The Week That Was: May 1–7

More injury news and surprising performances marked the fifth week of the 2017 MLB season.

Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America

Standings

Not much has changed in the division races around baseball.

Playoff Odds

National League

The Giants and Mets have face-planted while the Cardinals have benefited.

American League

There’s a lot of teams bunched up fighting for the second wild card, with only two teams truly out of it.

Standout Performers

American League West:

• Yonder Alonso, 1B, Oakland Athletics: 9–22, 3 HR, 3 BB, 25 TB
• Lance McCullers, RHP, Houston Astros: 13.1 IP, 14 K, 4 BB, 2 ER

National League West:

• Mark Reynolds, 1B, Colorado Rockies: 8–18, 3 HR, 1 BB, 17 TB
• Johnny Cueto, RHP, San Francisco Giants: 14 IP, 16 K, 2 BB, 5 ER

American League Central:

• Victor Martinez, DH, Detroit Tigers: 10–23, 2 BB, 12 TB
• Jason Vargas, LHP, Kansas City Royals: 12 IP, 7 K, 5 BB, 1 ER

National League Central:

• Aledmys Diaz, SS, St. Louis Cardinals: 12–28, 1 HR, 1 BB, 17 TB
• Gerrit Cole, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates: 13 IP, 15 K, 3 BB, 3 ER

American League East:

• Brett Gardner, OF, New York Yankees: 11–26, 3 HR, 3 BB, 22 TB
• Alex Cobb, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays: 14 IP, 5 K, 4 BB, 2 ER

National League East:

• Ryan Zimmerman, 1B, Washington Nationals: 10–20, 2 HR, 2 BB, 20 TB
• Max Scherzer, RHP, Washington Nationals: 7 IP, 11 K, 2 BB, 1 ER

Performance of the Week

Injury Report

• Noah Syndergaard has a torn muscle and was transferred to the 60-day disabled list and will not pitch again for at least six weeks.
• The Los Angeles Angels scratched Mike Trout from their lineup on Saturday due to hamstring tightness. He did not start Sunday either but is not expected to miss significant time.
• Brett Anderson has been placed on the 10-day disabled list by the Chicago Cubs due to a lower back strain.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Adrian Gonzalez on the 10-day disabled list on May 5 with right elbow soreness. With Cody Bellinger in the big leagues and playing well, Gonzalez may not have his first base job when he returns.
• Corey Kluber was placed on the 10-day disabled list on May 3 with a lower back strain.
• James Paxton was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left forearm strain.
• Bryce Harper left the game early on May 4 due to groin tightness and did not play the entire weekend, although he is due to come back on Monday.

Three Big Storylines

The New York Mets Have Reached Full “Mets” Status

First there was the poor play on the field, with several Mets starters struggling to live up to expectations and several positional players failing to contribute in a meaningful way. Then the injury bug started to hit: the Mets now house some of their best players on the disabled, such as Noah Syndergaard and Yoenis Cespedes to just name a few. Finally, there was the off the field drama, as the much maligned right-handed pitcher Matt Harvey was suspended three games on Sunday, missing his scheduled Sunday start in the process. At 14–16, a full six and a half games behind the division leading Nationals, the Mets find themselves in quite a bit of early season turmoil.

Ryan Zimmerman and Aaron Judge Are the Current League MVPs

Move over Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, there are some new guys in town. Just kidding. But seriously, Ryan Zimmerman and Aaron Judge are the league leaders in wRC+, at 253 and 221 respectively, while Trout and Harper sit at 216 and 211 respectively. Obviously neither Zimmerman or Judge can maintain this type of Herculean performance over an entire season, but what if they can? Either way, it’s been one of the more interesting storylines to watch over the first month plus of the season.

Are the New York Yankees for real?

Going into the season, the New York Yankees were supposed to be in a sort of rebuilding phase for 2017. That means something different to the Yankees than it does to the Padres, Phillies, Brewers, Braves, etc., but either way the Yankees weren’t expected to be a contending team in 2017. But here we are. With 29 games under their belt, the Yankees find themselves with the best record in all of baseball, with 20 wins and only nine losses. Led by strong starts from their veterans, such as Brett Gardner, Chase Headley, Starlin Castro, and Matt Holliday, and helped by the strong start of the aforementioned Aaron Judge, the Yankees have already improved their playoff odds over 40 percent, from a starting point of just 15.9 percent to their current 68.8 percent. After a weekend sweep of the Chicago Cubs, the Yankees find themselves in a real position to contend at the top of the American League East.

Play of the Week

Hit of the Week

Pitch of the Week

Matchups to Watch: May 8–14

San Francisco Giants vs. New York Mets: May 8–10

In a series between two teams seemingly unraveling before our eyes, something has got to give. I think.

Washington Nationals vs. Baltimore Orioles: May 8–11

Two of the top teams in baseball? Check. Cross-town rivalry? Check. This should be a good one.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies: May 11–14

You had the Colorado Rockies as the first place team in the National League West a month into the season, right? Second best in the entire National League? No? Well here we are, as the Dodgers get their second chance to take down the Rockies after losing two of three early on.

Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals: May 12–14

A lot has changed in baseball but a lot has stayed the same. After a bit of a resurgence following a slow start, the Cardinals find themselves a half game ahead of the Cubs. The Cubs-Cardinals rivalry is always a good one, and this weekend should be no different.