Around the MLB: teams that are cooling off and on the burner

We are just about one month into the new season, and while the wins and losses columns are important, it certainly doesn't tell the whole story.

Teams like the Dodgers, Pirates and Diamondbacks have had unexpected starts, while all three initially looked to be hot out of the gates, they have since cooled off, especially the latter two.

The Dodgers are back on the right track though. As of the date of this article being written, they lead the NL West by 1.5 games (15-11). After an 11-5 start, they cooled off, going 5-5 in their last ten. They have also lost three straight series to the Mets, Nationals and Padres.

They are one of the top offenses, both in terms of hits and runs scored, But their pitching staff has also allowed a lot of runs too. Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts are leading the way as they are currently on a three-game win streak looking to extend it to four today and sweep the Nationals.

They are headed to Toronto this weekend, and Arizona on Monday as they continue to try to get back to their usual winning ways while extending their slim division lead over the Padres.

The Pittsburgh Pirates had started off the season hot, similar to how they did last year, but are 2-8 in their last ten. They slipped up again, splitting the four-game series at home against their NL Central rival Brewers after taking the first two games of the series.

Unfortunately, the bats have just gone cold, only scoring 22 runs in their last ten games, while allowing 46 runs in the same span. A potential lineup shift could be in sorts to bring about a change in terms of offensive production.

Rowdy Tellez started in the third spot in the lineup today in a 7-5 loss, but he struck out in both his at-bats before being pinch-hit for.

The bats got going today despite the end result as Joey Bart hit his third home run of the season in the first inning.

Inconsistency is one of the defining factors of regular season baseball, nothing is certain in this 162-game season.

As of recently for the Pirates, it has been the bullpen issues holding them back. Today Aroldis Chapman earned his second loss of the season after relinquishing a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth by way of a Gary Sánchez two-run homer.

This is typical for Pirates fans to have to deal with, but the optimism still remains. Maybe Paul Skenes could be called up by the end of the month, maybe the bats can heat up while on the West Coast this weekend and early next week.

The last team in this conversation is the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Again, it cannot be understated how early we are in the season, but the Diamondbacks have one of the most potent offenses in baseball, yet they can't seem to find ways to put together wins recently.

When they win, they win big, but for a lot of games they lose, they seem to be checked out early. They are 4-6 in their last ten, including three straight series losses to the Cubs, Giants and Cardinals.

Again, with it being early in the season, there is no reason for any of these teams to be in panic mode, but sometimes these hot starts like the Pirates have had the last two years could be overinflating the fans’ expectations for the rest of the season.

With over 130 more games to be played, don't count out anyone yet, except maybe the White Sox who have a .189 team batting average.

Carson Schuler is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism, to contact him please email cts5357@psu.edu.