As a third of the season comes to a close, there have been some surprises in the baseball world, while other teams are doing just as they were expected to. With June vastly approaching, the contenders are setting themselves apart from the pretenders behind great pitching and timely hitting.
There’s no hotter team in baseball right now than the first place Toronto Blue Jays, who sit atop arguably the toughest division in baseball, the AL East. The Jays are 33-24 and are enjoying a two and a half game lead above the second place New York Yankees.
Toronto went on a tear this past week, winning nine straight while sweeping the Boston Red Sox, Oakland A’s, and Tampa Bay Rays. They’ve won eight of their last 10, with some terrific offense, particularly that of Edwin Encarnacion.
Encarnacion had 16 home runs all hit in the month of May alone. That’s right 16. Overall the Jays first baseman is hitting .266 with 18 homers and 48 RBI. Not only is he destroying the ball, but he’s setting records in the process, tying Mickey Mantle for most homeruns hit in May.
The Jays also have Jose Bautista, who’s not too shabby at the plate either. The Jays outfielder is batting .310 with 14 home runs and 40 RBI.
While their rotation might not be too flashy, their offense is carrying them providing their starting pitchers with a lot of run support. J.A. Happ is a leader in their rotation, as is R.A. Dickey, whose knuckleball fools quite a few batters posting 61 strikeouts on the year.
Although the Jays may be the hottest team in baseball with the most momentum heading into June, some other teams deserve some recognition as well.
The San Francisco Giants are back to their winning ways with an MLB-best 36-20 record. The Giants lead the NL West by six and a half games.
Michael Morse has proven to be a great pickup for SF hitting .295 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI.
Their starting rotation has also shown improvement this year, but the run support has greatly benefitted those on the mound. Tim Hudson is fifth among NL ERA leaders with an impressive 1.92 ERA. Does the 38-year-old righty ever age? After breaking his ankle during the 2013 season, the Giants took a gamble on Hudson not knowing how he would recover. The bet paid off as Huddy is 5-2 with his 1.92 ERA and 44 strikeouts.
It also helps having a solid closer to rely on too, and for the Giants that’s Sergio Romo. Romo has 17 saves on the year, and has only blown two save opportunities for the orange and black.
Also, in case you haven’t noticed, the Giants have recently done extremely well in even years, then struggled in 2011 and 2013. Coincidence? Yes, but the Giants have been in control of the West thus far.
The Giants’ cross-bay rival Oakland A’s are also one of the best in baseball right now. Oakland currently leads the AL West by three and a half games with a record of 34-22.
The A’s aren’t called the comeback kids for nothing. They lead the bigs in wins when trailing after seven innings with six and are tied for the lead in wins when trailing after eight innings with four wins. The boys in green and gold have shown they can come back at any point in the game and take the win.
The A’s starting rotation has been one of the best in the game so far this season with Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir paving the way. Gray and Kazmir are both in the top five when it comes to ERA in the AL. Gray is second behind Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka with a 2.31 ERA, while Kazmir is fifth with a 2.36 ERA.
They also have some power hitters in their lineup including Josh Donaldson who is batting .280 with 15 home runs and 46 RBI. The A’s star third baseman is being recognized not only for his power at the plate, but also for the defensive show he puts on at the hot corner.
Both of Oakland’s catchers have also been swinging a hot bat, especially that of John Jaso. In the month of May, Jaso is batting .350 with four home runs and 10 RBI. In April, he was hitting .236 with only one home run and four RBI.
Despite some bullpen woes, the A’s have managed to maintain one of the best records in the American League, along with their spot in first place.
The Jays, Giants, and A’s may be three of the best teams in baseball, but the Toronto Blue Jays are the hottest. There weren’t many high expectations when it came to the Jays, mostly because of their struggles last year, but they have been impressive so far. As the calendar turns to June, the Jays have momentum on their side, but will have their work cut out for them, facing some tough teams in the coming weeks.