MLB’s unofficial checkpoint is one week away, and three teams have very different reasons to worry
Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images Memorial Day is still one week away, but MLB is already reaching the point where early-season excuses start to disappear. The holiday has long worked as an unofficial checkpoint across baseball, not because it decides anything, but because teams have usually played enough games by then for records, flaws and trends to carry real weight. The next natural marker is July 4, and that is when trade deadline conversations start to become more serious.
For now, the week before Memorial Day is about proving what is real. That makes this an important stretch for three teams in very different positions: the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. Philadelphia Phillies need to prove their rebound is real The Phillies may be the most interesting team in baseball heading into the Memorial Day checkpoint.
They looked lost earlier this season, with Rob Thomson fired and Don Mattingly taking over after a terrible start. Since then, the mood has changed quickly. Philadelphia has climbed back above .
500, and their surge under Mattingly has turned a potential disaster into a season that suddenly looks alive again. That is why this week matters so much. The Phillies are no longer trying to stop the bleeding.
They are trying to prove the recovery is sustainable. Their 24-23 record puts them second in the NL East, but they still have work to do because the Atlanta Braves have already built a strong lead at the top of the division. The Phillies host the Cincinnati Reds before facing the Cleveland Guardians, then open a tougher road stretch against the San Diego Padres on Memorial Day.
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