Power Rankings 9 2 13

Power Rankings. Check them out.

1.      Braves: 83-53

Last Week: 1

ESPN Rank: 2

Now 30 games over .500, the Braves are really showing that they are, in my opinion, the best team in baseball. Craig Kimbrel is even better than last year, having surpassed his save total from 42 to now 43, has a .95 ERA, but only has a 12.9 K/9 ratio (that’s still really awesome, but his career average is 15.1). He also has a 3.2 WAR, and frankly if Clayton Kershaw wasn’t doing so well, I’d have him as a top candidate for Cy Young.

2.      Red Sox: 82-56

Last Week: 3

ESPN Rank: 3

Speaking of closers, ESPN is now recognizing Koji Uehara for his outstanding performance in the ‘pen. He’s basically saved the Red Sox bullpen after Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey got hurt. Since June 26, Uehara has allowed only one run, as a 37% swing-and-miss percentage, has a 41-2 K/BB ratio, and a .097 opponent batting average, all in 31 1/3 innings pitched. All of these numbers are 1^st in the MLB.

3.      Dodgers: 81-55

Last Week: 4

ESPN Rank: 1

Here’s a reason you might want to ride the Dodgers hard in the playoffs. They are 43-28 at home, but are also 38-27 on the road. Having a balance like that can really be helpful when they have to snag a win in a different city. The Dodgers now have won four in a row, and seven of their last ten.

4.      Tigers: 80-57

Last Week: 2

ESPN Rank: 4

With Miguel Cabrera listed as day-today, it’ll hurt his chances of winning the Triple Crown, but it might not hurt the Tigers offense as much as you’d think. They are now 1^st in every category on offense, with a team .286 batting average, a team .350 OBP, and a team .443 slugging percentage. They are also just one shy of 700 runs scored this year. To top it all off, they have a lead in the Cy Young, Max Scherzer. But don’t forget about Anibal Sanchez. His 2.68 ERA is the best in the AL. 

5.      Rangers: 79-57

Last Week: 5

ESPN Rank: 6

The Rangers somehow have a better record on the road than at home, as they are 40-28 on the road (compared to 39-29 at home). Alexi Ogando and Nick Tepesch went on the 15-Day DL, which is really hurting their starting pitching, but luckily they still have Yu Darvish and Derek Holland. 

6.      Pirates: 79-57

Last Week: 6

ESPN Rank: 5

Picking up not only Marlon Byrd from the Mets, but Justin Morneau from the Twins is HUGE for this offense. Byrd has a .288/.333/.525 batting line this season with a 4.2 WAR. Morneau has a .259/.315/.426 stance, but has 17 homers, 74 RBI’s, and was red hot in the month of August. I think that he is the key to this Pirates offense to secure a tight spot in the playoffs. 

7.      Cardinals: 79-57

Last Week: 7

ESPN Rank: 7

A +140 run differential is much higher than the Pirates run differential (+57), yet they are still only tied in first place. That’s because they couldn’t really win against the Pirates, as shown when Pittsburgh took four of five in late July. Lucky for the Cardinals, they only have to play Pittsburgh one more time, then play the Brewers twice, the Mariners, the Rockies, and the Cubs.

8.      Athletics: 78-58

Last Week: 10

ESPN Rank: 8

The Athletics have won seven of their last ten, and are just a game back from first in the AL West. They start a series with the Rangers tonight, so watch things change dramatically in the West by Thursday.

9.      Reds: 76-61

Last Week: 9

ESPN Rank: 10

The Reds are 3.5 games out of the Pirates and Cardinals, but they play a four game series at home against St. Louis starting tonight. They are 33-27 against their division, but the Cards are 35-25. Mat Latos went 3-2 with a 1.73 ERA in August, and is 2-1 with a 2.52 ERA against St. Louis. Remember: these two teams are the favorites for squaring off in the wild card play-in game. Latos might be the catalyst in getting the Reds in.

10.  Rays: 75-60

Last Week: 8

ESPN Rank: 9

Going 3-7 in their last ten has been a problem, as now they are 5.5 games out of 1^st place. Lucky for them, they still have the second wild card spot by three games. Why is such a low budget team doing so well? Ask Billy Beane. They get on base, as shown by their team .330 OBP (4^th in MLB). 

11.  Orioles: 72-63

Last Week: 11

ESPN Rank: 12

Pitching continues to be the problem, but Chris Tillman is showing good strength. He’s 15-4 with a 3.61 ERA and 141 strikeouts. All of those are a team best, and he’s also only 25 years old with four years of experience. That’s a really good sign for this team. 

12.  Indians: 72-64

Last Week: 12

ESPN Rank: 13

A grand slam from Mike Aviles is heating up this team. They got swept by the Braves and almost got swept by the Tigers, but I think this will spark their team. I still don’t think they’ll get into the playoffs, but they could threaten some other teams chances at least.

13.  Royals: 70-66

Last Week: 16

ESPN Rank: 15

Last week, the Royals outscored their opponents 37-11, going 5-2 in that span. They have six games left with the Tigers and Indians, so hopefully they can grab some wins there. However, if they don’t get in the playoffs (which they most likely won’t), they have strong stuff for the next few seasons.

14.  Yankees: 72-64

Last Week: 13

ESPN Rank: 11

Ivan Nova is 6-2 with a 2.06 ERA in 10 starts, and threw his first career shutout Saturday. For a team that’s had problems with pitching, it’s a good sign for them in the future.

15.  Nationals: 69-67

Last Week: 16

ESPN Rank: 16

Denard Span, Bryce Harper, and Ian Desmond have been red hot. Jayson Werth has also been a big part with his veteran leadership. Unfortunately for the Nats, it’s too late to try and push back into the playoffs. 

16.  Diamondbacks: 69-66

Last Week: 14

ESPN Rank: 14

Two of the three last wins for the D-Backs have been walkoffs, making that 12 walkoff wins, a league best. They are falling further out of the NL wild card race, and can’t think about winning the division anymore. Paul Goldschmidt and Patrick Corbin are still great, but that’s all they have.

17.  Angels: 63-72

Last Week: 19

ESPN Rank: 17

Despite a horrible season, the Angels are the hottest team in baseball. They’ve won eight of their last nine and have outscored opponents 39-16 in the stretch. Josh Hamilton has finally stepped it up, batting a .338/.427/.558 line lately. Unfortunately like the Nationals, the Angels have no chance of the playoffs.

18.  Rockies: 65-73

Last Week: 18

ESPN Rank: 18

What happened to Michael Cuddyer? Why did everyone stop talking about him? Probably because the Rockies are eight games under. He still bats .328/.389/.540 with 18 homers, 71 RBI’s, and a 3.6 offensive WAR. Not bad at all, but not MVP worthy.

19.  Blue Jays: 62-75

Last Week: 22

ESPN Rank: 21

Remember when Toronto was .500, along with every other team in the AL East? That luck is no more. I think the Blue Jays know that they are completely out of the playoffs, especially with Josh Johnson now completely shut down. They have old veterans like R.A. Dickey and Mark Buerhle, but they do have young talent that they look forward to see in 2014. 

20.  Mets: 62-73

Last Week: 21

ESPN Rank: 19

With Matt Harvey out, the Mets have really nothing to look forward to for the rest of the season. It’s really sad to see, and I hope that he can recover well so we can see him in 2015. Eric Young Jr., however, has been red hot, batting .346 with five steals in his last seven games.

21.  Phillies: 62-75

Last Week: 20

ESPN Rank: 22

How was Ryne Sandberg’s first trip back to Chicago? Eh, not that good. The Cubs took two of three from the Phillies. With Michael Young gone, they are shutting down this season for good.

22.  Mariners: 62-74

Last Week: 17

ESPN Rank: 20

Seattle has dropped seven of their last ten, Felix Hernandez has been struggling big time, and they are now in 4^th place in the division. The good news is that top prospect Taijuan Walker made his major league debut, and was very impressive, allowing two hits and an unearned run in five innings.

23.  Giants: 61-75

Last Week: 24

ESPN Rank: 23

The Giants have moved to 4^th place in the division, which you can say is an accomplishment, I guess. Matt Cain went on the 15-Day disabled list, as they try to figure out what the hell is going on with him. They are 20 games back from the Dodgers, and their season is over.

24.  Twins: 59-76

Last Week: 25

ESPN Rank: 26

I don’t know how the Twins moved up a spot. They were 57-72 last week, so they shouldn’t be doing that well. They just traded their biggest slugger Justin Morneau, but got Alex Presley, who went 3 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI in his first game with the Twins.

25.  Padres: 60-76

Last Week: 23

ESPN Rank: 24

Entering July, the Padres were only 2.5 games out of first place. Now they are 16 games under because they’ve gone 20-34 since and have been outscored by 68 runs. They’ve lost three in a row now, and have moved into last place in the West.

26.  Brewers: 59-77

Last Week: 26

ESPN Rank: 25

Since the break, Kyle Lohse is 4-1 with a 2.60 ERA in nine starts. Not bad. I wonder what this team would be like if Braun wasn’t suspended. The funny thing is, I think they would still be in this exact position. He’s still a disgrace in my book, though.

27.  Cubs: 58-78

Last Week: 27

ESPN Rank: 27

The Cubs got a great deal from the Orioles, acquiring reliever Pedro Strop and starter Jake Arrieta. As an Oriole, Strop went 0-3 with a 7.25 ERA, but since being dealt, he’s gone 2-1 with a 2.19 ERA, and has had 22 scoreless appearances out of 14. Jake Arrieta at Baltimore was 1-2 with a 7.23 ERA. Now he is 2-1 with a 3.77 ERA. Hey, sometimes a different team can be the whole difference.

28.  White Sox: 56-79

Last Week: 28

ESPN Rank: 28

The White Sox actually posted a 16-13 record in August because of a five game winning streak in the middle. Don’t forget about Chris Sale, and remember Jose Quintana. Sale has a 6.2 WAR, and Quintana has a 4.2 WAR. They rank 1^st and 7^th in the AL, respectfully.

29.  Marlins: 50-85

Last Week: 29

ESPN Rank: 29

Guess who’s the team leader in RBI’s? It’s tied between Giancarlo Stanton and Justin Ruggiano. They have 42 RBI’s each. Good lord this offense is bad. After crushing the Braves yesterday, they ended a six game losing streak, and it was only their seventh win in their last 27 tries.

30.  Astros: 45-91

Last Week: 30

ESPN Rank: 30

There’s nothing to say about this team. They already have 91 losses, and there is still a month to play. Bud Norris has the most wins with the team with six, and he’s not even on the team anymore.

Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any questions/comments/conerns.

-Evan Boyd