4 Weeks Straight
Cardinals stay on top. Some teams
move a little, some teams make huge jumps. Here’s why.
1.
Cardinals: 47-28
Last Week: 1
ESPN Rank: 1
The Cards have lost 2 in a row,
which actually could be scary when the Pirates are creeping up against them.
They could get swept by the red hot Rangers tonight, which would not be good.
Then they go on a road trip to Houston, Oakland, and LA to see the Angels. It
could be a tough week, but they should be fine.
2.
Red Sox: 45-32
Last Week: 2
ESPN Rank: 2
Boston continues to stay strong by
having some very strong outings against very tough teams. They have lost some
of their cushion for first, but have a much easier schedule this week than last
week to try and gain some back. David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia continue to be
the strong offensive force, but Jacoby Ellsbury already has 31 steals. That
helps a lot.
3.
Pirates: 45-30
Last Week: 5
ESPN Rank:7
This Pirates team is starting to
prove to people that they are no joke. Clint Hurdle has done an amazing job
with the team over the years. They now have a game and a half over the Reds,
but are still 2 games back from the Cardinals. Their hitting has not been as
good compared to other years, as Andrew McCutchen has one of the best batting
averages on the team with a weak .288 (weak for McCutchen at least), but they
still can score runs because they get on base. In the National League,
especially the NL Central, it’s pitching that is of key importance, and they have
young talent that will thrive. They also have some good trade bait if they need
more.
4.
A’s: 44-33
Last Week: 3
ESPN Rank:6
The A’s have now lost their lead
against the Rangers, and are now tied in the division. I wouldn’t get so scared
for two reasons. 1. This year they have always been on, then off, then back on
again. Right now they are on a slow off period. 2. They are much better at
home. They are coming off of a road trip to have the entire week at home. They
are 22-12 at home this year. They will host the NL Central as they play the
Reds, Cardinals, and Cubs. These teams, ignoring records, are playing a little
below their potential right now. It’s time to take advantage.
5.
Rangers: 43-32
Last Week: 10
ESPN Rank: 9
After losing 4 in a row, the
Rangers have won 4 in a row, and now are tied with the A’s for first. They have
a chance to sweep the Cardinals tonight, which would be a huge boost for the
team.
6.
Reds: 44-32
Last Week: 4
ESPN Rank: 4
The Reds need to start working if
they want to keep up with the Cardinals and Pirates. It’s not going to get any
easier; they could get swept tonight by the D-Backs, then they continue going
on the road against Oakland and Texas. They play .500 ball on the road.
7. Braves: 43-33
Last Week: 6
ESPN Rank: 5
Pitching has been the reason why
the Braves are still a very good team, because their hitting is actually
sub-par. They have the 2nd best ERA in the league, and possibly the
best bullpen with Craig Kimbrel and Luis Avilan. Can someone please notice Mike
Minor though? The kid is 25 years old and he’s leading the team in wins (8),
ERA (2.89), and Strikeouts (91).
8. Orioles: 42-33
Last Week: 8
ESPN Rank: 8
Chris Davis is batting
.336/.412/.723 with 27 homers and 24 doubles. Manny Machado is batting
.321/.353.481 with 33 doubles. Their hitting is incredible. In fact, Davis is
the only chance to break Miguel Cabrera winning a second Triple Crown. But if
they want any chance to win a title, they need to get better pitching.
9. Tigers: 41-32
Last Week: 7
ESPN Rank: 3
Don’t be fooled when you see the
Tigers being dropped 2 places in my rankings, they are still doing very well.
They have one of the best offenses in the league, having the best batting
average and OBP this entire year. It’s really fun to watch them facing the
Orioles if you like home runs. What the Tigers have that the O’s don’t have is
good pitching. Max Scherzer is now 11-0, and people are starting to say that he
is the new ace in Detroit. Well he’s not, Verlander is still better.
10.
D-Backs: 41-33
Last Week: 9
ESPN Rank: 10
The D-Backs are now 3 game ahead of
the World Series Champion Giants, backed by good hitting and quality pitching.
Patrick Corbin now has a 2.19 ERA with 9 wins and 79 K’s, and Paul Goldschmidt
has a NL leading 65 RBI’s.
11.
Yankees: 41-33
Last Week: 11
ESPN Rank: 11
The Yanks have the same record as
the D-Backs and 1 more loss than the Tigers, but are in 3rd place
instead of 1st. Sometimes that’s just the way to cookie crumbles.
They have won 2 in a row though, and are only 2.5 games out of 1st.
The season is still not over.
12.
Indians: 38-35
Last Week: 17
ESPN Rank: 16
Cleveland has played much better
ball, having won 4 straight and 8 of their last 10. However, they go on the
road, having two four game series’ against the Orioles and White Sox. They are
14-21 on the road.
13.
Blue Jays: 37-36
Last Week: 20
ESPN Rank: 12
The Jays are the hottest team in baseball,
now having won 10 in a row. They swept the Rangers on the road, then swept both
the Rockies and Orioles at home. The Rays and Red Sox look to cool down the
Jays as they go on the road to play both teams.
14.
Giants: 38-36
Last Week: 12
ESPN Rank: 13
The Giants actually have the 3rd
best batting average in the league (.273), and a good team .325 OBP. Though
they are only 2 game above .500, they are 3 game out of first, and look to take
wins in their own division against the Dodgers and Rockies. They are 22-12
against the NL West, but only 14-22 on the road.
15.
Rays: 38-37
Last Week: 13
ESPN Rank: 14
Poor Rays, when was the last time a
team was above .500, but in last time? That’s them right now. They play the red
hot Blue Jays to try and change that.
16.
Padres: 38-37
Last Week: 16
ESPN Rank: 17
The Padres have won 7 of their last
10, but still play about .500. They’re the only team that has already regressed
towards the mean in my opinion, because I think that they will continue to play
.500 for the rest of the season and finish 82-82. But hey, that’s still better
than going 10 games under .500 like last year.
17.
Nationals: 37-37
Last Week: 18
ESPN Rank: 15
You’ll hear talk about how Stephen
Strasburg isn’t playing as well as he should, or that Gio Gonzalez and Jordan
Zimmerman aren’t enough. That’s not why the Nationals are playing bad for such
a great team. Their pitching is great, it’s their hitting that sucks. They’re
29th in runs (257), 28th in batting average (.232), 29th
in OBP (.290), and 27th in Slugging Percentage (.375). If they didn’t
have such good pitching, they’d be with the Marlins in last place.
18.
Rockies: 38-38
Last Week: 15
ESPN Rank: 18
The Rockies have now moved to .500
ball, and are in 4th place in the West. They are still 4 games back,
however, and have a +34 in run difference this year.
19. Royals: 34-38
Last Week: 14
ESPN Rank:20
The run that the Royals had is now
coming to a close, as they are now 4 games under .500, and have lost 4 in a
row. I wouldn’t be surprised if they go on another hot streak this year, but
they won’t finish over .500.
20.
Twins: 33-38
Last Week: 21
ESPN Rank: 22
There’s nothing really special
about this Twins team. They have one of the worst pitching staffs in the
league, having a .284 batting average allowed. Glen Perkins has 18 saves
though, and could be some great trade bait.
21.
Phillies: 36-39
Last Week: 19
ESPN Rank: 19
The Phillies are 6 and a half games
out of first, which is doable if a team goes into on a hot streak, but not for
the Phillies. They have a 7% chance of making the playoffs this year.
22.
Angels: 33-42
Last Week: 23
ESPN Rank: 21
This team is much better than the
Mariners, yet they have almost the same record. They actually have a better OBP
than the A’s and Rangers, but have a team 4.32 ERA. They really need Jered
Weaver to play like he usually plays, his injury really hurt them.
23.
Mariners: 33-43
Last Week: 22
ESPN Rank: 25
Hisashi Iwakuma had a rough start
last week, but still has a 2.26 ERA and a .89 WHIP. If they trade him, they
could make bank. I don’t see that happening though, there hasn’t been much talk
about him, and Seattle usually keeps players like him. That’s surprising
though, I’d expect at least one team to look at a Cy Young candidate for a
trade.
24.
Dodgers: 31-42
Last Week: 24
ESPN Rank: 23
Yasiel Puig now bats
.435/.473/.739. He really is something special, but unfortunately won’t be able
to do anything when he’s on the Dodgers. The Dodgers took only 4 of 10 even
when Puig batted better than ever. They’re already comparing him to the greats.
25.
White Sox: 31-41
Last Week: 26
ESPN Rank: 26
The Sox are now 10 games under .500,
and are in last place in the AL Central. Let’s go Hawks.
26.
Brewers: 31-42
Last Week: 27
ESPN Rank: 27
The Brewers have a -44 run
differential, and are 15 games out of 1st. They have a .259 batting
average, which is actually pretty good and playoff worthy, but have a 4.21 ERA
isn’t helpful. Congrats to K-Rod for getting his 300th career save,
he now has a .59 ERA in 16 games. What an amazing closer. Carlos Gomez and Ryan
Braun are both on the DL though. Gomez could have been an MVP candidate with
his high WAR stat, but could be out for a month.
27.
Cubs: 30-43
Last Week: 25
ESPN Rank: 24
The Cubs have dropped to last
place, but it will just be back and forth with the Brewers. Let’s go Hawks.
28.
Mets: 29-42
Last Week: 28
ESPN Rank: 28
The Mets now are 13 games under
.500, just like the Cubs. What the Cubs have that the Mets don’t though is
consistent pitching. They have Matt Harvey, who is one of the most special kids
to watch right now, but they have nothing much otherwise. David Wright
continues to be a solid player though, batting .309 with 12 homers and 41 RBI’s.
29.
Astros: 29-47
Last Week: 29
ESPN Rank: 29
They’re close to 30 wins at least!
They have young talent but they look sloppy, and it feels like they’ve given up
already. If these pitchers can develop, they can be just like before in a few
years. Remember that the Astros were once the toughest team to face, they’re
just in a rebuilding era right now.
30.
Marlins: 24-50
Last Week: 30
ESPN Rank: 30
The Marlins are the 1st
team to reach 50 losses this season, and now have scored only 228 runs this
season. It’s nice to have Giancarlo Stanton and Logan Morrison back though.
Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com if you have any
questions/comments/concerns.
-Evan Boyd
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