Three teams under the most pressure after MLB opening weekend

The opening weekend of the MLB season is in the books, and while some teams got off to hot starts, several others are already reeling. 

With that in mind, here are three teams that are facing the most pressure to quickly turn things around following poor starts to the season.

Houston Astros

Heading into Monday night's game against the Blue Jays, the Astros are 0-4 for the first time since 2011 after being swept by the visiting New York Yankees, a team they've typically dominated in recent years. 

While Houston didn't necessarily get demolished, having lost three games by a combined four runs, it was nonetheless a disappointing performance all around.

As pointed out by MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, the Astros struggled mightily at the plate with runners in scoring position, going 8-for-41. 

Even so, Houston's bullpen, which entered the season being viewed as the best in the majors, was the biggest letdown of the season-opening series. Before Monday's game, the Astros ranked 24th in ERA among MLB bullpens (6.89), last in FIP (7.40) and first in blown saves (three). 

With as much talent as Houston has, it's safe to say this season won't come close to mirroring that of 2011 when it finished 56-106. 

However, for the Astros to get back on track and push for their eighth consecutive ALCS appearance, they must greatly improve their performance at home. Houston is 16-32 over its past 48 games at Minute Maid Park, including the playoffs, dating to last season, per StatMuse. 

New York Mets 

If their opening series is any indication, it's shaping up to be another drama-filled, disappointing season for the Mets (0-3). Milwaukee (3-0) embarrassingly swept New York, with Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins once again playing the villain role against his former division rival.

Hoskins caused a stir with a controversial legal slide on Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil on Opening Day and continued to crush New York throughout the weekend. 

Despite being serenaded by the boobirds at Citi Field on Saturday, Hoskins collected three hits, including a home run and four RBI, before the Mets retaliated for Friday's slide. 

Mets reliever Yohan Ramirez threw his first pitch in Saturday's 7-6 loss behind Hoskins, a message that should've been sent in the first baseman's first at-bat of the day.

As a result, MLB suspended Ramirez for three games, while Mets manager Carlos Mendoza received a one-game suspension, which he served Sunday. 

And if getting pummeled by Hoskins and Milwaukee wasn't deflating enough, New York's starting rotation showed why it was a concern entering the season. Mets starters pitched to a 5.93 ERA, which places their rotation as the eighth worst among teams in that department through Sunday's games. 

St. Louis Cardinals 

Although it's not all that surprising the Cardinals (1-3) dropped a series against the star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers (4-2), it was quite shocking how uncompetitive a majority of the team's at-bats were. 

After their four-game set with Los Angeles, the Cardinals rank last in the majors through Sunday's games in several offensive categories, including batting average (.173), slugging (.226) and wRC+ (28), according to FanGraphs. 

Third baseman Nolan Arenado's performance was particularly concerning, especially considering he's coming off a season in which he posted a .663 OPS after the All-Star break. Against the Dodgers, the eight-time All-Star went 1-for-16, producing a slash line of .063/.111/.063.

Additionally, manager Oliver Marmol — who signed a two-year extension last month — made a few head-scratching decisions regarding his pitching staff. 

However, he had to pick from several underwhelming options, which should be pinned on St. Louis's front office. Nevertheless, if the Cardinals don't show signs of life sooner than later, this season may be a repeat of last year when they finished 71-91 and last in the NL Central.