10 MLB Teams That Are Heating Up and Cooling Down Heading into Memorial Day

Memorial Day signals the perfect time to bust out the barbecue, crack open a beer and generally enjoy the next few months. It also signals two months of Major League Baseball being played, a great time to gauge momentum. 

The baseball season may be a marathon, but there are plenty of hot streaks to note along the way. There are a few teams riding high right now and that may be the difference by the time fall comes around. 

Of course, the flip side of that coin is the awful mess that some teams seem to be sliding into. It's extremely early in the season, but that doesn't mean a slide in May shouldn't matter. 

As the seasons turn from cold to hot, we examine the hottest and coldest teams in baseball.

Have an idea of some other teams that should be included or have qualms with how some were represented here?  Leave your comments in the section below. 

No. 5 Cooling Down: Tampa Bay Rays

Well, this road trip could have gone much better. 

The Rays were touched up during a roadie that has seen them go 3-4 in the last seven games. That's after dropping a couple to the A's at home. 

I have nothing but confidence in this pitching staff finding their way again, but even the slightest hiccup can mean the world in the AL East. 

No. 5 Heating Up: Atlanta Braves

I am not so sure what to make of the Braves at the moment. Their seven wins in the last ten games is certainly a positive, but I worry about their dropping of two games to the Cubs. 

I will look past it considering they have swept the Cardinals and Rockies recently and are fourth in the majors in runs scored, 190. 

No. 4 Cooling Down: Philadelphia Phillies

The NL East is a traffic jam which gives Phillies fans some modicum of hope their team can contend, but they have to turn it around immediately. 

Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are still out and that hardly helps matters. This team is on a dangerous precipice right now. 

The next couple of weeks will signal exactly what kind of 2012 it will be in Philadelphia. 

No. 4 Heating Up: LA Dodgers

I guess it's hard to heat up when you are the hottest team in the majors right now, but the Dodgers are finding ways to win and have a favorable schedule coming up. 

Matt Kemp goes down but Andre Ethier keeps hitting. 

The starting pitching remains solid and they will now face the D-Backs and Padres making it the perfect time for Kemp to get some rest. 

I don't see any reason they don't build on their current five-game winning streak. 

No. 3 Cooling Down: Detroit Tigers

The Tigers were presumptive World Series contenders to start the season but have produced some rather disconcerting efforts so far. 

There was the five-game losing streak in April to worry about, but lately it's all about consistency. The Tigers are 4-6 in their last 10 games which is unacceptable for this type of talent. 

ESPN lets us in on the fact that the Tigers have seven starting position players with an OPS at least 50 points below their career averages. Simply, they are grossly under performing. 

No. 3 Heating Up: New York Mets

The best race in baseball is happening out east, where the Mets are actually winning some ballgames. This was supposed to be a forgettable year, but New York is making a go of it by winning seven of their last 10 games. 

They are doing it with timely batting, as they are fourth in the majors with a .341 OBP. More than that, they are getting hits when it matters most. 

ESPN tells us that the Mets are leading the majors with a .291 batting average and 62 runs scored with two outs and runners in scoring position.

No. 2 Cooling Down: Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks are in full free fall mode, but the good news is they aren't the coldest team in the division. 

That's a really small consolation considering how bad they have been during their last 10 games, going 2-8. 

The offense has slowly grown anemic with far too many strikeouts. You can also look to Justin Upton's slump as reason they are faltering. 

I like to think the allowing 38 runs in the last seven games may have something to do with it as well. 

No. 2 Heating Up: Oakland A's

The Oakland A's are a bit banged up at the moment, which makes their latest hot streak all the more remarkable. 

Their 6-4 record in the last 10 games looks truly special as they have dealt with the Rays, Blue Jays and Tigers in that time. 

The big reason is the emergence of Josh Reddick, who has been the go-to slugger with players like Yoenis Cespedes on the mend. 

No. 1 Cooling Down: Colorado Rockies

Remember when Jim Tracy was lauded as a hero by Colorado fans? It seems like decades ago, considering the seat under Tracy that grows warmer with every loss. 

The Rockies are so bad they are close to making the Padres look like a viable baseball team. They are in the midst of a 1-9 slide that has seen their pitchers get rocked at nearly every turn. 

The good news, if any, is they get to see the D-Backs for a two-game series this week. 

No. 1 Heating Up: Miami Marlins

We were beginning to worry that the Miami Marlins were going to waste that talent for the entire season. It would have been fun to consider a Marlins curse. 

You could have blamed the aquarium, outfield fountain or just Ozzie Guillen's big mouth. Instead, the Marlins have decided to play ball. 

That means going on a seven-game winning streak to begin the month and going 10-3 overall in the month. 

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