MLB Heat Check, Toronto Blue Jays 7-3 in Their Last 10

Form is the story the standings tell slowly and the last ten games tell fast. Right now the fast version of MLB is easy to summarize: Toronto Blue Jays are rolling, Los Angeles Angels are reeling, and the gap between those two feelings is enormous.

Burning up

Toronto Blue Jays own the league's best recent ledger at 7-3, and the +26 runs margin underneath it says the record is earned. Per game the numbers read 5.6 for and 3.0 against, a gap that does not happen by accident across 10 games.

Philadelphia Phillies are the closest thing to company at 7-3, with a +12 runs margin that says the record is no fluke.

And do not sleep on Los Angeles Dodgers, quietly 7-3 across their last 10.

For scale, the league as a whole is averaging 4.6 runs a game over this window, Toronto Blue Jays are clearing that bar by 1.0 a night all on their own.

The cold end

Then there is Los Angeles Angels. A 2-8 stretch is ugly on its own; pair it with a -5 runs margin and it stops looking like bad luck. They are being outscored by about 0.5 runs a game, and no scheduling quirk explains that away.

Seattle Mariners are not far behind on the misery index at 3-7.

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

At a glance

Here is the warm half of the form table, last ten games for every club:

Worth remembering

As always, watch where record and runs margin tell different stories about the same club. The margin tends to know first.

One to circle: Toronto Blue Jays meet Athletics in their next game, and we will find out quickly whether this stretch travels.