A pope, the Cardinals, and Schwarber’s streak: MLB’s top 10 storylines

Last Updated: May 12, 2025By

Wondering what you may have missed last week in the busy world of baseball? We’ve got you covered.

This year, we started a new series where we spotlight the 10 best storylines that happened in MLB each week. Here’s a look at last week’s standout stats and thrilling performances.

10. Pope Leo XIV’s baseball fandom

White Sox or Cubs? That was the first question on all our minds this past week when the world learned that Pope Leo XIV hails from Chicago. Once video surfaced of him, then-known as Robert Prevost, at the 2005 World Series wearing a White Sox jersey and looking unsettled as Bobby Jenks closed out a win over the Houston Astros, the South Siders got a rare win. The White Sox wasted no time trolling the Cubs, proudly stating: “Hey Chicago, he’s a Sox fan!” on their jumbotron at Rate Field on Friday. The Cubs host the White Sox this weekend, so there’s no better time for him to become the first pope to throw out the first pitch of an MLB game. Even if he can’t get to Wrigley Field this weekend, a baseball-loving pontiff gives us one of the best MLB storylines, ever.

9. Is Juan Soto back?

The Amazins are at the top of the NL East and boast one of the league’s best records with Soto still waiting to break out as a Met. In April, he was still hitting at a clip that was better than league average, but his .752 OPS in his first 31 games of the year was worse than usual by Soto’s standards. But since May 1, the slugger has looked more like himself at the plate. On Friday, Soto obliterated his third home run in two games, sending the ball 434 feet over the bullpen and nearly to Shea Bridge in Citi Field. Pete Alonso has been the stud in the Mets lineup, helping them record the fourth-best OPS+ in MLB, but it looks like New York’s offense is close to getting even hotter.

8. Don’t count out the Astros

For all the talk about the Astros’ demise after trading away Kyle Tucker and letting Alex Bregman walk in free agency, they enter the week within two games of the first-place Mariners, and they’re not going anywhere just yet. Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 11 against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, helping the club forget about how Lance McCullers Jr. pitched the day before. It’s been an up-and-down season so far for Houston, and these are not the dominant Astros we’ve seen since 2017. But they’re still a competitive team doing a solid job of weathering the storm amid critical injuries to Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Hayden Wesneski and Cristian Javier. It would be extraordinary if they won the AL West for the fifth consecutive year after the challenges they’re still trying to overcome.

7. Devin Williams steps up

It’s hard to argue anyone has had a tougher start to the season than the New York Yankees closer. After getting traded to the Bronx and entering the year with the highest of expectations, Williams has crumbled under pressure more times than he’s successfully navigated high-leverage situations, leading to his demotion from closing duties. But he finally stepped up on Wednesday night against the San Diego Padres. Even though it wasn’t the cleanest of innings, he kept the game tied in the 10th inning, allowing the Yankees to walk it off in the bottom of the frame. Williams screaming into his glove after the third out told you everything you need to know about how much that opportunity meant to him. The Yankees will need more of that to get where they want to go.

6. Schwarber’s eye-popping on-base streak

Contract years tend to bring out the best in players, and Kyle Schwarber is just the latest example. The Philadelphia Phillies slugger went yard twice in their win over the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, tying Aaron Judge for the major-league lead in home runs with 14. As if being in the same conversation as Judge wasn’t impressive enough, Schwarber is now also being mentioned in the same category as the all-time-great, Ted Williams. Schwarber carries a 46-game on-base streak into the week, which dates back to the end of last season. He’s 11 games away from breaking Mike Schmidt’s franchise record of 56, and then he’ll be closer to Williams’ territory, who holds the MLB record with his 84-game on-base streak, achieved in 1949 for the Boston Red Sox.

5. Twins win eight in a row

Excellent pitching can solve a lot of problems, and the Minnesota Twins are seeing first-hand how dominance on the mound can rack up more than a week’s worth of wins. Minnesota’s pitching staff has the second-best ERA (2.22) in MLB since their winning streak began on May 3. Even though their eight-game winning streak is exciting, the Twins don’t have the luxury of getting comfortable in the suddenly competitive AL Central. Minnesota, despite sweeping the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants this past week, remains in fourth place in part because of the club’s 5-12 start to the season, and, of course, the Tigers’ hold over the division. The Twins are finally above .500, but they need to be consistent now. And speaking of winning streaks…

4. Cards win eight straight, too

The St. Louis Cardinals, at least, are in far better shape in the much weaker NL Central than Minnesota is faring in the American League. The Cardinals are outshining their opponents in both pitching and hitting during their eight-game winning streak, helping them surge ahead in the division. They sit just one game back of the Cubs, and they’re getting help from across the board. Veteran right-hander Sonny Gray pitched a gem against the Pirates on Wednesday, hurling seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. Willson Contreras has gone 10-for-26 and slugged three home runs since May 3. And in the bullpen, eight of St. Louis’ nine relief pitchers combined to record a perfect 0.00 ERA during the winning streak. They’ll look to keep it rolling during a tough matchup in Philly this week.

3. Devers engages in drama, then rises above it

Rafael Devers is tired of the Red Sox asking him to switch positions again. First it was third base to DH, to accommodate Bregman’s arrival, and now it’s DH to first, to fill the hole Triston Casas’ season-ending injury left behind. Boston’s chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, could’ve avoided this public drama if he had just privately spoken to Devers about the organization’s expectations of him from the get-go, but no mind. Devers rose above the drama and went 7-for-12 while crushing a statement-making 440-foot home run against the Kansas City Royals this weekend, helping Boston with the series. Have the Red Sox figured it out yet? Be upfront about what you want from your star slugger, and then let him hit.

2. Skubal is on another level

Skubal’s first two losses of the season are all but a distant memory. Since then, the Detroit ace has a 0.98 ERA, 50 strikeouts, and one walk across his last six starts. He became the first pitcher in MLB history to post a sub-1.00 ERA, permit no more than one walk, and record 50 strikeouts. Skubal has absolutely dominated opposing lineups, generating 32 swings-and-misses in his most recent outing against the ice-cold Texas Rangers. For the reigning American League Cy Young award winner’s latest feat, Skubal carried a perfect game into the sixth inning on Friday afternoon, recorded 12 strikeouts, and helped the Tigers win their fifth straight game. For the second consecutive year, the AL Triple Crown is calling his name.

1. Court is in session

Aaron Judge needs to be promoted to a superior league. Call it MLB+. The Yankees’ two-time MVP winner continued making a case for his third award in Sacramento this past weekend, lifting his wRC+ to 254 in the process. Judge went 7-for-14 with two home runs, two doubles and five RBI against the Athletics, including a four-hit performance on Sunday. He entered Monday leading the major leagues in batting average (.409), RBI (39), on-base percentage (.494), slugging (.779), OPS (1.273), and hits (63), while being tied with Schwarber for the league lead in home runs (14). Judge is having an absolutely ridiculous start to the year. Who knows when we’ll see this kind of dominance again, so sit back, pay attention, and enjoy watching one of the greatest players to ever do it.

Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. Follow her on X at @DeeshaThosar.

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