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: BOSTON RED SOX (46-48)

The turnaround in this 2026 season for the Boston Red Sox is downright remarkable. To have gone from such a lowly spot in which the front office felt the need to fire the longtime and beloved manager, Alex Cora, to now being the hottest team in baseball is quite the change. Boston is heading into the All-Star break winners of nine straight ballgames. This stretch of baseball has pushed the Red Sox from an outright seller category to now having a difficult decision to make as the trade deadline approaches. The current run for the Red Sox has also changed the fortune of the Boston run differential to the positive mark of +27. Boston is now just two games under .500 and a mere half game out of a potential AL Wildcard spot. Quite an impressive turnaround for a team that was expected to be a full-scale seller as little as a month ago.

FIRST DOWN: THE ATHLETICS (41-55)

The Athletics were a feel-good story early on in the 2026 season; however, the young A’s have seemed to hit hard times. Currently, the A’s are on the exact opposite trend as the Red Sox, and are in the midst of a nine-game losing streak. The only saving grace for the A’s is that they are in the same division as the Angels. (More on Anaheim in a moment.) For the A’s, the season has taken such a turn that their no-doubt All-Star first baseman, Nick Kurtz, just needed to be placed on the injured list. Which is just a simple explanation of their season: just as things begin to look brightest, a darkness befalls them.

SECOND UP: BALTIMORE ORIOLES (46-51)

Another American League East team that has begun to have an about-face in their season is the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore had some very high expectations going into the 2026 season, after their spending spree this offseason. However, things did not get off to such a great start for the O’s. That being said, the Orioles have played better baseball in recent stretches, which includes being 7-3 over their last ten games, including a four-game win streak. The Orioles have also dropped their run differential to just -19. If Baltimore can maintain their current hot streak after the break, then they too can find themselves closing in on the two-game deficit they currently face in the AL Wildcard race.

SECOND DOWN: LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (38-59)

Baseball’s enigmas, better known as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, continue to play losing baseball. No matter how many managers, or now general managers, get changed out, or however many generational talents the team has, they can’t seem to figure out how to play winning baseball. It’s almost become one of baseball’s saddest stories, the wasting away of some of baseball’s best names and talents. And the Angels’ 2-8 performance over their last ten games seems to greatly summarize their last two decades plus since their World Series victory in 2002; the team has never been the same again.

THIRD UP: PITTSBURGH PIRATES (50-47)

After a decade of losing baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates answered the long-awaited calls by the fans to actually do something and spend money to help the team start playing (and winning) meaningful baseball games. And the team and ownership answered the call in the offseason, and the players have responded in kind on the field during this 2026 campaign. The Pirates are not just over .500 at the All-Star break but are a couple of games out of a postseason berth opportunity. Pittsburgh has already dealt with some hardships this season, most recently the loss of stud rookie superstar Konnor Griffin to an injury after an absolutely beautiful diving catch injured his finger. Yet, the team still keeps fighting and winning ballgames. The Pirates are 7-3 over their last ten games and riding a three-game winning streak into the All-Star break. If the Buccos can continue playing this kind of baseball coming out of the break, then the team will need to look to once again answer the call and get some more reinforcements for a Pirates’ postseason run.

THIRD DOWN: KANSAS CITY ROYALS (38-59)

Expectations have not met the reality of the situation in Kansas City for the Royals. After reaching the postseason in 2024, the Royals have struggled in subsequent seasons. To the point where examining this team at the All-Star break is now about finding which assets can be traded without leading to a full-scale rebuild, again. Kansas City has struggled mightily this season over the course of many stretches, much like their current 3-7 stretch over their last ten games. If you need even more evidence of the struggles of the Royals, look no further than their -88 run differential for adequate proof. KC is going to need to shake things up, if they want to get back to a position where their young core is once again playing meaningful baseball games in September and October. Because right now it seems as if the team won’t make it to August before beginning their evaluations for the 2027 season.

BE ON LOOKOUT FOR (BOLO): NEW YORK YANKEES (54-42)

The New York Yankees are a team that has had its share of ups and downs in this 2026 season. New York heads into the All-Star break with its 30th consecutive season of a winning record at the break, second-longest streak in MLB history. (The longest was also done by the Yankees of yesteryear.) Yet, the “Bronx Bombers” have also had stretches this season where they couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat in the middle of the ocean. That being said, with the All-Star Game festivities beginning, the Yankees enter the break winners of a 5-2 road trip, including winning four straight games. The Yankees maintain the best run differential mark in the American League and will look to build upon this momentum coming out of the break with arguably the most difficult stretch of their season, with the Los Angeles Dodgers coming to the Bronx.