THREE UP THREE DOWN

WHAT’S TRENDING IN MLB

The ups

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is rounding back into the form he showed as the National League MVP in 2016. He hit eight homers in his first 15 games in May, slugging a ridiculous .873 as the Cubs maintained first place over the Milwaukee Brewers in a competitive National League Central race. Riding a four-game winning streak into Saturday, the Minnesota Twins have opened up a comfortable lead on the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central. As the Indians deal with injuries to their infield and starting rotation, the Twins keep clubbing home runs and putting distance between themselves and the pack. The New York Yankees snatched first place in the AL East away from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night after a walkoff hit by infielder Gio Urshela. Devastated by injuries, the Yankees have rallied thanks to players such as Urshela, a castoff from the Indians and Toronto Blue Jays. Urshela posted an .898 onbase-plus-slugging percentage in his first 34 games as a Yankee.

The downs

The Seattle Mariners have thudded back below .500 in dispiriting fashion. After starting the season on a 13-2 streak, the team won only nine times in their next 32 games. Their collapse has allowed the Angels to return to second place in the AL West — even without a winning record. San Diego Padres second baseman Ian Kinsler ignited the season’s most amusing controversy Thursday when he shouted profanities at the Petco Park crowd after swatting a go-ahead homer, and then insisting afterward he was merely trying to inspire his teammates. Kinsler had been jeered after his at-bats earlier in the game. Heading into Saturday, only one team in the National League had lost more games than the Miami Marlins: the Washington Nationals. This was not by design, as the Nationals spent plenty in free agency, even after letting Bryce Harper depart. The job security of manager Dave Martinez remains in doubt.