The pennant race is really starting to heat up, but some of the division races are beginning to get less interesting. Either some of the teams that were contending until a couple of weeks ago weren’t capable of lasting the entire 162 games, or some of the teams on a hot streak just really mean business. Most likely, it is a little bit of both of those reasons.
Here is this week’s Power Rankings. The number in parenthesis after the team name is where the team was ranked in the previous Power Rankings.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (1)
2. Milwaukee Brewers (3)- Possibly the hottest team in baseball right now, the Brewers are pulling away from what was the best division race in the league not too long ago.
3. New York Yankees (2)
4. Texas Rangers (8)- Another solid candidate for the hottest team in baseball, and they are doing similar things in the AL West that Milwaukee is doing in the NL Central.
5. Boston Red Sox (4)
6. Arizona Diamondbacks (10)- Who would’ve guessed that they would still be leading the NL West?
7. Atlanta Braves (5)
8. San Francisco Giants (11)
9. Detroit Tigers (7)- Detroit is a scary team considering that every five days, they are almost assured a quality start, and usually a winning effort, from Justin Verlander.
10. Tampa Bay Rays (13)
11. St. Louis Cardinals (6)- The Cardinals need to start playing as well as…well, who they’re trying to catch…Milwaukee.
12. Cleveland Indians (12)
13. Los Angeles Angels (9)
14. Chicago White Sox (17)- They are inconsistent, but should scare the other AL Central contenders because of their offense. They have quietly crept into contention.
15. Toronto Blue Jays (14)
16. Cincinnati Reds (15)
17. New York Mets (16)
18. Colorado Rockies (21)- It looks as if there will be no magical comeback by the Rockies this year…
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (23)
20. Oakland Athletics (24)
21. Minnesota Twins (25)- One of the most disappointing teams in the league this season, Minnesota is pretty much cooked. The top half of the division isn’t slipping up any time soon.
22. Chicago Cubs (20)
23. Washington Nationals (18)- Sitting twenty-one games out of first place, it’s hard to keep in mind that the Nationals are actually having a pretty decent season by their standards…
24. Los Angeles Dodgers (19)
25. Florida Marlins (22)
26. San Diego Padres (26)
27. Seattle Mariners (27)
28. Kansas City Royals (28)
29. Baltimore Orioles (29)
30. Houston Astros (30)- It’s never good for the team ranked last in the Power Rankings when the four teams ahead of them don’t change position from the previous rankings, either…
– K. Becks
