5 Hot Streaks Best Helping Contenders Down the Stretch

For a while, it seemed like the Astros might be well on their way to another AL West title. But down the stretch, they’ve seen their division lead disappear and their playoff chances overall rapidly dwindle.

That makes it a perfect time to have a stud hitter return to the roster and go on a hot streak. Luckily for Houston, they’ve gotten exactly that with the return of three-time All-Star Yordan Alvarez.

The former AL Rookie of the Year missed nearly four full months due to a right hand injury, something that could cause many hitters to take time feeling back to normal. That has been far from the case with Alvarez.

In 18 games, he has slashed a torrid .369/.455/.569 with four doubles, three homers, and nine RBIs. He has almost as many walks (11) as strikeouts (12) over that span, and his 24 hits since returning on August 26 are tied for fourth in all of MLB.

It’s hard to believe his production will continue at this level, but the Astros either need it to stay that way or have someone else step up if/when he cools off. Houston is 4-6 in their last 10 games and holds just a two-game lead over the Rangers for the final Wild Card spot.

Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners

Meanwhile, it’s the Mariners who have been the ones chopping away at the Astros’ AL West lead. Once back as many as seven games, they now lead the division while their 27-23 record since the All-Star break is tied for eighth best in MLB.

The Mariners have been one of the top scoring teams in baseball this year at 4.66 runs per game (11th in MLB). They’ve been even better during their recent surge, scoring 6.00 per game in September with a trio of double-digit scoring outbursts aiding their average.

An MVP-level performance from catcher Cal Raleigh has helped carry the team’s offense all season. And lately, a hot streak by outfielder Julio Rodríguez has Seattle looking even better over the last few weeks.

After a down season by his standards in 2024, Rodríguez has been back at an All-Star level in 2025. He has been particularly hot since August 24, having slashed .338/.384/.600 with six doubles, five homers, 20 RBIs, and four steals in 20 games.

Rodríguez is just nine RBIs away from his second career 30-homer, 100-RBI season. Reaching that milestone could be just what the team needs to make their way back to the postseason.

Ramón Laureano, San Diego Padres

Before the season, nearly everyone figured the NL West would be a runaway for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who appeared to have one of the strongest teams ever assembled. Instead, the division features one of the closest races down the homestretch.

Nipping at L.A.’s heels, and even taking the division lead for a few days, are the San Diego Padres. Not only are they in possession of the second NL Wild Card spot, they’ve been within three games of first in the NL West every day since the beginning of August.

The Padres have had one of the worst offenses in baseball this season with an average of 4.24 runs per game. To eclipse the Dodgers, they’ll need to keep increasing that number over the last few weeks of the season, and one of the hottest hitters since the trade deadline could help do just that.

Ramón Laureano came to San Diego at the deadline in a trade with the Orioles. He was having a career offensive year over in Baltimore and has continued to produce since joining the Padres.

The 31-year-old has slashed .281/.335/.510 with seven doubles, two triples, eight homers, and 29 RBIs in 41 games since being traded across the country. He also helped solidify a left field position that has seen seven Padres play in 10 or more games this season.

Laureano has cooled down some over the last couple weeks, which happens to be the time that San Diego has struggled to get back on top of the division. One final hot streak by the veteran might be just what they need to finish the job.

George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays

In our 2025 preview of the AL East, we had the Toronto Blue Jays last in the division largely due to a lot of “what ifs.” Apologies are due on this end because they remain the class of not only their division, but the entire American League as well.

Heading into the last two weeks of the season, the Blue Jays own a four-game lead over the Yankees in the division and a 2.5-game lead over the Tigers in the AL. They trail the Brewers (3.5 games) and Phillies (1.5 games) for the best record in all of baseball.

The Toronto offense has done a complete 180 this year, going from 23rd in MLB at 4.14 runs per game last season to fourth at 4.99 runs per game so far in 2025. Having multiple players turn things around from year to year can do that for a team.

One of those players is outfielder George Springer. After going through arguably the worst offensive season of his career in 2024, he’s back to his old self, hitting .299 with a .935 OPS, 28 homers, and 75 RBIs. He’s been particularly hot over the last 30 days, hitting a scorching .358 with a 1.146 OPS.

The Jays face division opponents in three of their final four series, seeing the Rays twice and the Red Sox once. Those teams would love to play spoiler unless the Toronto offense, led by players like Springer, can keep its eyes on the prize.

Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants

If anyone is in need of a player (or two, or three) to go on a hot streak, it’s the Giants. After a hot March and April to begin the season, they haven’t had a month with a winning record ever since.

At 75-74, San Fran is 1.5 games out of the last NL Wild Card spot. Luckily for them, the team they’re chasing is the Mets, who have been in free-fall mode for weeks.

Hoping that New York continues to falter is no kind of strategy, so at some point the Giants will need to take things into their own hands. They can start by following the lead of their hottest hitter.

After putting up so-so offensive numbers in August, third baseman Matt Chapman has kicked it up a notch in September. In 12 games this month, he is slashing .333/.447/.667 with four doubles and three homers. He also has seven walks compared to just six strikeouts in that time.

Chapman and the rest of this group are going to do all they can to help their teams either maximize their seeding or just make the playoffs, period. In about two weeks, we’ll know whether they were actually able to get the job done.