MLB Standings Reveal Some Surprising Struggles and First-Place Teams

Pirates off to a hot start while perceived contenders limp out of gates.

Paul Skenes benefitted from great run support as the Pirates notched another win on Monday. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Monday's MLB slate featured 10 games and plenty of offense as teams put on their hitting shoes and participated in slugfests from sea to shining sea.

The Orioles mounted a come-from-behind victory over the Diamondbacks by scoring the final eight runs of the game. Aaron Judge and Mike Trout each went deep twice as the Yankees prevailed over the Angels, 11-10. Garrett Crochet had one of the worst starts in Red Sox history as the Twins thumped Boston.

Yesterday's MLB scores

Mariners 6, Astros 2
Orioles 9, Diamondbacks 7
Pirates 16, Nationals 5
Phillies 13, Cubs 7
Yankees 11, Angels 10
Marlins 10, Braves 4
Twins 13, Red Sox 6
Guardians 9, Cardinals 3
Rangers 8, Athletics 1
Dodgers 4, Mets 0

As mentioned Monday, there's been a tremendous amount of parity on display in the opening weeks of the baseball season. Outside of the Dodgers, no team has announced its intention to pull away from the pack. And no team is mired in what could be considered epic failure.

Here's a look at where we stand this morning.

MLB standings

American League East

Team	Record	Games Behind
Yankees	9-7	--
Orioles	9-7	--
Rays	8-7	0.5
Blue Jays	6-9	2.5
Red Sox	6-10	3.0

American League Central

Team	Record	Games Behind
Twins	10-7	--
Guardians	10-7	--
Royals	7-9	2.5
Tigers	7-9	2.5
White Sox	6-10	3.5

American League West

Team	Record	Games Behind
Rangers	9-7	--
Athletics	8-8	1.0
Angels	8-9	1.5
Mariners	8-9	1.5
Astros	6-11	3.5

National League East

Team	Record	Games Behind
Braves	10-7	--
Marlins	9-8	1.0
Phillies	8-8	1.5
Nationals	7-9	2.5
Mets	7-10	3.0

National League Central

Team	Record	Games Behind
Pirates	10-6	--
Reds	9-7	1.0
Brewers	8-7	1.5
Cardinals	8-8	2.0
Cubs	7-9	2.5

National League West

Team	Record	Games Behind
Dodgers	12-4	--
Padres	10-6	2.0
Diamondbacks	9-8	3.5
Giants	6-10	6.0
Rockies	6-10	6.0

The biggest surprise in the National League at this point is the Pirates. Projected to win 78.5 games this season, they are enjoying a rare view from the top of the NL Central. Also outperforming expectations in that division are the Cardinals, who were forecasted to be one of the worst teams in the sport with 69.5 wins. Only one team was projected to win fewer games, the Nationals at 65.5, and they are also keeping pace in the NL East. On the other side of the coin, the Mets have struggled to find any consistency and are far off their projected pace of 90.5 victories.

Over in the American League, the Red Sox have dug themselves an early hole and do not look like the projections on paper, which had them firmly in the playoff hunt. The Tigers and Blue Jays are also posting rather pedestrian results against lofty expectations. Houston is suffering with the worst record in baseball despite entering with an expected total of 86.5 victories, whereas the White Sox are losing, as forecasted.

More positively, the Athletics are exceeding expectations and the same can be said for the Twins.

These results are obviously a small sample size, but it's interesting to see that there's so much sameness across the leagues.

Today's MLB Schedule

Diamondbacks vs. Orioles, 6:35 p.m. ET
Royals vs. Tigers, 6:40 p.m. ET
Nationals vs. Pirates, 6:40 p.m. ET
Giants vs. Reds, 6:40 p.m. ET
Cubs vs. Phillies, 6:40 p.m. ET
Angels vs. Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET
Marlins vs. Braves, 7:15 p.m. ET
Red Sox vs. Twins, 7:40 p.m. ET
Rays vs. White Sox, 7:40 p.m. ET
Blue Jays vs. Brewers, 7:40 p.m. ET
Guardians vs. Cardinals, 7:45 p.m. ET
Rockies vs. Astros, 8:10 p.m. ET
Mariners vs. Padres, 9:40 p.m. ET
Rangers vs. Athletics, 9:40 p.m. ET
Mets vs. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. ET

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