The second week of the season is in the books. Here are my thoughts on every team after MLB week two.
Records are through Saturday April 17th.
MLB Week Two: National League East
New York Mets: 6-4
The Mets’ second week of the season was defined by rainouts and Jacob deGrom not receiving run support. New York has been postponed seven times this season because of inclement weather.
Philadelphia Phillies: 7-7
The Phillies started the first week of the season hot, but they have cooled down. However, the offense seems to be picking up some steam after getting swept by the Mets. This team will be fine if Bryce Harper delivers.
Miami Marlins: 7-7
Pitching, defense, and timely hitting have helped the Marlins after two weeks of play. Miami took three of four from the Braves this week, including a 14-8 win on Tuesday. Starling Marte is batting .320 with two homers to start the year.
Washington Nationals: 5-7
The Nationals have not played a complete game where all phases came together after two weeks. Sometimes the offense is good, and occasionally the pitching is solid. Although, they have not connected the pieces.
Atlanta Braves: 6-9
The Braves bested the Marlins 7-6 after the final game of their series with the Marlins to cap off week two. Atlanta has to be better in all phases because inconsistency has been their Achilles heel. Ronald Acuna Jr. has been the one bright spot in a poor week for Atlanta.
MLB Week Two: National League Central
Cincinnati Reds: 9-5
I thought the Reds were going to be bad in 2021? This was the consensus around baseball, but the bat flippin, sons of guns, are on fire. Cincinnati can thank Nick Castellanos for their early-season dominance.
Milwaukee Brewers: 8-6
The Brewers survived week two after dealing with the injury bug thanks to some strong pitching from Corbin Burnes. When the Brewers get healthy and start playing together, the Reds will not stand a chance.
St. Louis Cardinals: 7-7
It’s a shame that the Cardinals do not have any quality starting pitchers besides Jack Flaherty because St. Louis would be the clear National League Central champions with their offense. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt are raking. Despite this, Adam Wainwright, the team’s number two pitcher, has a 7.11 ERA.
Chicago Cubs: 6-8
Make Chicago Baseball Fun Again! This team needs a spark, and I do not know where they will find it with their ice-cold offense. There are stars all over this lineup that just want to be traded because this is not the dominant Cubs that we remember from 2016.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 6-9
The Pirates have been able to overcome the early-season injury to Ke’Bryan Hayes, the potential National League Rookie of the Year. Pittsburgh is better than the league expected in 2021. I think they will finish last, but teams should not take them lightly.
MLB Week Two: National League West
Los Angeles Dodgers: 13-2
Cody Bellinger has not played since the beginning of April because of a hairline fracture in his leg. Most teams would miss a former MVP, but Los Angeles is 12-2. What happens when Bellinger returns in a couple of weeks? The Dodgers are the best team in baseball.
San Francisco Giants: 8-6
The Giants took two of three games from the Reds this week, putting them in second place in the National League West. The Giants are in a tough spot because they are not as talented as Los Angeles or San Diego, but they are much better than Arizona and Colorado. Johnny Cueto has been fantastic on this hill in 2021, posting a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings of work.
San Diego Padres: 9-7
Fernando Tatis Jr. returned to the Padres lineup on Friday to face the Dodgers. He hit a home run in the 12-inning thriller that lasted five hours, but it was not enough for San Diego to defeat Los Angeles. Tatis also made another two errors, pushing his total up to seven on the season, which needs to be fixed by the $340 million athlete.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 5-10
Arizona ace Madison Bumgarner is horrendous, so it’s no surprise that the Diamondbacks are bad. Zac Gallen returned to the rotation this week after experiencing a hairline fracture in his arm from taking batting practice. Gallen’s return should hopefully help the team win some games.
Colorado Rockies: 4-11
I thought the Rockies would be watchable after they competed with the Dodgers in the first series of the year. Since they finished their first series with Los Angeles, Colorado has won two of their next ten games. Trevor Story seems to be pressing too much with free agency looming, which is not helping his cause or the Rockies.
MLB Week Two: American League East
Boston Red Sox: 10-4
Did you think the Red Sox were in trouble after they were swept by the Orioles? I did…
Since this series, Boston swept the Rays, Orioles and took three of four games from the Twins. J.D. Martinez and Christian Vazquez are locked in at the plate. Bobby Dalbec is also starting to contribute. Watch out for the Sox!
Toronto Blue Jays: 7-8
George Springer has not played yet, and the Blue Jays are competitive. The young roster has been apparent at times during week two, but these players are consistently getting better. Bo Bichette was the star this week, hitting two home runs, including a walk-off shot, against the Yankees for a 5-4 win on Wednesday.
Baltimore Orioles: 7-8
I do not know how the Orioles swept the Red Sox to open the year. Nevertheless, Baltimore is another MLB team that will not be as bad as people thought before the season. This is partially thanks to Cedric Mullins waking up on Opening Day and deciding to be one of the best players in baseball.
Tampa Bay Rays: 7-8
The Rays should be nicknamed the Yankees’ slayers. Tampa Bay has not been great in 2021, but they have owned New York all season. Tyler Glasnow is turning into one of the best pitchers in baseball.
New York Yankees: 5-9
If the Yankees do not start winning, there will be a riot in the Bronx. In Friday’s game, fans were throwing baseballs on the field at the players in the eighth inning. New York was down 8-2 at the time, and the loudest cheer of the day came when the PA announcer said, do not throw things anything on the field. Gerrit Cole has been fun to watch, but the Yankees are sad.
MLB Week Two: American League Central
Kansas City Royals: 8-5
The Royals are one of the hottest teams in the American League. Kansas City has won five of their past seven games thanks to stars like Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield. The Royals could be a playoff surprise if teams continue to overlook them throughout the year.
Cleveland Indians: 7-7
The Indians have not had the best week, winning just two of six games against the White Sox and Reds. Shane Bieber has been sensational, but Cleveland has been very inconsistent. When Josh Naylor and Franmil Reyes hit, the Indians are a solid squad.
Chicago White Sox: 6-8
The White Sox offensive attack has been thanks to Adam Eaton, who leads the team in home runs and RBIs. Yermin Mercedes has also been sensational, batting .457 to start the year. Infrequent batting success has caused the team to slide in the standings.
Minnesota Twins: 6-8
The Twins have won one game in their past seven. They did not play much in the second week of action because of postponed games due to weather and COVID-19 contact tracing. Their last game was a 10-3 loss to the Angels, but the rest of the series this weekend was scrapped because of the virus.
Detroit Tigers: 6-9
The Tigers are about to get swept by the Oakland Athletics to finish the second week of the season. Detroit swept the Astros in Houston, but they played better than anyone could have imagined. In the past few games, the Tigers have shown their lack of experience, and Casey Mize was taken back to Earth.
MLB Week Two: American League West
Los Angeles Angels: 8-5
The Angels could have a better record than 8-5. They are still one of the favorites to win the American League West, but Mike Trout needs help. On nights when other players show up, the Angels win, but this is not always the case.
Seattle Mariners: 9-6
Do not count out the M’s. Sometimes they look good, and other times they look horrendous. Nevertheless, Seattle can beat any team in baseball when they show up and take care of business. Seattle has won six of their past eight games, thanks to players like Mitch Haniger and Corey Seager.
Oakland Athletics: 8-7
Do not let the A’s get hot. Oakland has won their past seven games after starting the season with a 1-7 record. Jed Lowrie has been the biggest surprise in 2021, slashing .360/.439/.560. Matt Chapman is beginning to lock in as well, so the A’s should keep rolling with their stars trending upward.
Houston Astros: 7-7
Injuries, injuries, and more injuries for the Astros. These debacles have caused Houston to drop six of their last seven games to the Athletics, Tigers, and Mariners. Houston will be just fine if their players start getting vaccinated. Martin Maldonado, Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, and Alex Bregman are all out because of COVID-19 protocols.
Texas Rangers: 6-9
The Rangers stole three of four games from the Rays, but Texas is not a good club. They have dropped their past two games to the Orioles, and they have looked ugly. Nick Solak and Nate Lowe have been playing well, but Texas is in for a long year.
Follow me on IG @tannerkern and Twitter @tannerkern_ for game previews, betting analysis, and the best stories from the sports world. Check out my baseball show, Between the Lines, every Sunday at 6:00 PM ET. Make sure and keep up with the Sports 2.0 Network, Sports 2.0 Twitter, Basketball Articles, Baseball Spotlight, and Knup Sports for all of my latest content and best takes from around the sports and sports betting world as well!!
