We've already talked about the Blue Jays holding down the cellar, but there are a number of recent (and expected) playoff contenders struggling out of the gate.
| Rank | Team | nERD | Record | Playoff Odds | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Toronto Blue Jays | -2.07 | 2-10 | 17.70% | 0 |
| 29 | St. Louis Cardinals | -1.72 | 4-9 | 33.20% | -4 |
| 28 | Kansas City Royals | -0.99 | 6-6 | 11.30% | +1 |
| 26 | San Diego Padres | -0.98 | 5-9 | 0.70% | -7 |
| 26 | Philadelphia Phillies | -0.98 | 4-8 | 2.00% | -13 |
| 25 | Pittsburgh Pirates | -0.91 | 6-7 | 14.60% | +2 |
| 24 | Colorado Rockies | -0.58 | 9-5 | 23.80% | -3 |
| 23 | Texas Rangers | -0.42 | 5-8 | 19.20% | -5 |
| 22 | Seattle Mariners | -0.41 | 6-8 | 40.10% | +6 |
| 21 | Cleveland Indians | -0.38 | 6-7 | 74.20% | +3 |
Biggest Rise: Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners haven't made the playoffs since 2001, and general manager Jerry Dipoto made approximately a million moves over the offseason with the goal of winning right now and ending MLB's longest postseason drought.
Things didn't get off to a good start, which was evidenced by their 2-6 record from a week ago. There is still a ways to go, but it won't be long before they find themselves in the thick of things if they keep having 4-2 weeks. Jean Segura hitting the disabled list isn't ideal, but it's allowed Taylor Motter to emerge as a spark plug -- he's posted a 1.458 OPS over his last 22 at-bats, leads the team with 3 home runs and is tied for the team lead with 6 RBI during that time.
This positive week helped improve their playoff odds by nearly 10 percentage points (31.4% last week).
Biggest Drop: Philadelphia Phillies
As of last week, the Philadelphia Phillies had moved up 13 spots compared to our preseason power rankings, but getting throttled by the New York Mets in a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park is a big reason behind their nERD going from the right side to the wrong side of zero.
The pitching staff took a hit with Clay Buchholz hitting the disabled list, but Jeremy Hellickson and Aaron Nola picked up the slack by being the only two Phillies starters to allow two earned runs or fewer in their starts this week.