Team Heat Check: Philadelphia Phillies Run Hot, Detroit Tigers Run Cold (MLB)

Every MLB season has a week when the temperature map redraws itself, and this feels like one of them. Philadelphia Phillies have become the team nobody wants to see next on the schedule, while Detroit Tigers are hunting for anything that resembles a good night.

Who's hot

Start with Philadelphia Phillies. They have won 8 of their last 10, and they have not been sneaking past anyone: the runs margin over that stretch is +24, which breaks down to about 5.9 scored and 3.5 allowed per game. That is the arithmetic of a team winning on merit, not on bounces.

Right behind them sit Kansas City Royals, 8-2 over the same kind of stretch and +19 on runs margin, quieter, but pointed the same direction.

Keep Milwaukee Brewers in the conversation too, at 7-3 over their last 10.

The whole league is averaging 4.3 runs a game in this stretch, which makes Philadelphia Phillies outrunning that number by 1.6 per night the loudest stat on the page.

The deep freeze

Detroit Tigers are the cold front. They have gone 2-8 over their last 10, and the -12 margin underneath means the losses have not even been close, roughly 1.2 runs a game the wrong way.

Washington Nationals (2-8) share the cold row, for whatever comfort that provides.

Do not ignore the middle class, either: St. Louis Cardinals (5-5) and Baltimore Orioles (5-5) sit close enough that a single hot or cold series flips their order.

The board

For the fuller picture, the five best recent records in the league:

One more thing

One reading tip before you go: runs margin travels better than record. A fat margin with a modest record usually means the wins are coming; the reverse usually means they are not.

One to circle: Philadelphia Phillies meet Seattle Mariners in their next game, and we will find out quickly whether this stretch travels.