Atlanta Braves (40-20): A+
The first team to 40 wins was supposed to be the Dodgers. Instead, it was Atlanta, which wasn’t even projected to be one of the two best teams in this division after last year’s 86-loss mess of a campaign. Nevertheless, nine of their 10 leaders in plate appearances are batting at least .250 while Chris Sale is putting up Cy Young-caliber numbers yet again. But the biggest catalyst for their success might be the bullpen, where Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez and Dylan Lee have gone a combined 70.2 IP with a 1.02 ERA, six wins, 14 saves and 18 holds.
Washington Nationals (31-30): A
If you prefer high-scoring affairs to pitching duels, the Nationals have presumably been your favorite team to watch in 2026. No one has scored more runs than this offense led by James Wood and CJ Abrams. But aside from the Rockies, no one has allowed more runs than this pitching staff featuring Miles Mikolas, Zack Littell and a bullpen that has blown an MLB-high 16 saves. The poor pitching was to be expected, but that offense has them slightly above .500 and well ahead of pace for their preseason win total of 65.5.
The Marlins have had some pleasant surprises, like Otto Lopez leading the majors with a .333 batting average, Liam Hicks becoming an everyday staple in the lineup with a dozen home runs and Max Meyer blossoming into an ace nearly four years after they first called him up. But they’ve had just as many disappointments, if not more of them on their way to pretty much exactly the winning percentage that was anticipated. We’re all still waiting to find out where Sandy Alcantara lands in two months’ time.
Philadelphia Phillies (30-29): D+
Since firing Rob Thomson on April 28, the Phillies have gone 21-10 under Don Mattingly, good for the second-best record in baseball. If we were merely comparing that 31-game stretch to their preseason win total, their grade for that 110-win pace would be a resounding A+. Alas, we’re looking at the full season here. And even with Donnie Baseball pulling the strings now, they’ve still been underwhelming on offense, held to four runs or fewer in 11 consecutive games.
Say this much for the Mets: They were a whole lot better in May (16-12, +22 run differential) than they were in April (7-19, -39 run differential).
However, sweeping home series against the Marlins and Tigers after winning road series against the Rockies and Angels hardly feels like cause for excitement, especially as they lost what had been their best pitcher (Clay Holmes) to a broken leg in the middle of the month.
Wake us up if and when someone other than Juan Soto starts hitting with any degree of regularity. Until then, they’ll continue to rival the Tigers for the title of biggest disappointment of 2026.
