The end of the semester, coupled with an overjammed work and life schedule have led to this edition of BRN to be released a few weeks late. But late is better than never. Without further ado, let’s talk baseball now that we have a little over a QUARTER of the season under our belts. There’s still a lot of ball left, but there’s also a lot of ball to go off of.
Where things stand
2026 MLB Standings as of the morning of May 19, 2026
Team | Record | Games Back in Division | Run Differential (Runs Scored – Runs Allowed)
AL East:
- Tampa Bay Rays | 31-15 | // | +35
- New York Yankees | 29-19 | 3.0 GB | +69
- Toronto Blue Jays | 21-26 | 10.5 GB | -12
- Baltimore Orioles | 21-27 | 11.0 GB | -54
- Boston Red Sox | 20-27 | 11.5 GB | -18
AL Central:
- Cleveland Guardians | 27-22 | // | +19
- Chicago White Sox | 24-23 | 2.0 GB | -12
- Minnesota Twins | 22-26 | 4.5 GB | -3
- Detroit Tigers | 20-28 | 6.5 GB | -19
- Kansas City Royals | 20-28 | 6.5 GB | -23
AL West:
- Athletics | 23-24 | // | -14
- Seattle Mariners | 23-26 | 1.0 GB | +11
- Texas Rangers | 22-25 | 1.0 GB | +2
- Houston Astros | 19-30 | 5.0 GB | -54
- Los Angeles Angels | 17-31 | 6.5 GB | -59
NL East:
- Atlanta Braves | 32-16 | // | +86
- Philadelphia Phillies | 25-23 | 7.0 GB | -16
- Washington Nationals | 23-25 | 9.0 GB | -22
- Miami Marlins | 22-26 | 10.0 GB | -1
- New York Mets | 21-26 | 10.5 GB | -7
NL Central:
- Chicago Cubs | 29-19 | // | +36
- Milwaukee Brewers | 27-18 | 0.5 GB | +67
- St. Louis Cardinals | 27-19 | 1.0 GB | +3
- Pittsburgh Pirates | 24-23 | 4.5 GB | +18
- Cincinnati Reds | 24-24 | 5.0 GB | -36
NL West:
- San Diego Padres | 29-18 | // | +8
- Los Angeles Dodgers | 29-19 | 0.5 GB | +93
- Arizona Diamondbacks | 23-23 | 5.5 GB | -7
- San Francisco Giants | 20-28 | 9.5 GB | -47
- Colorado Rockies | 19-29 | 10.5 GB | -43
The league’s biggest storylines
The Phillies fired their manager and turned their season around, and Kyle Schwarber is having a historic power surge
Even Mets loyalists like myself cannot deny what’s happening with the Phils. What began as a miserable stretch of results has flipped on its head almost in the blink of an eye.
The last BRN released on April 20. Six days later, the Phillies fell to their lowest point of the season, losing 11 of 12 and falling to a win-loss record of 9-19. What might’ve come as a shock to some baseball fans just a year or two earlier became reality: the Phillies fired their manager Rob Thomson. It just so happens that their bench coach and interim-manager-to-be was Don Mattingly. Mattingly was a 6-time All-Star and 1985 MVP that played 14 seasons with the Yankees before transitioning to the coaching ranks, where he managed the Dodgers for 5 years and the Marlins for 7 more. From the Phillies perspective, this wasn’t a move of desperation, but rather a move of reinvigoration. And it’s paid off.
Since the switch, the Phillies have won 16 of 20 games, improving to 25-23 on the season and settling into second place of their division. They have been boosted by the return of perennial pitching ace Zack Wheeler, who was returning from injury, and the historic pace that Kyle Schwarber is hitting home runs.
With the Phillies since 2020, Wheeler had made 157 starts to a 2.91 ERA in the red and white coming into 2026. He had as much a chance as anyone to win the NL Cy Young last season before his setback. Since he’s returned, he’s notched a 1.99 ERA over 5 starts and 31.2 innings, and he’s allowed just 1 home run…
Speaking of home runs, Wheeler’s teammate, Kyle Schwarber, has hit 20 of them in 47 games. He leads baseball in long balls and the pace he’s hitting them is terrifying. At this rate, he’s going to hit 69 home runs. While that’s unlikely, it can’t be understated how much he’s been tearing the cover off of the baseball to start the season.
While those two stars have been the driving forces of their respective units, the team as a whole has just been… better. Take a look at their ranks before and after the managerial change:
- SP ERA: 5.80 (LAST in MLB) → 3.22 (6th in MLB)
- RP ERA: 4.28 (18th in MLB) → 2.97 (7th in MLB)
- On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS): .656 (29th in MLB) → .738 (5th in MLB)
It’s simply a team-wide turnaround that’s been exciting to watch. Can they keep the momentum going without falling into another slump? Can they catch the first-place Braves? These are the questions to consider moving forward. For now, you should know that the Phillies are a prime example that one slump or one hot streak doesn’t define a season.
The Cubs were a juggernaut, but have slowed down
One of the more dominant teams in baseball throughout the first quarter of 2026 has been the Chicago Cubs.
Despite losing Kyle Tucker in free agency, the Cubs are atop the stacked NL Central with a 29-19 record and have put together two 10-game winning streaks already. After losing last night, the Cubs matched their longest home winning streak EVER by going 15 games at Wrigley without a loss. Long story, short: they’re fun. They’re fun, and they’re legit. Let’s talk about why.
Shota Imanaga. The Japanese left-handed starter that garnered some headlines this offseason when the team declined to execute his option year and he subsequently accepted the qualifying offer of 1 year for about $22 million. For those not fluent in baseball contract speak, it means the Cubs essentially didn’t mind him leaving, but he stuck around anyways… and they’re glad he did. Through his first 9 starts, Imanaga held a 2.32 ERA over 54.1 innings. A tough start against the Brewers saw that ERA shoot up to 3.38, but he’s still shoving, striking out 26.0% of hitters and walking just 6.8%. He’s been their unquestionable ace.
Their offense has been one of the best in baseball. They rank 4th with a .747 OPS and 8th with 58 home runs. It hasn’t been one player or another, but instead, it’s been contributions up and down the lineup, along with some timely, clutch at-bats. Michael Busch, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki are just a few of the names to mention. They should have more in the tank once Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman get it going at the plate themselves.
Although they are in a bit of a dip as this is written (they have lost 7 of their last 9), this Cubs team should be looked upon as an inevitable contender come October.
Cal Raleigh’s season has been nothing short of a nightmare
Perhaps the biggest story of 2025 was Cal Raleigh and his successful hunt of a 60-home run season. AS A CATCHER! It was a record-setting campaign that established Raleigh as the best offensive catcher (and his defense is nothing to sneeze at) in the game.
2026 hasn’t been as pretty.
Limping out of the gates to a slash line of .161/.243/.317 (AVG/OBP/SLG), a .560 OPS, Raleigh has looked the opposite of himself. With just 7 home runs through 41 games, he fails to resemble his fairytale self of yesteryear. Among 173 qualified hitters, his .161 batting average ranks LAST. Yes, dead last.
To make matters worse, or perhaps explain a little of what’s going on, Raleigh was recently (May 14) put on the injured list with a right oblique strain, taking him out of action for the immediate future. So, could he have been struggling swinging the bat? Maybe. Could he also have been struggling and hurt himself in an unrelated fashion? Maybe. What’s certain is that 2026 hasn’t been kind to Cal like he, his team, and baseball fans would’ve hoped. As he recovers from his injury and returns to the field, it will be key to watch how he looks physically.
3 things to watch for in the next 2 weeks
Gerrit Cole returns for Yankees and Ronald Acuña Jr. returns for Braves: First, Cole:
Tommy John surgery comes for all pitchers. It can wipe out a season in a moment. Gerrit Cole had Tommy John surgery in March of 2025 and is about to make his return for the Yankees this coming Friday, May 22. At his best, he is a Cy Young Award (best pitcher) contender. Having won the award in 2023 with a 2.63 ERA and 0.981 WHIP over 209.0 innings, Cole is no stranger to being one of the best arms on the planet. In fact, to show how great he’s been, listen to this: in almost 2,000 MLB innings, he has a 3.18 ERA. In 12 seasons, he has only once finished with an ERA higher than 3.88.
Ironically, he’s one of the most durable pieces on the Yankees roster, having only been on the injured list once from 2016 to 2024, and that stint was due to COVID-19 protocols in 2020. Although his minor league results as he was working his way back to this spot weren’t super encouraging–across 6 minor league rehab starts spanning High-A through Triple-A, he’s logged 29 innings, a 4.66 ERA, 28 strikeouts, and 3 walks–he is still well-regarded as an ace and could be an X-factor for a Yankees rotation that has been working to fortify itself after some underperformance and injury scares have crept into the picture.
If this interests you, keep a close eye on Cole’s performance this Friday.
Acuña Jr.:
Unlike Cole, Acuña has played this year. He suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain suffered May 3 against the Rockies. The Braves currently have the best offense in baseball, so adding Acuña back to the mix would be key in sustaining the results they’ll be looking for. Acuña is a former MVP who has dealt with numerous lower body injuries, especially in the knees. When healthy, he is arguably the best player in baseball. His healthy MVP season in 2023 was unreal. His slash line sat at .337/.416/.596 for a 1.012 OPS with 41 home runs, 106 RBIs, and, oh yeah, he stole 73 bases! He did so in 159 games. While that number of games is somewhat unrealistic for him now, it stands as a testament to his abilities.
The numbers before the injury weren’t peak Acuña: .252 average, 2 HRs, 7 stolen bases in 34 games. His .362 OBP is extremely valuable for a team to have at the top of the lineup. If this is of interest for you as a baseball spectator, keep an eye on Acuña explosiveness and whether he can use his legs to the best of his ability.
Kyle Schwarber’s home run pace: As I mentioned earlier, Kyle Schwarber is on a historic run. Whether it’s sustainable is the next logical question, but it should be noted that we are talking about a proven hitter. It’s not like we’re talking about a Cinderella player… this guy hit 56 home runs last year! 60+ home runs would be a cool milestone for Schwarbs.
Schwarber is on pace for 69. For those curious, only Barry Bonds (73, 2001 season), Mark McGwire (70, 1998), and Sammy Sosa (66, 1998) have ever cleared 65. Those guys weren’t doing it naturally, either, so this could be a season like Aaron Judge’s 62 in 2022. Can Schwarber do it? If there was ever a kind of player, leader, and guy to go above and beyond, it’s him.
Memorial Day weekend evaluation: Memorial Day is baseball’s unofficial first checkpoint. By the time the weekend wraps, most teams will have played around 55 games, roughly a third of the season. The standings start telling a story and we can dissect information with some level of confidence. This should interest you if your team/favorite players are a) underperforming, b) overperforming, or c) have some question marks of any kind. This weekend, expect a lot of chatter to come up about how teams and players are doing relative to what they should be doing.
Inner Half 