1. Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays pounded the Marlins 7-2 for their eighth win a row to improve to 31-30. I'd say that suddenly makes them relevant in the AL East but they were relevant even before that eight-game streak began. Josh Donaldson had two more hits, including his 17th home run, and he's now hitting .317/.392/.592 with 44 RBIs. Has there been a better player in the AL? The Blue Jays can score runs -- they lead the majors -- but they really score runs at home, like this game. They're averaging 5.33 runs per game but 5.66 at the Rogers Centre.

Here's a weird stat: The Jays have 31 wins and just six saves. They have just five one-run wins all season and four of those were walk-off wins without a save. The only save in a one-run victory was on April 23, a 7-6 win over the Orioles. But the Orioles actually scored four runs in the ninth inning in that game and Miguel Castro got the save even though he gave up a run. Three of the other five saves came in three-run differentials. So while the Blue Jays haven't lost a game all year when they led heading into the ninth inning, the ninth-inning guys haven't been tested. Brett Cecil is presumably still the closer but hasn't had a save opportunity since May -- 18 wins ago.

(Rany Jazayerli reports that last team went more wins without a save was the 1987 Red Sox, who had 20 in a row without a save. No other team had more than 12.)

I'm not suggesting this is a problem; after all, it means the Jays aren't playing close games, which is a good thing. But at some point the bullpen will face tougher assignments.

2. Kansas City Royals. Not yet, Minnesota. A series that would determine the first-place team in the Central was all Kansas City as the Royals completed a three-game sweep with a 7-2 victory. Alex Gordon had the big blow, a three-run homer in the first off Kyle Gibson. The Twins scored just three runs in the series and hit .174.

3. Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks. As I type this, he's gone 4-5 with his 17th home run and is hitting .349/.469/.665. He's making a case that he's the best hitter in the game.

4. Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers. He's back! Since his return from the DL he's gone 1-for-3, 2-for-4, 2-for-4 and now 4-for-4, including a home run. A good offense just got better.

5. Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners. With one swing of the bat, Seager ended the Mariners' amazing run of scoring three runs or a fewer. He hit this grand slam off a Trevor Bauer 1-1 fastball in the third inning with two outs, powering the Mariners to a 4-0 lead and stopping that ugly streak at 13 games. The Mariners went on to a 9-3 victory, with Taijuan Walker delivering his third straight solid start.