The morning of June 26, the Cleveland Guardians and Philadelphia Phillies were on pace for 107 wins. The New York Yankees were on pace for 104, and the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers for an even 100. Meanwhile the Rays are hanging around just five games out of the last wild card spot.
Those five teams still have the top records in the game, but since then, they’ve all dealt with stretches of mediocrity. Now Cleveland has baseball’s best record but is on pace for only 98 wins. The Guardians are the only team left with a winning percentage above .600.
Perhaps it was only a matter of time before regression arrived, but it’s been jarring to see so many teams at the top struggle. Here’s a look at the challenges they’ve faced.
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
The Slump: 16-18 in their last 34 games
The Problems: Cleveland recently went on a five-game winning streak, so let’s not overstate the extent of this downturn. Still, the Guardians’ run differential of minus-22 over the last 34 games suggests some issues. They’ve averaged only 3.71 runs per game over that span as their hitting with runners in scoring position — a major reason for their success — has slipped.
Why They Can Bounce Back: Emmanuel Clase, Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith and Tim Herrin — who have combined for 208 relief appearances this year — all have ERAs under 2.00. We’ve seen some regression from Cleveland, but that quartet has remained strong.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
The Slump: 4-12 in their last 16 games
The Problems: When Philadelphia lost to Oakland 18-3 on July 14 it seemed like a bit of a fluke, but the Phillies haven’t looked right since. In the last 16 games, Philadelphia’s bullpen has an ERA of 7.13, and the Phillies lost All-Star left-hander Ranger Suárez to the injured list due to back problems.
Why They Can Bounce Back: Well, Philadelphia gave its bullpen a bit of an makeover, trading Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto and adding Carlos Estévez and Tanner Banks. Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola remain solid at the top of the rotation.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
The Slump: 18-21 in their last 39 games
The Problems: Injuries have caught up to the pitching staff, and star catcher Adley Rutschman hit .132 in July.
Why They Can Bounce Back: The Orioles made some additions to the rotation and bullpen at the trade deadline, but the big spark of late has come from top prospect Jackson Holliday, who is back from the minors for his second stint with Baltimore this year. Holliday struggled mightily at the plate back in April, but in his five games since returning, he’s 7 for 18 with two home runs.
NEW YORK YANKEES
The Slump: 17-24 in their last 41 games
The Problems: There have been a lot. Every one of the Yankees’ starting pitchers has an ERA over 5.00 over the past 41 games. And the offense hasn’t done nearly enough to support Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
Why They Can Bounce Back: They’ve already started. The Yankees have won seven of their last eight, including a three-game sweep in Philadelphia. They scored 63 runs in those eight games, and their schedule looks favorable down the stretch.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
The Slump: 10-12 in their last 22 games
The Problems: The Dodgers have struck out 230 times in those 22 games, a high number even in this day and age. The rotation has had room for improvement for a while, and Clayton Kershaw’s return hasn’t been the answer so far. Los Angeles won the NL West by 16 games last year and by 22 in 2022. The lead is just 4 1/2 right now over San Diego.
Why They Can Bounce Back: They made a significant move at the deadline, bringing in right-hander Jack Flaherty, and Mookie Betts is due back soon from his broken hand.
Trivia Time
The Chicago White Sox have lost 20 consecutive games, one shy of the American League record set by the Orioles when they started 0-21 in 1988. Who did Baltimore finally beat that season to end the skid?
Line of the Week
San Francisco’s Blake Snell threw the third no-hitter in the majors this season, blanking Cincinnati 3-0 on Friday night. It was also the first victory of the year for the left-hander, who struggled initially in 2024 but has now allowed two runs in 33 innings over his past five starts.
Comeback of the Week
The Arizona Diamondbacks scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Washington 9-8 on Monday night. Corbin Carroll’s two-run homer won the game for Arizona, which has won 21 of its last 30 games and is now in position for a wild card.
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The Diamondbacks had a 1.2% win probability while down 8-2 in the seventh, according to Baseball Savant.
Trivia Answer
It was none other than the White Sox. Baltimore beat Chicago 9-0 on April 29, 1988.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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