Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- MLB's Memorial Day standings highlight several offenses defying expectations and challenging traditional powerhouses.
- The Dodgers and Braves are exceeding early-season projections while others struggle to maintain consistency despite star power.
- Meanwhile, the Nationals and Pirates are surpassing early expectations offensively.
Memorial Day is, traditionally, the time in any MLB season when it's fair to look forward. For teams like the Braves and Rays, that means getting excited for what's to come. The top two teams in our MLB Power Rankings have surpassed expectations despite dealing with some early adversity. The same cannot be said of the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, the former of which fired their manager a few weeks back.
But the focus of this week's look at the MLB standings isn't just which teams are performing the best — no, that would be too easy — but which offenses are scoring the most runs. Yes, the Braves, Rays and Dodgers all rank near the top of the charts when it comes to providing run support. Surprisingly, teams like the Nationals and Pirates, despite needing to make up quite a bit of ground, have brought the lumber through late May.
AL East
Team | Record | Games back | Last 10 games | Runs scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tampa Bay Rays | 34-16 | -- | 7-3 | 236 |
New York Yankees | 31-22 | 4.5 | 4-6 | 254 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 25-28 | 10.5 | 6-4 | 214 |
Baltimore Orioles | 23-30 | 12.5 | 4-6 | 228 |
Boston Red Sox | 22-30 | 13.0 | 4-6 | 194 |
The Tampa Bay Rays haven't just won with their bats. Yes, a modest 236 runs scored through Memorial Day is quite a bit better for Tampa than last year at this time, but the real story of their 2026 season has been the pitching staff. The Rays are arguably the most complete team in MLB as of this writing, and don't rely on any one facet of their team to win games. The same cannot be said of the rest of the AL East, including the New York Yankees, which should be getting healthier at the right time thanks to the return of ace Gerrit Cole.
AL Central
Team | Record | Games back | Last 10 games | Runs scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cleveland Guardians | 32-23 | -- | 8-2 | 232 |
Chicago White Sox | 26-26 | 4.5 | 5-5 | 235 |
Minnesota Twins | 26-27 | 5.0 | 7-3 | 248 |
Kansas City Royals | 22-31 | 9.0 | 3-7 | 207 |
Detroit Tigers | 21-33 | 10.5 | 2-8 | 207 |
No one — and I mean no one — saw the Minnesota Twins run to nab an AL Wild Card spot coming. The Twins ownership group wanted to sell the team at one point just last season. That sale never went through, and the Pohlads are likely grateful for it. Minnesota has a ton of affordable assets, and while they were once assumed to be trade deadline sellers, that may no longer be the case. Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton can extend their stay in Minneapolis should they be able to challenge the Guardians atop the AL Central.
AL West
Team | Record | Games back | Last 10 games | Runs scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Athletics | 27-26 | -- | 5-5 | 232 |
Seattle Mariners | 25-29 | 2.5 | 4-6 | 218 |
Texas Rangers | 24-28 | 2.5 | 4-6 | 201 |
Houston Astros | 23-31 | 4.5 | 6-4 | 233 |
Los Angeles Angels | 20-34 | 7.5 | 4-6 | 217 |
The AL West is the most unpredictable division in baseball right now. Yes, the Athletics are a great story, but we all keep waiting for their downfall. Perhaps we'll be left at the alter on that front, as the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers haven't taken advantage. Seattle should get Cal Raleigh back off the injured list here soon enough, but the question remains which version of him they are getting. There's a reason the Rangers and Mariners haven't caught up to the A's just yet, as both teams have obvious gaps in their respective lineups.
NL East
Team | Record | Games back | Last 10 games | Runs scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta Braves | 36-18 | -- | 6-4 | 282 |
Washington Nationals | 27-27 | 9.0 | 6-4 | 288 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 26-27 | 9.5 | 6-4 | 213 |
Miami Marlins | 25-29 | 11.0 | 5-5 | 231 |
New York Mets | 22-31 | 13.5 | 4-6 | 206 |
The Braves are the class of the NL East, but when it comes to bringing the lumber, no team in baseball has caught the Washington Nationals. The Nats are one of the more exciting young teams in the sport. Sure, their pitching staff is lacking when compared to Atlanta, but they can score with the best of them. James Wood and CJ Abrams are legitimate threats to make the NL All-Star team, and it's about time we started paying more attention to Washington as an NL Wild Card contender.
NL Central
Team | Record | Games back | Last 10 games | Runs scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Milwaukee Brewers | 30-20 | -- | 7-3 | 246 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 29-22 | 1.5 | 5-5 | 233 |
Chicago Cubs | 29-24 | 2.5 | 2-8 | 253 |
Cincinnati Reds | 27-25 | 4.0 | 5-5 | 229 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 27-26 | 4.5 | 4-6 | 256 |
The Cubs lineup was the class of the NL Central until their recent skid, which has dropped them to third place in the division. Craig Counsell can try all the lineup adjustments he wants, but at a certain point, this is on stars like Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong to snap out of their slumps. Meanwhile, the last place Pirates are leading the Central in runs scored AND possess one of the more dominant starting rotations in baseball at thier best. Something doesn't quite add up.
NL West
Team | Record | Games back | Last 10 games | Runs scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles Dodgers | 33-20 | -- | 8-2 | 274 |
San Diego Padres | 31-21 | 1.5 | 6-4 | 211 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | 28-24 | 4.5 | 8-2 | 239 |
San Francisco Giants | 22-31 | 11.0 | 4-6 | 195 |
Colorado Rockies | 20-34 | 13.5 | 3-7 | 219 |
The Dodgers are the class of the NL West until proven otherwise, and are World Series favorites once again for a reason. The Dodgers lineup is top-to-bottom the most talented in baseball. Their pitching staff is nothing to sneeze at, either, but the team worth a second look on the chart above is the Padres. How does a lineup with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado in it only score 211 runs at this point in the season? That's a real concern for San Diego moving forward, especially if they hope to keep up with LA and (perhaps soon) Arizona.
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