Although we are just five weeks into the 2021 MLB season, it is enough time for some trends to have developed. There are teams that are drastically outperforming expectations, emerging as possible contenders for the postseason even when no one saw that coming.
On the other side of the coin are those preseason playoff contenders that have struggled to the point where they are seemingly in trouble. Even though it is early, there are some teams that find themselves further down the standings than they would have expected.
MLB postseason contenders already in trouble
Fortunately, there is still a great deal of time left. However, a rough 35 to 40 games can make a major difference, leaving a hole to climb out of. Should one of those division leading teams get hot, these deficits could become even more difficult to overcome, especially depending on the number of teams between them and the divisional lead.
Let’s take a look at three postseason contenders that are already in trouble this season.
Los Angeles Dodgers
It was not that long ago that the Los Angeles Dodgers were essentially the team that everyone expected. They began the season looking like a juggernaut, ready to dominate as they sought to repeat as World Series champions.
The Dodgers lived up to their end of the bargain at the beginning of the year, starting the season with a 13-2 record. However, they have gone 5-15 in their last 20 games entering Monday. Seemingly everything that could have gone wrong for the Dodgers in that time has, as they keep finding ways to lose.
A casual look at the numbers would indicate that this stretch is a fluke. The Dodgers lead the National League with 174 runs scored and a .748 OPS. Even though they have battled injuries and Dustin May is lost for the season, they still rank fourth with a 3.30 ERA.
The problem is that the Dodgers have allowed 27 unearned runs this season, nearly one per game. Micah White has been particularly victimized by those defensive struggles, allowing eight runs in his 6.2 innings, but only one was earned. Those defensive woes lend credence to Trevor Bauer‘s statement that the Dodgers cannot repeat if they continue to sleepwalk through games.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are far too talented to have those types of struggles. However, unless they start playing to their potential, they could dig quite the hole to climb out of.