Power Rankings: 8 12 13

Hope you had a good weekend. I’m moving Power Rankings to Monday now, and will put something else in its place Saturday. So let’s look at the standings! Lots of changes because there have been some really hot teams.

1.      Braves: 72-46

Last Week: 3

ESPN Rank: 1

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Their offense just clicked and they now have won 15 of their last 16, including winning fourteen in a row. Somehow, they lost their streak by a wild pitch to lose 1-0 to the Marlins. The streak is still something to remember. Chris Johnson is now the NL leader with a .336 batting average, and other guys like Freddie Freeman and Justin Upton have really clicked. Plus they have a great starting rotation and one of the best closers in the game, Craig Kimbrel. This hot streak has come from playing teams in their division, sweeping the Phillies and Nationals, then taking two of three from the Marlins. Two years ago they only were .500 against their division, but now that the entire division sucks, they have a .583 winning percentage in the division.

2.      Red Sox: 71-49

Last Week: 2

ESPN Rank: 4

Stephen Drew has put on a .324/.420/.541 batting line since June 11^th, but Dustin Pedroia has batted .200/.288/.282 since that time. And can I finally start talking about Koji Uehara? He’s my favorite reliever, and has saved the Red Sox bullpen from total failure. I’ll explain more about him tomorrow.

3.      Pirates: 70-47

Last Week: 1

ESPN Rank: 3

The Pirates have lost three in a row, all to the struggling Rockies. Francisco Liriano got rocked too, giving up 10 earned runs his last outing. Don’t be worried, Pirates fans. They still have plenty of potential to get to the playoffs, whether it’s the wild card spot or winning the NL Central. Starling Marte and Pedro Alvarez got injured yesterday, and the Pirates can’t afford losing them, but both have said that they are OK. Without them, their offense would be pathetic.

4.      Tigers: 69-47

Last Week: 6

ESPN Rank: 2

Detroit has also been hot, winning 17 of their last 20. Miguel Cabrera became the first ever to hit a homer in consecutive at-bats against Mariano Rivera. Is it because Rivera is struggling, or is it because Cabrera is so good? And the MVP award goes to…

5.      Cardinals: 67-50

Last Week: 5

ESPN Rank: 8

The Cardinals lost the season series to the Cubs this year, which is pretty depressing. They still do have a +140 run differential and a 34-22 record at home, but now are three games back from the Pirates. A series against the Pirates could change that, but going on the road against the mediocre Cubs and the last place Brewers could actually be costly. 

6.      Rangers: 68-50

Last Week: 10

ESPN Rank: 7

Good for the Rangers for climbing up to 1^st place in the AL West. They now have won twelve of their last thirteen to go from six games down to a game up. Plus, their next 18 games are all against crappy teams, with the best team being the Mariners.

7.      Dodgers: 67-50

Last Week: 9

ESPN Rank: 5

The Dodgers had the same record as the Cubs and Brewers on June 21^st, but have gone 37-8 since then, the best record in a 45 game span since the 1953 Dodgers. Can Clayton Kershaw be the next pitcher to win an MVP? Right now, with a 1.88 ERA, I can see it.

8.      Athletics: 66-50

Last Week: 7

ESPN Rank: 9

The Athletics are only 11^th in On Base Percentage at .321?!?! What is going on, Billy Beane? Josh Reddick did snap out of his slump, hitting five home runs in two days. Will he get 32 home runs like last year? If he keeps playing like it, he could hit over 100 home runs! Ahhh!

9.      Rays: 66-50

Last Week: 4

ESPN Rank: 6

How about losing five in a row? Those five came from the A’s and the Rangers. You can say they just had a bad trip, but how is that going to pay off in the playoffs? Now they just got swept by the Dodgers, too. It is fun to watch Wil Myers though, who is batting .330 since the all-star break.

10.  Reds: 65-52

Last Week: 12

ESPN Rank: 10

Why hasn’t Joey Votto been an MVP candidate? He bats .322/.437/.509 with a 156 OPS+ (OPS+ is OPS plus adjusted to a person’s ballpark), and a 5.2 WAR, all in an NL best 524 plate appearances. Unfortunately, the rest of the team still has to come back to first; they’re down 5 games to the Pirates.

11.  Orioles: 65-52

Last Week: 11

ESPN Rank: 11

Chris Davis, Adam Jones, and Manny Machado have been great hitters this year, and pitching by Chris Tillman and Bud Norris has been better, but they still sit at a game and a half behind the wild-card race. Hopefully they can take some from the D-Backs and Rockies this week, because next week they play the Rays, A’s, and Red Sox. 

12.  Indians: 63-55

Last Week: 8

ESPN Rank: 13

A sharp dive leaves the Indians close to out of contention with the Tigers. They went 1-7 last week and got swept in four games by Detroit. Hopefully this August isn’t like last August, when they went 5-24. 

13.  Royals: 61-54

Last Week: 13

ESPN Rank: 12

I really like watching Kansas City. They have all around talent that might not get them to the playoffs this year, but can be really good in the coming years. I would like to see them get to the playoffs, and hope that they can continue their seven series win streak against the Marlins. However, they have a five game series with Detroit after.

14.  Yankees: 59-57

Last Week: 14

ESPN Rank: 15

Watching Alex Rodriguez struggle, even with hitting a homer, and Mariano Rivera blow three straight saves make me realize how old this team is. CC Sabathia is the ace, but is 32. Rivera is retiring, and Robinson Cano is a free agent next year. Oh my God, the Yankees could finish with a losing record.

15.  Diamondbacks: 59-57

Last Week: 15

ESPN Rank: 14

After hitting a walk off home run…again… Paul Goldschmidt commits an error to drive in three unearned runs in another D-Backs loss. Is he still my favorite for Gold Glove at first base? Of course!

16.  Nationals: 57-60

Last Week: 16

ESPN Rank: 16

The Nats swept the Phillies this weekend, but is it too late to try to get back in? Why yes it is! Now that the Braves are 26 games over .500 and their 3 games under, it’s done. Braves win.

17.  Mariners: 54-63

Last Week: 17

ESPN Rank: 19

Ken Griffey Jr. was just enshrined as a Mariner, showing just another great Mariner playing the great game of baseball. Other great Mariners include Edgar Martinez, Ichiro Suzuki, Randy Johnson, A-Roid, and Jamie Moyer. Felix Hernandez is just the next great to be enshrined.

18.  Blue Jays: 54-63

Last Week: 20

ESPN Rank: 17

R.A. Dickey and Mark Buerhle lead the way for this Toronto pitching rotation. The problem? Both have ERA’s in the 4.50 range, which is why the team is ranked 29^th in ERA at 4.45.

19.  Rockies: 55-64

Last Week: 18

ESPN Rank: 21

Since July, the Rockies have been the worst team in baseball. Heading into the weekend, the Pirates were the best team in baseball. The Rockies swept the Pirates. I don’t get baseball anymore.

20.  Mets: 54-61

Last Week: 54-61

ESPN Rank: 20

This Mets organization needs to figure out a plan for next season in offense. They have big prospect Travis d’Arnaud, but he’s not enough. Neither is David Wright. Luckily, they have Matt Harvey with a 2.09 ERA, and has helped them move into third place in the NL East.

21.  Angels: 53-63

Last Week: 21

ESPN Rank: 18

The Angels find themselves 14 games back from the Rangers, as they are 4^th place in the AL West. Who will be their big offseason expenditure this year? Robinson Cano? I’d laugh it that actually happened.

22.  Padres: 53-64

Last Week: 19

ESPN Rank: 22

Remember what I said about the Rockies? They also can easily beat the Padres too, as San Diego is 3-10 against them. However, they also are 7-6 and 8-4 against the Dodgers and D-Backs, respectfully.

23.  Twins: 52-63

Last Week: 25

ESPN Rank: 26

Justin Morneau has been red hot, playing as one of the best players since the all-star break, and hit two homers in a win against the White Sox. Not bad at all, but he’ll never be like his 2006 MVP year. Neither will the Twins pitching rotation, but that’s a separate issue in itself.

24.  Cubs: 52-65

Last Week: 26

ESPN Rank: 23

Yes, the Cubs have lost seven of their last ten, and only have a .444 winning percentage. However, they just took the season series against the Cardinals, and had a .389 winning percentage at this point last season. It’s progress, Cub fans!

25.  Phillies: 52-65

Last Week: 22

ESPN Rank: 24

What happened to the Phils? At the all-star break, they were 6.5 games out of 1^st place. Now they are in 4^th place and 19.5 games out. Don’t be surprised when they get the protected 2014 draft pick.

26.  Giants: 52-65

Last Week: 24

ESPN Rank: 25

There’s a lot of talk about Tim Lincecum signing to a different team next year. However, over his last nine starts, he’s had a 3.64 ERA and has held batters to a .212/.265/.373 line. That .373 opponent slugging percentage isn’t fun to see, but the stats show that the Giants might want to resign him next year. After all, it seems like the Giants win every other World Series.

27.  Brewers: 51-67

Last Week: 27

ESPN Rank: 27

I’m not sure if Jean Segura is eligible for the Rookie of the Year Award (played 45 games last year), but if he is, he is a great candidate. He bats .311/.346/.462 this year with an NL best 142 hits and 33 steals (now that Evereth Cabrera is done). A 4.0 WAR to top it all is not too shabby.

28.  Marlins: 44-72

Last Week: 28

ESPN Rank: 29

Since June 15^th, the Marlins have allowed the 5^th fewest runs in the Majors. They now have the 10^th best team ERA, and almost all of their starters have ERAs under 3. That’s great to hear for a rebuilding program, but now it’s time to work on the offense. They are 30^th in every offensive stat category…still.

29.  White Sox: 44-72

Last Week: 29

ESPN Rank: 28

The White Sox broke their 10 game losing streak by sweeping the Yankees. Huh, weird. Things will only get worse, as they face the Tigers, Royals, and Rangers this month.

30.  Astros: 37-79

Last Week: 30

ESPN Rank: 30

As bad as this season is going for Houston, they are only three games away from having the same amount of wins as the 1962 Mets, who are said to be the worst team in the live-ball era. This sure is a year that they don’t want to remember.

My Beat the Streak is now at 6, thanks to Alberto Callaspo. I’ll let you know who I have next. Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd