Five things to watch in MLB this week

The MLB season continues to roll on, with trends and storylines emerging as we get set to wrap up the first full month of play. Here are five things to watch this week.

MLB heads to Mexico

Major League Baseball makes its return to Mexico City when the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres meet in a two-game series on Saturday and Sunday.

If history is any guide, both games could be high-scoring. The elevation at Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium is even higher than at Denver’s Coors Field, so it is easy to envision balls flying out of the park.

Four MLB games have been played at the ballpark. In 2023, the Padres swept the San Francisco Giants 16-11 and 6-4 as the teams combined for 15 home runs. A year later, the Houston Astros swept the Colorado Rockies 12-4 and 8-2, though just six longballs were hit in those two games.

Neither the Padres nor the Diamondbacks have hit a lot of home runs in the first month of the season. Both teams have played 22 games, and the Diamondbacks have gone deep 18 times while the Padres have connected 17 times.

Ketel Marte leads the Diamondbacks with four home runs, and Ramon Laureano has the same number to top the Padres.

Shohei Ohtani’s on-base streak

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is a man of great hitting and pitching feats.

Ohtani’s latest exploit is reaching base in a career-high 51 straight games. That puts him within striking distance of the franchise record of 58 set by Duke Snider in 1954. The MLB record is 84 by Ted Williams in 1949 for the Boston Red Sox.

The Dodgers, whose 15-6 record is the best in the big leagues, begin the week by visiting the Giants for a three-game series, then host the Chicago Cubs for four games.

Mets attempt to stop freefall

The New York Mets lost their 11th straight game on Sunday in frustrating fashion. Two outs from victory, they wound up losing to the Cubs 2-1 in 10 innings.

It is the Mets’ longest losing streak since they also dropped 11 in a row in 2004. The franchise record of 17 was set in 1962, the Mets’ inaugural season.

The Mets are now 7-15 and tied with the Kansas City Royals for the worst record in MLB. Those teams aren’t exactly on pace to have a 2015 World Series rematch.

The Mets will try to regain their mojo at home as they play three games against the Minnesota Twins and four against the Rockies at Citi Field.

Astros try to weather storm

The Astros are barely better than the Mets and Royals with an 8-15 record. They were swept in a three-game series by the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend and have lost 12 of 14 games since a 6-3 start.

The Astros have an MLB-high 12 players on the injured list, including shortstop Jeremy Pena and starting pitchers Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai and Cristian Javier.

The Astros start the week with a three-game series against the Guardians in Cleveland, and their probable starters for the final two games are listed as TBD. The Astros then return home for a three-game series against the New York Yankees.

Vlad Jr. looking to stay hot

The Toronto Blue Jays are scuffling a year after winning their first American League pennant since 1993. They are 8-13 and in last place in the AL East.

However, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is trending in the right direction. He is on a 10-game hitting streak in which he is batting .425 (17-for-40) with five doubles.

The Blue Jays visit the Los Angeles Angels for three games, then host the Guardians in a three-game set.