The Weekly Windup: MLB Week in Review - May 18th-25th
Recapping the week in baseball, updating rankings, and discussing some notable stats
***New weekly feature!!***
Each week—published on Sunday evenings—I write a short recap of the past week in baseball, provide updated Elo ratings, team rankings, and pitcher power ratings. I also highlight one or two interesting stats that caught my eye over the course of the week.
This week was defined by streaks from both some red-hot and ice-cold teams. The Phillies, riding a 9-game win-streak, passed the Tigers to claim the title of best record in baseball at 34-18.1 On the other hand, the Athletics are on an 11-game swoon, and are just 5-15 in their last 20 games, dropping their record to 22-31 after a frisky 20-16 start.2 In our updated Elo ratings, the A’s had the third-worst drop in Elo since last week, behind only the Rockies and Mets, who have also been in a bit of a slump of late. The Dodgers cling to the top spot, while the Cubs and Yankees continue to gain ground.
Paul Skenes tossed yet another gem in his start against the Phillies on the 18th. However, in classic Pirates fashion, Skenes picked up the loss after receiving, literally, zero run support in the team’s 1-0 loss. Trade rumors involving Skenes are beginning to swirl, the credibility of which are questionable, but one thing that cannot be denied is that the Pirates have given Skenes minimal support in the early days of his young and incredibly promising career (more on that later). Skenes ranks 6th in our updated pitcher ratings, and is right on the heels of Logan Webb, Zach Wheeler, and Chris Sale for best in the National League
Stats of the Week
Paul Skenes has the lowest ERA among pitchers to record 8 or more losses in their first 34 career games since Stan Bahnsen for the Yankees from 1966-1968. The Pirates have just a 4-7 record in Skenes' 11 starts this year, despite his stellar performance on the mound.3
Today (Sunday), Oneil Cruz of the Pirates smashed a 122.9 mph home run off of Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Logan Henderson for the hardest hit ball recorded per Statcast.4
Team of the Week
Philadelphia Phillies: As mentioned, the Phillies are riding a 9-game win streak and overtook the spot of best record in the majors. They have increased their FanGraphs playoff odds to 92.8%, from 80.1% to start the week.
Player of the Week
Elly De La Cruz: The Reds SS became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 300+ Hits, 150+ RBIs and 100+ stolen bases. De La Cruz is second to only Corbin Carrol in Statcast baserunning run value since debtuing in 2023.
As I write this, however, the Phillies are currently in a tight 1-run battle against the A’s in Sacramento, so that 9-game win streak will likely have either ended or be up to 10-games when you read this. Their best record crown is safe though regardless.
Again, this is pending the result of their game against the Phillies which is still underway.