We'll be taking a look at the most interesting takeaways every week this MLB season so check back every Sunday for our recap. Now, here's what we learned from the last seven days in the majors:

Phillies offense sees revival at crucial time

The Phillies offense hit rock bottom last week when they scored one or zero runs in three of their five road trip losses against the Diamondbacks and Giants. Once the Phillies returned home to Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, things started to turn around at the plate. Plus, Tuesday was also Charlie Manuel's first day back with the organization he managed for nine seasons; this time around, he replaces John Mallee as the club's new hitting coach. Manuel, 75, led the Phillies to five straight division titles, two NL pennants and the franchise's second World Series championship, in 2008. So far, Manuel's old-school hitting approach seems to have reinvigorated the Phillies offense.

During this past week of games, the Phillies matched their season-high winning streak of four games, one of which included a walk-off grand slam from Bryce Harper to lead the Phillies to a win over the Cubs. The walk-off grand slam was part of a span where Harper homered in three straight games. Harper as well as catcher J.T. Realmuto (.522/.577/1.217 since Aug. 11) have led the club's offense this past week, and even over the last month:

The offensive surge is great news for a club that's fighting for their first postseason appearance since 2011. But, they'll need to keep improving. Even with the offense's great week (and month), the club is still struggling in MLB's offensive rankings: 21st in batting average (.247), 16th in on-base percentage (.323), 23rd in slugging (.422), 17th in RBI (562) and 22nd in home runs (158).

And with that comes the tough reality that this club is going to have to rely on their bats as their pitching staff has taken some injury hits (Jake Arrieta, David Robertson) in their playoff push during these last 39 games. Entering Sunday, the Phillies (64-59) are one game behind the Brewers and Cubs for the final NL wild card spot.

Indians' turnaround lands them back in contention

The Cleveland Indians had one of the slowest starts this season, and it didn't help that the AL Central rival Twins had one of the best. The Indians quickly found themselves in a rough spot, with the Twins up as many as 11 and a half games at the start of June. Since June 2, the club has gone 44-21, and they managed to notch a couple of big series win over the Twins and Yankees. Now, thanks to that impressive midseason surge, Cleveland finds themselves in a much better spot than they were just a few months ago as the team continues their quest for a fourth straight division title.

You can't quite point to a single thing that's been the reason for the Indians' turnaround, but instead, it's been a multitude of things all finally going right. Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis surging, Carlos Santana's steady presence in the lineup, the pitching depth with starting pitcher Shane Bieber rising to the occasion after early-season injuries and of course there was the three-team trade deadline deal that sent Trevor Bauer to Cincinnati for sluggers Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes.

Since July 4, Ramirez has driven in 43 runs, which is the most in baseball. The two-time All-Star third baseman has had a solid August, slashing .328/.380/.750 with a 1.130 OPS. He's notched four home runs, two doubles and 10 RBI just in this last week. Like Ramirez, Kipnis is also surging at the right time, slashing .287/.356/.496 with six home runs and nine doubles since July 6. That comes after Kipnis hit .200 in April and .243 in May.

Santana has been the club's most consistent hitter this season, and he leads the team in WAR (4.5), home runs (29), RBI (78) and runs scored (89). On the mound, Bieber (12-5, 3.27) has helped steady a rotation that includes young starters Jefry Rodriguez, Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale. Since arriving to his new club on Aug. 1, Puig has injected power into Cleveland's lineup and he's batting .370/.424/.611 with a 1.035 OPS.

Entering Sunday, the Indians are two and a half games back of the Twins for first place in the AL Central, but they hold a one game lead for the first AL wild card spot. The Twins and Indians will face each other in two more series this year; three games in Minnesota and three in Cleveland. Some of the other tough opponents for Cleveland in the last month and a half of game action will include road series against the Rays and Nationals. With Corey Kluber getting closer to rejoining the Indians staff (as well as Carlos Carrasco), the Indians may just be at the tipping point for their potential. 

Reds' Aquino having a historic start to rookie season

Every MLB season, plenty of rookies make their debut in the big leagues, but it's only a select few that make an immediate impact during their first games. After this past week, it looks like this year's rookie who will be remembered for his incredible start is Reds right fielder Aristides Aquino. Aqunio, 25, burst onto the MLB scene when he got his call up on Aug. 1 after Yasiel Puig was dealt to the Indians.

player headshot
Aristides Aquino
CIN • RF • #44
BA0.345
OBP.390
SLG.964
R15
HR11
RBI22
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The Reds rookie has now set a slew of records for the most home runs to start a career. Entering Sunday, Aqunio has homered 11 times in 16 games this season after he played one game in 2018. During that time span, he hit a home run in four straight games, and that includes a three-homer night against the Cubs.

First, Aqunio's eight home runs were the most a player has ever hit in his first 12 career games. Then, he became the fastest player ever (14 games) to hit his first 9 career home runs. He didn't show any signs of slowing down when he blasted a two-run homer off Cardinals' Adam Wainwright. With homer No. 10, Aquino became the fastest player (16 games) in MLB history to reach 10 career home runs.

Keeping with the trend, Aquino sent another ball out of the ballpark the following day, for a three-run homer off Cardinals' Miles Mikolas. And yup, with it, he became the fastest to 11 home runs too (17 games).