Welcome back to another Who's Hot and who's not for MLB teams. With just 50 games remaining of the MLB season, being on a hot streak is more important than ever.
Who's Hot:
Los Angeles Dodgers:
The Dodgers have been on a hot streak, winning 9 of their last ten games and two games in a row. They have hit their stride after a slow start to their season. Their pitching staff had an especially slow start to the season but has now ranked 2nd in earned run average over the last fifteen days. The Dodgers' hitting has also been prominent during the last fifteen days and throughout the season. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have been especially outstanding offensive players, making this offense one of the league's best. Starting pitcher Tony Gonsolin's recent season-ending injury could weaken the starting rotation, but there is plenty of depth in the pitching staff. The Dodgers are the MLB's hottest team.
Atlanta Braves:
The Braves took a brief hiatus from being hot but are again on a tear, winning eight of their last ten games and five in a row. They are the only team to reach a 200+ point differential thus far during this season, and you could make a strong case for them being the best team in the MLB. They are stacked with talent, especially on offense. The Braves also prevail in a neglected yet important stat. That is a team's record against opponents above .500, in which the Braves have a 42-25 league-leading record. This statistic is often overlooked, but is an effective method for determining if a team is for real. Besides their record against teams above .500, there is not much else that has not already been said about this dominant team.
Boston Red Sox:
The Red Sox are no longer the AL East team struggling to stay above the .500 mark. That title has shifted to the Yankees, but more about them later. The Sox have won seven of their last ten games, won two in a row, and are giving their third-place rival Blue Jays a run for their money. Their offense has been an elite group thanks to the MVP frontrunner, Masataka Yoshida. The pitching is not as strong, but effective enough to keep the team in games. The return of starter Chris Sale should improve the pitching staff if he can stay healthy. The Sox are only two games behind the Blue Jays and only three games behind the wild card. So they could snag a playoff spot if they stay hot.
Who's Not:
New York Yankees:
The Yankees have been frigid cold as of late, losing 9 of their last ten and a staggeringly awful eight games in a row. Three of these eight straight games have been losses to their rival Red Sox. Despite Gerrit Cole pitching his best season since 2020, the team has not been able to reach nearly the same success as the season prior. Besides Cole, the pitching has been lackluster, ranking 29th in earned run average over the last fifteen days. Clark Shmidt, Luis Severino, and Nestor Cortes have regressed during the 2023 season. The offense has been substandard lately, with Aaron Judge injured for much of the season. The Yankees have not been that bad a team throughout most of the season, but by the Yankees' standards, they are downright awful, especially recently.
Los Angeles Angels:
This season has been a roller coaster ride for the Angels, and they are currently dropping. They got hot right before the trade deadline, keeping Shohei Ohtani, but they have been cold since then. They have lost six of their last ten and have dropped from a wild card spot to below .500 within the last two weeks. During those past two weeks, the Angels have ranked 26th in runs scored and dead last in earned run average. It doesn't help that Ohtani has not been particularly hot as of late, at least by Shohei Ohtani standards. But fans don't need to panic because the Angels will likely get hot again, hopefully during September.
San Francisco Giants:
Moving to the National League, the Giants have been ice-cold, losing seven of their last ten games. They are struggling to keep a wild-card spot in a lackluster NL wild-card race. Offensive production has been an issue all season long, but as amplified during the two weeks, ranking 29th in runs scored over two weeks. The pitching staff has been plagued with injuries, such as 60-day injuries to John Brebbia, Anthony Desclafani, and Thomas Szapucki. And the Giants' ugly city connect jerseys aren't improving their situation. Even if they snag a playoff spot, it's hard to see them standing a chance against legitimate contenders.
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