MLB May 2022 Review

The 2022 MLB season is closing in on the summer months, and that means the All-Star break is getting closer and closer. While the month of April serves as an introductory portion of the season--not as vital but important enough to give fans an idea of how each of the 30 teams will perform, the month of May serves as a tone-setting month. How each team stands after May is important, as June is the last full month before the all-important All-Star break. But that's down the line. Here's a look at a few teams that drew some attention in the month of May.

Up-and-Down Blue Jays

In April, the Toronto Blue Jays started off very well; they and the New York Yankees consistently stood as the top two teams in the American League East. However, the team went on a bad losing skid in the first half of May, losing 8 of their first 11 games of the month. The skid was partly due to Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.'s declining power; since his three-HR game against the Yankees, the home runs haven't really come for him. The Jays appear to be back on track; winning 8 of their final 10 games of the month, and as a result, they are back behind the Yankees in the division, while also in a tight race with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Many expect a lot of good things from the Blue Jays this season. They were part of the modified 16-team postseason in 2020, and 2021 saw the Jays in the thick of the postseason race until the final day of the regular season. Some even picked the Jays to actually reach the World Series this year, though after two months, they don't seem to be matching that expectation. With the postseason receiving some additional slots, we could see Toronto playing some October baseball.

Atlanta's World Series Hangover

We have seen championship hangovers in sports before, but honestly, the one that's hit the Atlanta Braves is quite a doozy. The Braves ended the month of May in 2nd place in the National League East--10.5 games behind the New York Mets. How bad is it? The Braves have only had a winning record for one day, and that was the day that Atlanta stood at 2-1. Now it is a long season, but even so, it's nearly one-third over, and the Braves are in a deep hole.

The Braves are in the top five in home runs and strikeouts, but they are in the middle of the pack in runs, and in the lowest third in batting average. On the pitching side, while the Braves rack up the strikeouts, they have an ERA of 4.00; that won't do either. Again, it's a long season, but if things don't change for the Braves by the break, it could be a long 2nd half for the defending champions.

I'm still amazed at how the San Diego Padres collapsed in 2021. Those who didn't have the Dodgers winning the National League West had San Diego do the same, only for the San Francisco Giants to surpass both teams. In addition, the Padres hit the wall in the 2nd half of 2021, losing far too many games and seeing their pitching staff become punching bags. The sad part about that: they were so close to obtaining Max Scherzer, only for him to go to the Dodgers--it's been said that the Padres weren't quite over that.

This is yet another season that saw Fernando Tatis, Jr. on the injured list. In spite of this, San Diego is right behind Los Angeles, as they are led by Manny Machado and Jurickson Profar, and they have amazing pitching--they are in the top five in saves and lead the league in quality starts. The Padres make a case for the division, but for now, they need to not mess it up like they did in 2021.

The month also saw Reid Detmers join the no-hitter club, while the Cincinnati Reds have been on a winning tear, which includes scoring 20 against the Cubs. This MLB season has been amazing so far, and it now enters the home stretch of the first half!

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