MLB standings by record since June 1: Blue Jays can't be stopped, Cardinals floundering

There are plenty of ebbs and flows throughout the seven-month MLB calendar, and this year has been no different. Some clubs are plateauing after impressive first-half starts or, even worse, regressing. Conversely, others are turning things up a notch as they round into postseason form, and several teams that started slowly are gaining momentum.

Among those trending upward is the Toronto Blue Jays. They've seized control of the American League East despite once trailing first place by as many as eight games and look like a legitimate pennant threat. Meanwhile, the same cannot be said for the St. Louis Cardinals, who are going backward since their red-hot May.

With that in mind, let's see how Toronto and St. Louis stack up in the standings from June 1 on entering play on July 12.

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Red-hot Blue Jays top MLB standings since June 1, Cardinals struggling

As alluded to, the Blue Jays have dominated to kick off the meteorological summer. They've gone 25-11, largely off the back of their high-powered offense, which has scored the second-most runs over this time.

A pair of fellow AL East squads aren't far behind the Blue Jays, and they aren't the Tampa Bay Rays or New York Yankees. That's right, the Baltimore Orioles have risen from the ashes. On May 24, they fell 18 games below .500 following a loss in Game 1 of a doubleheader with the other mentioned surging divisional rival.

How about those Boston Red Sox, who enter Saturday's meeting with the Rays on a season-long eight-game winning streak? Rafael Devers was in their lineup for part of this stretch, which should be mentioned. Nonetheless, since shockingly trading the superstar slugger to the Bay, they've notably had a better record than the San Francisco Giants. Vibes are high in Beantown and Baltimore; both have been better than the AL-leading Detroit Tigers, albeit in a limited sample size.

Moreover, the Milwaukee Brewers have managed to close the gap in the battle for NL Central supremacy. They've ascended while the Chicago Cubs have faltered, and 1.5-game deficit separates them. An exciting race to the top await.

Speaking of the NL Central, the Cardinals struggling to keep pace with the Brewers and Cubs. Slowly but surely, St. Louis is falling out of contention, specifically because of their pitching/rotation woes.

Note: Stats courtesy of Codify Baseball, StatMuse.com and Baseball-Reference.com entering play on July 12.