dropping six of eight games and falling under .500 again. Texas will have little time to sort things out on the run either, as they will be faced by yet another AL East club in the Rays after going 1-5 against the Red Sox and Blue Jays last week. And after that, they’re rewarded with the Astros. When it rains, it pours. 

Toronto Blue Jays: It was the best week of the year for the Blue Jays, who opened the week with a shocking sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers, and they did not let up there. Over the weekend, both Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki returned to action as well, helping to drive the Jays to taking two of three from the Rangers. Toronto management has said they will not pack it in and become sellers too soon, despite having to make up a lot of ground after their horrible start. But now with many of their regulars returning to action, we could be about to see a return to old form for the Jays. 

National League


May 23, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb (22) celebrates with teammates Paul Goldschmidt (44) and Brandon Drury (27) after hitting a two run home run in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Chase Field. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Diamondbacks: For the first time since 2011, the Diamondbacks reached 10 games over .500 this week. They are hot on the heels of the Colorado Rockies in the most interesting divisional race in the game taking place in the NL West. And with a consecutive series against the Pirates, Marlins and Padres ahead, the D’Backs could be set to fly even higher. 

Atlanta Braves: To their credit, the Braves did not roll over and die in their first week without Freddie Freeman. They won a handful of games from the Pirates and the Giants, and stayed steady in second place in the NL East…. despite being five games underneath .500. And that’s something, right? 

Chicago Cubs: Perhaps the demise of the Cubs was greatly overexaggerated. After shockingly dipping down into fourth place in the NL Central a week ago, the Cubs climbed back atop the division after taking three of four from the Giants to open the week. Along the way, Kyle Schwarber smashed a 470-foot moonshot that cleared the full confines of the Friendly Confines. 

Yet again, maybe it is too soon to celebrate a full return to form for the reigning champs, as they were swept over the weekend at the hands of the Dodgers. The tough truth of matter is that as long as the Cubs continue to be sporadic (they went 19 innings without scoring a run over the weekend), they will continue to fall short of their expectations in a division that is ripe for the picking.


May 26, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cincinnati Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton (6) looks to third base umpire Adam Hamari after he stole third base during the first inning of the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Cincinnati Reds: The highlight of the week came courtesy of Billy Hamilton, who made a mile of an inch of an error by Indians’ outfielder Michael Brantley. The speedster scored from first on a base hit (which still is still amazing to consider), and helped propel the Reds to a much-needed victory. Coming off a stretch where they had lost eight of nine games, the back-to-back series victories steadied the ship for a team that now finds itself still in play in a division that is on the skids. 

Colorado Rockies: Owners of the top record in the NL, the Rockies had minimal difficulty in overtaking the Phillies and Cardinals last week. And every win matters, as unlike the other 30 win, division-leading teams in the game, they are also joined by not one, but two other clubs performing at the same level. 

And while the offense has continued to be formidable, it has been a pair of rookie starters that have increasingly carried more weight for Colorado. Antonio Senzatela and Kyle Freeman have carried a 12-4 record thus far on the year. Another rookie arm, Jeff Hoffman, authored a victory by allowing three hits over seven innings while making a spot start last week.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Need an indicator of how good the NL West has been so far? The division’s third place club (these Dodgers) took on the top two teams in the NL Central over the past week and took five out of six. They would be in first place in the AL East, AL Central and the NL Central. 

Miami Marlins: It’s increasingly clear that the only chance for quality baseball in Miami this year will be a game that does not count – the All-Star Game. The Fish spent the week alternating wins and losses, which was good enough to give them enough breathing room to pull one game ahead of the Phillies (who they will face to start the week) in avoiding the distinction of owning the worst record in the NL a quarter of the way through the year.


May 28, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Domingo Santana (16) reacts with center fielder Keon Broxton (23), shortstop Orlando Arcia (3) and second baseman Jonathan Villar (5) after hitting a grand slam home run in the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Miller Park. Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Milwaukee Brewers: An odd thing about the Brewers’ continued rise to the head of the NL Central table: they have done so while carrying a losing record at home. This was driven home during a down week in Milwaukee, where they dropped four straight to the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks. 

New York Mets: It’s not a good sign when a middle reliever is leading a team in victories by late May, but thus is life for the Mets this year. Hansel Robles is tied for the team lead in wins with Jacob deGrom, a surefire sign that things are out of whack for the team. There was a chance for more run support to be added to the lineup this week, but it was announced on Saturday that the return of Yoenis Cespedes would be delayed yet again, as he experienced a quad injury while already rehabbing his hamstring. Things just can’t seem to get in line for the Mets this year. 

Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies won as many games in the past week as they had in the first two weeks, with a whopping two. They now have the worst record in the National League at 17-31, a distinction that Sunday’s loss broke a tie for that honor with the Marlins. They will open the new week with a chance to hand that distinction back to Miami, as the two NL bottom feeders will face off.


May 28, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) reacts while batting against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at PNC Park.  Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Pirates: The struggles of Andrew McCutchen continue to make life difficult for the Pirates, who now have been in last place in the NL Central since May 3. The Pirates outfielder has stumbled through May, carrying a .183/.248/.366 split line, and is becoming increasingly difficult to imagine being a major part of any trade to help propel the Pirates out of the cellar this summer. 

But in fantastically encouraging news, pitcher Jameson Taillon pitched well in his first rehab outing after testicular cancer. He struck out six over three innings and looks to be on the fast track back to the Majors. 

San Diego Padres: It was a predictably tough weekend for the Padres, who took on the Nationals, dropping two of three. Along the way rookie center fielder Manuel Margot, who has been one of the few bright spots for the club on the year, headed to the disabled list due to a calf injury. His return is uncertain, which robs the Padres of its most dynamic athlete. 

At least one San Diego product had a nice weekend –although it was at the expense of the Pads. San Diego native Stephen Strasburg struck out 15 Padres on Saturday, so there’s that check mark in the positive column for the city and its baseball, right? 

San Francisco Giants: The Cubs side of Interstate 55 was not as kind for the Giants as the Cardinal side was this week, as they followed up a successful to St. Louis by dropping three of four to the Cubs. However, there is nothing like a matchup with the Braves to help get things back on track. The Giants outscored the Braves 13-4 in two victories over the weekend, which was capped by an encouraging outing from Johnny Cueto, who rebounded nicely on Sunday from his previous outing, where he allowed three home runs against the Cubs (including Kyle Schwarber’s mammoth 470-foot shot).


May 21, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (50) receives a standing after he was removed from the game during the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium.  Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

St. Louis Cardinals: It was a rough week on the road for the Cardinals, who dropped four of six to the Dodgers and Rockies. And things could get tougher before they get better, as their gauntlet of a late May schedule continues on with a four-game set against both the Dodgers and Cubs in the upcoming week. 

One undeniably encouraging sign for the club however is the turnaround of Adam Wainwright. On Saturday he posted his second seven-inning scoreless effort in his last three outings, and has allowed only one earned run over his last three starts. Wainwright has cut two runs from his ERA since the start of the month. 

Washington Nationals: Baseball 101 here: teams like the Nationals (who have an 8.5 game lead in the NL East) should beat up on teams like the Mariners and Padres (who are a combined 27 games out, already). And the Nats did just that, allowing only eight runs over six games in the week. 

Their run against the underbelly of the league will continue in the new week, as they will head west to take on the Giants and Athletics in the Bay. A double-digit lead in the standings could be theirs for the taking by next week.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.