The MLB season began its final quarter of the 60-game, pandemic-shortened season. The San Diego Padres (31-17), led by Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado, are in the middle of a seven-game winning streak and became only the second National League team to win 30 games this season.
The LA Dodgers lead the big leagues with 33 wins, while the Padres are close behind with 31 victories. The Padres are now 12/1 odds to win the World Series, according to an update from the Mirage Sports Book in Las Vegas.
The New York Yankees (26-21) began the season with a 9-2 record and saw their World Series odds peak at 3/1. Since that high-water mark, the Yanks struggled with a 10-19 clip due to another unfortunate string of injuries to key starters like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and DJ LeMahieu.
The Yankees finally reversed their course with a five-game winning streak. The last thing that Yankee haters want to see is the Bronx Bombers surging just before the start of the playoffs.
In 2020, the MLB playoffs will include 16 teams or eight teams from each league.
Uptick: Padres and Bombers
For a second time this season, the San Diego Padres find themselves ensconced in a seven-game winning streak.
In mid-August, the Padres were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks and slipped to 11-12 on the season after losing five games in a row. The Padres responded with their first seven-game winning streak. Since then, the Padres went on a 19-5 binge in the next 24 games.
Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Manny Machado combined for 28 home runs and 79 RBI. Tatis has been on a tear with 15 jacks and 40 RBI. Meanwhile, Will Meyers flies under the radar with everyone focusing on El Nino and Manny. Meyers is hitting .296 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI.
On the mound, Zach Davies leads the Padres with a 7-2 record, 2.48 ERA, and a 0.96 WHIP.
| MLB WINNING STREAKS |
| San Diego Padres | Won 7 in a row |
| New York Yankees | Won 5 in a row |
It’s been a true rollercoaster ride in the Bronx between injuries and COVID-19 postponements. In order to make up games, the Yankees and Mets played a five-game Subway Series in three days, including two doubleheaders.
The Yankees are a streaky team in 2020. They win and lose in bunches.
In 47 games since the start of the season, the Yankees had a seven-game winning streak and a seven-game losing streak in addition to a five-game winning streak and a five-game losing streak.
Right now, the Yankees are on an upswing. First baseman Luke Voit is in the running for team MVP. Voit, who is built more like a tight end in football, dropped significant weight in the offseason. Voit leads the Bronx Bombers with 16 home runs and 27 RBI.
On the Schneid: Lookout Cleveland
A couple of teams are in the middle of losing streaks, but only one of them has postseason aspirations.
The Cleveland Indians (26-21) dropped six games in a row. The Tribe was 26-15 and 11 games over .500 before they hit the skids. The Indians fell to third place in the AL Central and 4.5 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox. The Indians currently hold one of the eight postseason berths in the American League.
| MLB LOSING STREAKS |
| Cleveland Indians | Lost 6 in a row |
| Baltimore Orioles | Lost 5 in a row |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Lost 4 in a row |
The Baltimore Orioles (20-26) lost five straight after getting swept by the Yankees over the weekend. They were dunzo before the season even started, but surprisingly, the Boston Red Sox (17-31) and Texas Rangers (17-30) have worse records than the Orioles.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (14-30) are the worst team in baseball. They’re so bad, they can’t even win in the middle of a pandemic.
The Pirates suffered a seven-game losing streak at the onset of the season and never recovered. They started the season 4-17 and went 10-13 since then. The Pirates have the Cincinnati Reds on deck this week. The Pirates actually fare well against the Reds with a 3-3 record this season.