1. Chris Colabello, Blue Jays: Before this season, Colabello had a career .649 OPS as a Twin, and was perhaps better known for his contributions on Team Italy in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He might seem like pretty much the definition of free talent, a guy who can play all four corners if asked (not so much at third base, where he has an .854 career fielding percentage in 116 minor league games), but his .906 career OPS in 11 seasons in the minors suggests he deserved more of an opportunity than the one he got in Minnesota. Enter the Blue Jays, who snagged him off waivers in December and have had to plug him into the lineup in their hunt for outfield bats with Michael Saunders on the DL. The result? An improbable 17-game hitting streak with just four multihit games in the mix (and 24 hits total). But after Sunday’s game-winning two-run single against the Astros, why ask why? Just enjoy it, Jays fans.

2. Jhonny Peralta, St. Louis Cardinals: Remember how that four-year, $53 million front-loaded deal looked strange when the Cards gave it to a chunky 30-something shortstop whose defense likely would become a liability as he aged? Well, the first year was great (.779 OPS, 21 homers), and he’s following that up with an even better year at the plate (.905 OPS and 9 homers through Sunday). It isn’t like he’s homering off nobodies: Sunday’s blast in Dodger Stadium off Zack Greinke got the Cards on the board (and he later plated the lead run). This year he’s also homered off Jon Lester and David Price. And the D? Peralta was a big asset last year (plus-17 in defensive runs saved) and is plus-2 this year playing alongside defensive whiz Kolten Wong. And for you obsessive bean counters out there, just think, next year he’ll cost the Cards $2.5 million less than this year.

3. Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds: Whiffing nine Padres en route to a 4-0 win shouldn’t just help quiet concerns over Cueto’s elbow as he gets back up to full speed, it should do wonders for his trade value should Cincinnati do the sensible thing and start breaking up a ballclub bound for nowhere but a battle with the Brewers over the basement in the NL Central. He’s a free agent this winter, so the sooner the Reds move him, the more value they might accrue from any one of the ace-hungry contenders looking to avoid also-ran status.

4. Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates: Speaking of men who have earned their ace cards, Cole notched his ninth win of the season, lowering his ERA to an NL-leading 1.73. Among Cole, Michael Wacha and Shelby Miller, there probably isn’t a wrong answer for who should start the All-Star Game for the Senior Circuit.

5. Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians: The guy just put up a 1.217 OPS with 22 extra-base hits in May, but is he ready to cool off? Apparently not, not after he ripped three more base hits including a pair of doubles on Sunday to get his season line up to .338/.414/.518. The Indians may have lost to the O’s, but the good news is there's a new best answer for who the best second baseman in the AL might be. It looks like he can be found in Cleveland, not Boston or Seattle.

Christina Kahrl writes about MLB for ESPN. You can follow her on Twitter.