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Other than the Padres and Rangers sneaking into the top 10, the upper echelon in Major League baseball looks remarkably similar to last week. The Yankees slipped a little, moving the Phillies up into the top two with the Rays. If the season ended today, and these power rankings held water, we'd see a rematch on the 2008 World Series.
However, there's still a lot of baseball to be played and the Yankees, Dodgers and even the resurgent Red Sox may have something to say about the postseason composition.
There are still a few anomalies that are troublesome. The Diamondbacks and Brewers are hitting the ball too well to be mired near the bottom of the standings. One or both have to figure out how to pitch before too many games go by, right?
Conversely, the Reds aren't doing enough well -- ranked 25th in team pitching and 11th in hitting -- to keep winning games. It was just one game, but their ninth-inning blowup in Atlanta this week shows how susceptible they are to a downswing.
- 1. Rays | Record: 32-12 | Previous Week: 1
A young starting rotation with none of the five men within spitting distance of 30 not only has the Rays sitting comfortably atop the East for the moment, Shields, Garza, Price, Niemann and Davis are the kind of unit that the rest of the East will have trouble catching if last week's 6-1 record is any indication. - John Hickey - 2. Phillies | Record: 26-17 | Previous Week: 3
Could this be Chase Utley's finest season yet? He's off to a good start. The All-Star second baseman is hitting .307 with a 1.016 OPS. He's only once hit above .300 or posted an on-base percentage above .400 in a season, and he's never had an OPS over the 1.000 mark. - Andrew Johnson
- 3. Yankees | Record: 26-18 | Previous Week: 2
Mama said there'd be weeks like this and the Yankees are thrilled that it is over. Five losses in seven games were a result of a perfect storm of slumping bats, struggling starters and a mediocre bullpen. The good news is that there's too much talent to expect this to become a regular happening, although it would make everybody breathe easier if Mark Teixeira starts hitting the ball. - Josh Alper - 4. Tigers | Record: 25-19 | Previous Week: 4
Justin Verlander is the only Tigers starter with a winning record this season, yet Detroit finds itself only a game out of first place thanks to its bullpen. Should the rest of the rotation come around -- hello, Rick Porcello -- then the Twins are going to be looking over their shoulder quite a bit. - Tom Fornelli - 5. Twins | Record: 26-18 | Previous Week: 5
Who says Joe Mauer is the best hitter on the Twins? His former roommate not only has a batting average nearly 40 points higher than his (.383) but he's also got nine more home runs and 13 more RBI. Justin Morneau's threatening to win the Triple Crown, or at the very least, pick up his second MVP trophy. - Tom Fornelli - 6. Dodgers | Record: 25-19 | Previous Week: 6
It seems inevitable now that the Dodgers are going to be in first place this time next week, concluding a nice comeback from an awful start. The most interesting drama now is whether the Dodgers can find a way to get Roy Oswalt. The McCourts' divorce has left the team strapped for cash, and their farm system isn't as loaded as it has been, but perhaps no team could get a bigger boost from a guy like Oswalt. - Jeff Fletcher
- 7. Cardinals | Record: 26-19 | Previous Week: 7
Through 44 games, Albert Pujols is hitting .303/.413/.527, which is nice enough for mortals but would actually be the worst season of Pujols' entire career, if he would end with that line. Though the Reds have pushed them a bit of late, the Cards still seem to be the most talented team in the division with the best run differential. Nothing worth worrying about yet. - Pat Lackey - 8. Reds | Record: 25-19 | Previous Week: 9
With Jay Bruce emerging in the past month, the Reds have quietly become one of the better offensive teams in the National League, and that's what has propelled them back into contention in the NL Central. To stay there, though, they'll need more consistent outings from at least one more starter beyond Mike Leake and Johnny Cueto. With Homer Bailey headed to DL right as he seemed to be turning a corner, this could be problematic for the Reds. - Pat Lackey - 9. Padres | Record: 26-18 | Previous Week: 14
The Padres don't have a glass jaw. They were due to get hit in the mouth, and it finally happened during a recent stretch of five losses in six games. How did Bud Black's lads respond? They beat the Mariners twice in Seattle, staying atop the National League West. Mat Latos is maturing on the mound, folks. - Tom Krasovic - 10. Rangers | Record: 25-20 | Previous Week: 13
It's a little late in the game to need a reminder that the bullpen in Texas leaves a lot to be desired -- but it does. Their relievers are overworked with five on pace to reach 75 appearances this season, and that's going to catch up with this team, especially in a tight divisional race. - 11. A's | Record: 23-22 | Previous Week: 17
Over the past nine days, the A's have seen four of their projected everyday players return to the lineup: Jack Cust came back from the minors and Coco Crisp, Mark Ellis and Kurt Suzuki came off the DL. Lefty Brett Anderson will probably be back this week. Soon we ought to see the A's at their best. Whether that's good enough to stay in contention remains to be seen. - Jeff Fletcher
- 12. Red Sox | Record: 24-21 | Previous Week: 19
This is a bit more like what the Sox expected from this season. They got good starts from everyone but John Lackey in their last trip through the rotation and saw the power they need from Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz. If they can keep it going during their series with the Rays this week, we'll be back to the three-way dance we were expecting in the AL East just in time for the official start of summer. - Josh Alper
- 13. Braves | Record: 23-21 | Previous Week: 16
The Braves don't just entertain their fans, they win in miraculous fashion. If it's not a walk-off hit, it's a walk-off grand slam following a seven run, come-from-behind ninth inning. Only the Rays and Dodgers are hotter over the last 10 games than the Braves, but there should be a spot in the back of everyone's mind that remembers that this team is only three weeks removed from dropping nine in a row. - 14. Blue Jays | Record: 26-20 | Previous Week: 10
The realization is that the Blue Jays can't win on power alone, but it's there -- Toronto is on pace to set the single-season home run record -- and that's going to keep Toronto in the mix despite up-and-down pitching that led to a so-so 3-4 record in the last week. - John Hickey
- 15. Cubs | Record: 21-24 | Previous Week: 22
This team is still a mess of questions (Will Aramis Ramirez ever be productive again? Can Carlos Zambrano find himself in the rotation? Will Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano keep hitting?) and while they take their time to answer them, the Reds and Cardinals have opened up a not-insignificant lead in the division. It's not too late for the Cubs to pull themselves together, but the clock is ticking. - Pat Lackey - 16. Angels | Record: 21-25 | Previous Week: 12
When the Scioscias lost both games in Texas to the Rangers last week, it might have signaled a changing of the guard in the American League West. Yeah, it's only May, but the Scioscias aren't themselves. They've blown four leads of at least four runs. They're more prone to fundamental mistakes. - Tom Krasovic - 17. Marlins | Record: 23-22 | Previous Week: 8
Hanley Ramirez's teammates may not like or respect him much after the past week (or to begin with), but they sure need him to start hitting. The shortstop's OPS is more than 100 points lower than it was last year and he's on pace for 55 extra-base hits this season, 12 fewer than he had in '09. - Andrew Johnson
- 18. Mets | Record: 22-23 | Previous Week: 21
Only the Mets could find a way to lose after getting a triple play and an inside-the-park home run from the same player (Angel Pagan) in one game as they did Wednesday against Washington. Still, New York managed to win three of its next four, including taking the first Subway Series of 2010, which means manager Jerry Manuel has a little job security for now. - Andrew Johnson
- 19. Giants | Record: 22-21 | Previous Week: 15
It is so bad around the Giants that their fans are pining for the team to sign Pat Burrell, who was released by the Rays because of his .202 average. The Giants' offensive woes have been well-chronicled, but they hit a low point over the weekend, when they scored just one run in three losses to the A's. - Jeff Fletcher
- 20. Rockies | Record: 22-22 | Previous Week: 11
Colorado is 11-7 at home and only 11-15 on the road. A split like that is bad news, especially when almost 60 percent of your games have been played on the road this year. It says a lot that the Rockies are within striking distance in the division after playing on the road so much. Once their schedule reverses, could they quickly climb the rankings? - 21. Nationals | Record: 23-22 | Previous Week: 18
Stephen Strasburg will do more -- much more -- to electrify the Washington fanbase, but in terms of immediate need, the Nats can really use reliever Drew Storen, who was called up at the beginning of last week. Tyler Clippard and Matt Capps have formed a terrific relief duo, but both have been overworked -- particularly Clippard who has appeared in more than half of the team's games this year. - Andrew Johnson
- 22. Diamondbacks | Record: 20-25 | Previous Week: 29
The Diamondbacks used a five-game homestand to get back on track last week. Not only did Arizona win four of five games in the desert, but they scored runs at will, averaging over eight per game. After an extremely rough start, closer Chad Qualls has regained his form and has converted eight of his last nine save attempts. - 23. White Sox | Record: 18-25 | Previous Week: 24
The White Sox currently only have three hitters with a batting average north of .250 right now: Alex Rios, Paul Konerko and Juan Pierre. Things are so bad on the South Side that the loudest cheers at U.S. Cellular Field are heard when the horn goes off signifying a goal by the Chicago Blackhawks. - Tom Fornelli
- 24. Pirates | Record: 19-25 | Previous Week: 20
Since ending their terrible seven-game losing streak back in mid-April, the Pirates have held together at a 12-13 pace, alternately looking like a young team that has some good players worth watching in the long term and an awful group of players that have collectively never even seen a baseball before. - Pat Lackey - 25. Royals | Record: 18-27 | Previous Week: 27
The Royals have gone 6-4 since replacing Trey Hillman with Ned Yost, which is nice, but probably not enough to overcome their bullpen in the long haul. - Tom Fornelli - 26. Brewers | Record: 17-27 | Previous Week: 25
The Brewers are second in the NL in runs scored and third-to-last in runs allowed. For a team that tried to overhaul it's pitching staff in 2010, they're not terribly removed from their struggles last year. It's true that Prince Fielder will likely regain his power, that the bullpen should be better without Trevor Hoffman closing, that Randy Wolf can't keep pitching as poorly as he has to this point in the season, but will that be enough to make a difference? - Pat Lackey - 27. Astros | Record: 15-29 | Previous Week: 26
The Astros' team OPS+ is 59. 100 is average, 59 is Paul Janish's career OPS+. The Astros entire lineup averages out to having Paul Janish bat in every single spot of their order in every single game. I don't think any team can carry on so pathetically for an entire season, but wow, what a mess this club is right now. - Pat Lackey - 28. Indians | Record: 16-26 | Previous Week: 23
Has anybody seen Grady Sizemore? Well, no, not lately because he's back on the disabled list, but he's been hard to find when he's on the field as well. At least the city of Cleveland still has LeBron James. What's that? Oh. Well, go Browns? - Tom Fornelli - 29. Mariners | Record: 16-28 | Previous Week: 30
Surely it wasn't meant to be that Mike Sweeney was going to be the savior in Seattle this season. His five homers in the last two weeks bests anyone else on the roster all season long. Not that it's noticeably helped -- the Mariners have scored one or zero runs 10 times already, including Saturday and Sunday. - John Hickey - 30. Orioles | Record: 14-31 | Previous Week: 28
Is it time to start thinking about holding a garage sale time in Charm City? Kevin Millwood, Ty Wigginton and other vets could be appealing as contenders assess their needs over the next month and, at 18 1/2 games out of first, it's clear that the Orioles aren't heading anywhere this year. The question they need to answer is if adding even more prospects is going to be the route out of their current troubles. - Josh Alper
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