The Diamondbacks are coming out of their most difficult period of the season after losing six in a row against the Dodgers and Cubs. Happens. Overall, the Diamondbacks are probably good at 0.500 – even if that means they’re closer to the basement of the National League West than to its penthouse. Rating: C We believe that Braves may have taken the wrong lesson from last season. You don’t have to spend the first half digging a hole from which you can go down the stretch, boys. Defending titles are under 0.500, but there’s no point in panicking. We really want Braves to elevate Spencer Strider to a more meaningful capacity; he is well-targeted and has too many promises to serve as a low-leverage arm. Rating: C This speaks to the incredibly low standards of the major league level set by the front office of Mike Elias, that one can look at this list of Orioles and note, “hey, better than expected.” In the end, this remains a team in last place, which does not get anywhere quickly. Still, the Orioles have a competent outfield and – through some combination of skill, luck and canyon installation in the left field – have polished some pitchers, including Tyler Wells and Felix Bautista. Score: D The Red Sox were one of the biggest disappointments in the tournaments this season. It was reasonable to expect them to fight for another place in the playoffs. They have been much better lately, but have spent most of the season so far trying to beat the Orioles for fourth place. These estimates are descriptive, not predictive; we suspect that the Red Sox will play much better from now on, but there is no real way around it, it has been a mistake for a year now. Rating: D It was unrealistic to expect this Cubs team to compete, but they basically had an even differential (-2) in 40 games. There were also enough bright spots – be it Seya Suzuki, Wilson Contreras or the whole copier – to give them a decent rating. Score: C The White Sox are lucky to be where they are in the standings based on their running differential and the bigger circumstances around their list. Namely, they got a bad game from Jasmani Grandal and Jose Abreu; and they were mostly without Lance Lynn and Eloy Jimenez. (Plus, Tony La Rousseau has had some, uh, fur management adventures.) We usually keep baseline ratings for teams that play well, either overall or compared to expectations; we considered giving White Sox a B on the grounds that things could be much, much worse and they have to thank their stars for being in a good position to run. In the end, we instead settled on C. Score: C The Reds have been playing better lately, winning series against Brewers, Pirates and Guardians. They still have a miserable record due to start 3-22, and holding a lottery lottery means they are not guaranteed choice number 1 if they stay in the basement. We will give them credit for their retaliation, but there is no way to give them the lowest possible rating. Rating: F The Guardians felt like the perfect midfielder entering the season, so it’s no surprise that they are sitting in the middle of the American League Central League with a running differential that is close to equal. There is only one degree that suits aesthetics, but we will not argue with anyone who wants to raise them to B. Rating: C. The Rocky Mountains are around .500 so far, but we do not expect this to continue. They have the worst difference in running in the National League West and their record so far is a product of having the second highest percentage of wins in one-run matches. It was unwise to think of this team as a contender, so our advice to Rocky Mountain fans is to enjoy the (relatively) good moments of what they are. Score: C This was to be the year of the Tigers to rise. Instead, the only thing they seem likely to compete for is last place in the Central American League. Injuries are a history in Detroit so far, but this dynamic has several sides. Yes, injuries are usually seen as examples of “luck”, good or bad; however, Detroit at least revealed that this list has no depth. Better days should be just around the corner, if only because things can’t get much worse. Rating: F You have to tilt your hat. The Astros lost Carlos Correa to a free agency, and it didn’t matter. Rookie Jeremy Pena was phenomenal, as were most of Houston’s squad. On the other side of the spectrum of experience, Justin Verlander showed no rust after undergoing surgery on Tommy John in old age. The Astros were by no means scattered out of season, but they didn’t have to; this is still a very competent list that must remain in the midst of the American League race. Rating: A It wasn’t a fun spring in Kansas City. The offense has improved by such a large margin (including Bobby Whit Jr. and Salvador Perez) that typically loyal members of the royal family fired their coach last week. The targeting state was not much better, with only Daniel Lynch and Brad Keller among their various young starters. There is still a long way to go to get a better footing, but it is unclear whether the royal members are up to the challenge. Rating: D …
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