MLB Week 8 Hot or Not: Nats and Halos on the rise, Rox remain in the basement

Several teams are defying expectations, for better and worse

We’re back in business with the last full week of May in this week’s Hot or Not recap, covering May 18-24.

AL West
Hot: The Angels kick it up a notch
It’s time to pull out the brooms for the Halos, it’s sweep season! The Halos completed a three-game sweep over the reigning World Series champions on Sunday and doubled their fun to collect a second straight sweep, against the A’s. Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto, and Nick Kurtz homered multiple times over six games to help the Angels outscore opponents 46-32 and lead the league with 15 home runs throughout the week. The Angels were on a tear with an eight-game win streak — and that’s without Mike Trout.

Not: Christian Walker’s hitting
The Astros first baseman hasn’t had a stellar season, but even by those standards last week was abysmal. Walker only got four hits in 27 trips to the plate. The struggling Astro also muscled a walk, run, and an RBI, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’d been one of the worst hitters in the league. Walker hasn’t played as well as he did in Arizona for almost a decade, and while he has time to turn his season around, don’t bet on it.

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AL Central
Hot: Chicago’s starters outperform expectations
The White Sox rotation has kept pace against lineups it, on paper, shouldn’t stand a chance against. The starters limited opponents to 14 runs, nearly a third of which came from Jonathan Cannon and Davis Martin’s appearances against the red-hot Mariners and Cubs. Including those starts, the rotation still won two games while holding a 2.97 ERA through 33 ⅓ innings. Considering their inexperience and newness to the franchise and league, the Sox’s starters have put forth a heroic effort so far in 2025.

Not: Jackson Jobe is saddled with his first loss, against the Guards
The prospective AL Rookie of the Year earned his first career loss against Cleveland, and it wasn’t even his fault. Jobe allowed four hits, two runs, and two walks in his five-inning effort to keep the Tigers in the game. But Detroit’s offense only produced one run, eventually falling to Cleveland, 3-1. This won’t be Jobe’s first loss, but he should still feel proud of his strong outing.

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AL East
Hot: Luke Weaver has been unhittable
Weaver was on fire last week. Weaver didn’t allow a hit in 2 ⅓ innings and he lowered his season ERA and WHIP to 0.40 and 0.53. He knows how to swiftly and effectively get out of innings, and he showed it off in these three outings by pitching 66% strikes. Weaver collected his seventh save of the year in a 1-0 victory to help the Yankees sweep the Rangers, and he’ll only continue to collect more as the Bronx Bombers race towards 100 wins.

Not: Baltimore’s bullpen tanks
The Orioles are facing an identity crisis, especially in their bullpen. Baltimore’s relievers maintained a league-worst 8.89 ERA and conceded 18 walks, eight home runs, and 30 runs. The pen only achieved one hold and save while blowing four saves over 28⅓ innings. The Orioles desperately need help, and simply firing their manager won’t put out this dumpster fire.

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NL West
Hot: Yoshinobu Yamamoto cracks MLB’s pitcher power rankings
Yamamoto is undeniably the No. 1 pitcher in the Dodgers rotation. He dished a seven-frame shutout against the Diamondbacks, surrendering only a hit and two walks while striking out nine. Shortly after his stunning performance, MLB named Yamamoto the 10th-best pitcher in the league. He has been undeniably elite, with a 1.86 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP this year, and will be a strong candidate for the NL Cy Young.

Not: Rockies set worst start in modern MLB history
Thoughts and prayers for Rockies fans. Colorado’s 2-0 loss to the Phillies made history, as the team dropped to 8-42 to record the worst 50-game start in baseball’s modern era. As embarrassing as this is, everyone could see it coming. Ezequiel Tovar (.302/.350/.469, 9 R, 9 RBI) can’t put this horrible team on his back while the rest of the team trudges towards out-losing the 2024 White Sox. Colorado always makes a case to be the NL West’s “Not” each week, but this week marked an all-time low.

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NL Central
Hot: Sonny Gray shuts down the Tigers
Gray was a lean mean machine against the AL Central leaders. He limited the Tigers’ hot offense to just three hits and one walk while pummeling hitters with 10 strikeouts in his shutout win. Gray’s 10th start was his best of the season, which is surprising considering he’s only two years removed from being the AL Cy Young runner-up. Even if he’s had a shakier season than in recent years past, Gray shouldn’t be underestimated.

Not: Cincinnati’s bullpen concedes nine runs in two innings
The Reds’ relievers rode the struggle bus against the Cubs in their 13-6 loss. Ian Gibaut, Tony Santillan, and Brent Suter yielded seven runs, two home runs, and nine hits in the sixth and seventh innings. Together, the three relievers tossed nearly 65 pitches, wasting Cincinnati’s 6-2 lead. The Reds still could surprise people, but they need to win winnable games first.

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NL East
Hot: CJ Abrams is sensational
The Nationals have waited a while for a vibrant young stud, and Abrams is that guy. Abrams slammed two of Washington’s five bombs in their 10-4 rout over Baltimore to help bring his season slugging percentage to .532, ranking in the Top 20 in baseball. He also only struck out twice during the week. Alongside Dylan Crews and James Wood, Abrams is leading an exciting youth wave in D.C. that demands attention across the league.

Not: New York is sputtering
After a surprisingly challenging series win against the Pirates, New York’s win train lurched. While they’ve avoided being swept, the Mets dropped five of their last six games, which includes three series losses to the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers. While baseball is a team sport, the primary culprits of the recent slump is the offense, hitting .216 with a measly .291 slugging percentage, the worst in the league last week. It’s no surprise why New York is struggling.