Well, it’s time for the third installment of our weekly countdown series known simply as “3 Up & 3 Down.” So if you’re new to the Baseball Banter Broadcast, 3 Up & 3 Down is our weekly examination of three teams playing well, three teams that aren’t. And we add in a team to “Be On the Look Out” for (or BOLO) just for good measure. So let’s examine “week two” of 3 Up & 3 Down.

FIRST UP: SEATTLE MARINERS (30-29)

The Seattle Mariners were expected to dominate the American League West division from pillar to post, as they say. However, that is not how the M‘s season got started. That being said, the Mariners’ season has turned around in a significant way and they are now atop the AL West and the challengers to their division crown seem to be falling more and more by the day. Over their last ten games, the Mariners are 8-2 over that stretch while riding a six-game win streak. At the start of this week’s countdown, Seattle was as many as three games under .500 and now they are a game up on that mark and looking to continue furthering that record.

FIRST DOWN: KANSAS CITY ROYALS (22-37)

The Kansas City Royals have been struggling all throughout the 2026 season. And the last ten games of their season have been no different. Over that stretch, the Royals have gone 2-6 and are in the midst of a six-game losing streak. KC has not been able to build up any momentum to try and rebound their season. Kansas City was expected to be a team competing with the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians for the top spot in the American League Central division. However, that has not been the case so far this season, and the Royals are running out of time to turn their season around.

SECOND UP: CHICAGO WHITE SOX (32-27)

There have been a few surprises taking place in the 2026 MLB season, and one such surprise has been the highly competitive play of the Chicago White Sox. Chicago was supposed to still be a few seasons away from their players taking the next level of their ascension into a competitive MLB team. The rise of the White Sox comes along with the powerful acquisition that was the signing of Munetaka Murakami. But it wasn’t just adding his power bat to the lineup but also the growth of their young players. Chicago is looking like a team that can surprise and shock people in 2026. Over their last ten games, Chicago is 7-3 and riding a five-game win streak. Seeing how this young team continues to mature and develop will be a season long story.

SECOND DOWN: DETROIT TIGERS (22-38)

Like the aforementioned Royals, the Detroit Tigers were supposed to be a team competing for the top spot in the AL Central. However, ineffectiveness, injuries, and overall lack of progression as left the Tigers tied for the worst record in baseball. Detroit is currently fifteen games under .500 and over their last ten games, 2-8, and in the midst of a four-game losing streak. It’s not going to be easy for the Tigers to try and work their way out of this struggle. But if they are going to have any hopes of keeping their unquestioned ace, Tarik Skubal as a member of their team for the rest of the season, their turn around needed to have started yesterday.

THIRD UP: LOS ANGELES DODGERS (38-21)

Saying that the Los Angeles Dodgers are a good baseball team is borderline copyright infringement on Captain Obvious, it goes without saying that they are a good baseball team. LA has declared the mission statement during the trophy ceremony at the culmination of last year’s World Series, win the World Series again in 2026. And the way that the Dodgers have been playing has been to do just that. The last ten games, the Dodgers have continued their dominance of the league with an 8-2 record and an MLB best +129 run differential. If the Dodgers continues to play baseball at this level than the World Series feels like it will inevitably run through Los Angeles.

THIRD DOWN: MINNESOTA TWINS (27-33)

The Minnesota Twins made a statement last year at the trade deadline when they traded away nearly half of their 26-man roster. And while they’ve had some positives since then, the overall has not been pretty if you’re a fan of the Twins. Minnesota just last week as a team we said to be on the lookout for, as they were playing some really positive baseball. However, sadly, now the outlook has turned on the Twins. And their current five-game losing streak and 4-6 record over their last ten games, is just more evidence of their current struggles. Minnesota was not a team that was expected to compete this season for an AL Central crown, unlike the Royals and Tigers. But the current struggles don’t lend the idea that Minnesota has the right foundation built underneath it to become something of a contender in the next few seasons either. How this Twins team plays the rest of the season will go a long way into determining the future outlook of the franchise.

BE ON LOOKOUT FOR (BOLO): NEW YORK METS (26-33)

The New York Mets are the team that continues to be baseball’s enigma. Currently, the Mets are in the midst of a four-game win streak. And while that should look impressive in and of itself, it looks less impressive when you see their record over their last ten games is just 5-5. The Mets climb to that 5-5 record in that ten game stretch come on the backs of sweeping the young Miami Marlins at Citi Field this weekend. Because without that sweep, things don’t look as impressive for the win streak, and even more so, the Mets could have found themselves as a part of the down list without this sweep. So as the 2026 season continues to unfold, watching the Mets is a curious, if not altogether confounding thing to do. As this section began, the Mets are baseball’s enigma, and sometimes it’s intriguing to watch that unfold.