Espn power rankings
2014 Power Rankings: May 19
RANK TEAM / RECORD TRENDING COMMENTS
1
Tigers
27-12
--
Last Week: 1 The Tigers remain red-hot after sweeping both the Orioles (at Camden Yards) and the Red Sox (at Fenway Park). It was the first time since 1983 that the Tigers managed to sweep the Red Sox in Boston, and they did so in convincing fashion. The pitching was simply dominant, allowing just 16 hits the entire series. -- Sam Genson (@Tigercub33), Walkoff Woodward
2
Athletics
28-16
1
Last Week: 3 Josh Donaldson leads the American League in WAR with an all-around attack: very good power, a solid approach at the plate, and great defense at third base. Not bad for the league minimum salary. -- Jason Wojciechowski (@jlwoj), Beaneball
3
Giants
28-17
1
Last Week: 2 Pablo Sandoval has stepped up nicely in the absence of Brandon Belt, riding a .389 batting average over a nine-game hitting streak. This team just keeps finding new ways to win, holding a three-game lead in the NL West heading into a big series in Colorado beginning on Tuesday. -- Andrew Tweedy (@WCBGiants), West Coast Bias
4
Brewers
27-17
--
Last Week: 4 The Brewers' up-and-down month of May continued last week with a 3-3 record against the Pirates and Cubs. While the pitching has mostly remained strong, injuries to hitters like Carlos Gomez and Aramis Ramirez have limited run scoring. On the plus side offensively, Rickie Weeks has an OPS of nearly 1.500 since the calendar flipped to May. -- Ryan Topp (@RDTopp), Disciples of Uecker
5
Cardinals
23-21
9
Last Week: 14 The Cardinals won four in a row last week as Shelby Miller appears to have straightened himself out. The bad news is that reliever Trevor Rosenthal, who walked in the tying run Sunday, still hasn't. -- Matt Philip (@fungoes), Fungoes
6
Braves
23-19
1
Last Week: 7 Justin Upton is batting just .200 with a .290 on-base percentage in the month of May. He's also second in the National League in strikeouts (52). His brother, B.J., tops the strikeout list (56). -- ESPN.com
7
Rockies
25-20
2
Last Week: 5 The Rockies stumbled in Kansas City and finished 2-3 last week after a series win against the Padres. They face a much tougher schedule this week, with three at home against the Giants and then three in Atlanta. Winning three would keep them in the thick of it. Getting Wilin Rosario back should be a huge lift. -- Juan Pablo Zubillaga (@jpzubillaga ), Rockies Zingers
8
Orioles
22-20
2
Last Week: 6 A quarter of the season is done. The Orioles have suffered a rash of injuries, an offensive desert with a couple of oases, starting pitching full of extremes, and a powder keg of a closer -- and they're just a half-game out of the AL East lead. Not too shabby. -- Jon Shepherd (@CamdenDepot), Camden Depot
9
Dodgers
23-22
1
Last Week: 8 Having Drew Butera pitch twice in three games sums up L.A.'s lackluster 3-3 week. Clayton Kershaw's second-shortest start ever saw him yield three triples in one inning. Yasiel Puig's franchise-record eight straight games with at least one extra-base hit and one RBI ended Sunday. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
10
Angels
24-19
2
Last Week: 12 The Halos have surged to a 24-19 record thanks to a 5-2 week and now own the third-best run differential in the AL (+40). The offense is firing on all cylinders (even with a slight slump from Mike Trout), placing third in the majors with a 111 wRC+, and it should receive a boost with Kole Calhoun likely returning this week and Josh Hamilton soon to follow. -- Justin Millar (@Justinmillar1), Halos Daily
11
Yankees
23-20
1
Last Week: 10 The week started off badly for the Yankees with two home losses to the Mets and with the news that both Carlos Beltran and CC Sabathia would miss some time, which placed the spotlight on inexperienced players, namely Zoilo Almonte and Chase Whitley. The Yankees then won four out of their next five to finish the week leading the AL East. Oh, and Masahiro Tanaka is still perfect at 6-0. -- Kenny Ducey (@Kenny Ducey), It's About the Money
12
Nationals
23-20
3
Last Week: 9 Another starter went on the DL in Adam LaRoche (.319/.421/.504), but the Nats have to make their move now. Over the next two weeks, they play 13 straight games against teams currently under .500. -- Harper Gordek (@harpergordek), Nationals Baseball
13
Blue Jays
23-22
4
Last Week: 17 While his defensive game is shaky at best, reclamation project Juan Francisco's hot bat has found a welcome home in the Blue Jays' lineup. In the month of May, Francisco has posted a .300 batting average and 1.048 OPS. -- -- Callum Hughson (@callumhughson), Mop-Up Duty
14
Marlins
23-22
3
Last Week: 11 A 3-4 week, which doubled their win total in road games for the year, was overshadowed by Jose Fernandez's UCL injury and subsequent surgery. Going into Sunday's game, Giancarlo Stanton was tied for first in homers in the NL, led in RBIs and was 10th in batting. After 20 games in 20 days, they get a day off before hosting the Phillies. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
15
Red Sox
20-23
2
Last Week: 13 You'd think that with David Ortiz crushing four home runs in Minnesota, the Red Sox would finally find that long-lost power stroke of theirs. Then they got swept by the Tigers, scoring a grand total of three runs in the three-game slaughter -- the fewest runs they've scored in a series of that length since 2008. -- Brett Cowett (@BACowett), Fire Brand of the AL
16
Royals
22-21
4
Last Week: 20 The Royals salvaged a four-game split against the Orioles with Danny Duffy's 1-0 gem on Saturday and then Alex Gordon's two-homer, six-RBI game on Sunday. That's eight wins in 12 games, and six of their next nine are against the White Sox (minus Jose Abreu and Chris Sale) and the Astros. Time to make a good run. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
17
Reds
19-23
2
Last Week: 19 With Joey Votto joining Jay Bruce among Cincinnati's walking wounded, the return of Devin Mesoraco from the DL couldn't have come at a better time. Mesoraco hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat, went 4-for-4 with two doubles in his second game, and is now hitting .500/.541/.870 on the season. -- Chad Dotson (@dotsonc), Redleg Nation
18
Mets
20-23
5
Last Week: 23 Mets and Marlins batters are tied for the NL lead in walks with 147. The Mets have seven batters with 10 or more bases on balls this year; that's the most players with double-digit walks of any NL club. -- Joe Janish (@metstoday), Mets Today
19
Twins
21-21
7
Last Week: 26 The Twins have won three consecutive series to climb back to .500. Brian Dozier, who leads all major league second basemen in homers since the start of 2013, has been a destructive force at the top of the lineup. -- Nick Nelson (@nnelson9), Twins Daily
20
Mariners
21-22
4
Last Week: 16 Nick Franklin, leading the PCL with a .376 average, was pulled from Sunday's game, leading to speculation he'll be joining the Mariners in Texas on Tuesday. With Brad Miller still hitting .154, Franklin may get a chance to win the shortstop job. Or he could end up DHing if Corey Hart lands on the DL after Sunday's hamstring strain. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
21
Rangers
21-23
6
Last Week: 15 After 44 games, the Rangers have hit only 27 home runs, good for third-worst in baseball. The culprit? A ground ball rate of 50 percent and a fly ball rate of only 26.9 percent. -- Brandon Land (@one_strike_away), One Strike Away
22
Rays
19-26
2
Last Week: 24 The Rays spent another week treading water, going 3-4 on a West Coast road trip. They lost Ben Zobrist for a few weeks with a thumb injury; however, expect Alex Cobb to return this week. Tampa Bay is still just a handful of games back in the AL East, but each week they stay in the hole makes the climb out that much more difficult. -- Tommy Rancel (@TRancel), The Process Report
23
White Sox
21-24
5
Last Week: 18 White Sox starting pitching allowed 25 earned runs in 33 innings pitched last week, and they lost every game in which one of their hulking 1B/DH-types did not hit a massive three-run homer. -- James Fegan (@TheCatbird_Seat), The Catbird Seat
24
Pirates
18-25
2
Last Week: 22 After starting 5-2, the Pirates are a lackluster 13-23. The offense has actually hit well in May -- .281/.352/.425, including a .333/.379/.611 line from Starling Marte -- but you wonder if that 9-16 April is going to haunt them for the rest of 2014. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
25
Phillies
19-22
--
Last Week: 25 After getting shut out four times in eight games, the Phillies exploded for 20 runs in wins over the Reds on Saturday and Sunday. Interesting note: Two years ago, the Phillies led the NL in attendance, at 44,021 per game. In just two years, they've dropped down to eighth at less than 31,000 per game. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
26
Padres
21-24
1
Last Week: 27 Good sign: Twenty-five of their next 28 games are against teams currently .500 or worse. Bad sign: Their No. 4 and 5 hitters on Sunday (Yonder Alonso and Jedd Gyorko) are hitting .197 and .154. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
27
Indians
19-25
6
Last Week: 21 The Indians had a season-high 22 hits in a 15-4 rout of the Blue Jays on Wednesday. Then they dropped their next four games, including a sweep by the visiting A's. On the plus side, Corey Kluber has struck out nine or more batters in each of his past three starts. -- Susan Petrone (@SusanPetrone), It's Pronounced "Lajaway"
28
Diamondbacks
18-28
--
Last Week: 28 After dropping two of three to the Nationals when the D-backs had a great chance to win the series (had it not been for Addison Reed's sixth home run allowed in 2014), the team responded by taking two of three from the Dodgers. The offense has clicked as of late, scoring 5.33 runs per game in the last week, while the pitching continues to be hit-or-miss. -- Jeff Wiser (@outfieldgrass24), Inside the 'Zona
29
Cubs
15-27
--
Last Week: 29 This season, the Cubs are 1-21 when trailing after the sixth inning and 14-2 when leading after the sixth inning. -- Joe Aiello (@VFTB), View from the Bleachers
30
Astros
16-28
--
Last Week: 30 Took two of three at home against both the Rangers and White Sox. Monday's game in Anaheim will represent their fifth attempt at a three-game win streak. Houston's 16 wins have been collected by nine different pitchers (2009 Padres have record: 24 different pitchers with at least one win). -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
2014 Power Rankings: May 19
RANK TEAM / RECORD TRENDING COMMENTS
1
Tigers
27-12
--
Last Week: 1 The Tigers remain red-hot after sweeping both the Orioles (at Camden Yards) and the Red Sox (at Fenway Park). It was the first time since 1983 that the Tigers managed to sweep the Red Sox in Boston, and they did so in convincing fashion. The pitching was simply dominant, allowing just 16 hits the entire series. -- Sam Genson (@Tigercub33), Walkoff Woodward
2
Athletics
28-16
1
Last Week: 3 Josh Donaldson leads the American League in WAR with an all-around attack: very good power, a solid approach at the plate, and great defense at third base. Not bad for the league minimum salary. -- Jason Wojciechowski (@jlwoj), Beaneball
3
Giants
28-17
1
Last Week: 2 Pablo Sandoval has stepped up nicely in the absence of Brandon Belt, riding a .389 batting average over a nine-game hitting streak. This team just keeps finding new ways to win, holding a three-game lead in the NL West heading into a big series in Colorado beginning on Tuesday. -- Andrew Tweedy (@WCBGiants), West Coast Bias
4
Brewers
27-17
--
Last Week: 4 The Brewers' up-and-down month of May continued last week with a 3-3 record against the Pirates and Cubs. While the pitching has mostly remained strong, injuries to hitters like Carlos Gomez and Aramis Ramirez have limited run scoring. On the plus side offensively, Rickie Weeks has an OPS of nearly 1.500 since the calendar flipped to May. -- Ryan Topp (@RDTopp), Disciples of Uecker
5
Cardinals
23-21
9
Last Week: 14 The Cardinals won four in a row last week as Shelby Miller appears to have straightened himself out. The bad news is that reliever Trevor Rosenthal, who walked in the tying run Sunday, still hasn't. -- Matt Philip (@fungoes), Fungoes
6
Braves
23-19
1
Last Week: 7 Justin Upton is batting just .200 with a .290 on-base percentage in the month of May. He's also second in the National League in strikeouts (52). His brother, B.J., tops the strikeout list (56). -- ESPN.com
7
Rockies
25-20
2
Last Week: 5 The Rockies stumbled in Kansas City and finished 2-3 last week after a series win against the Padres. They face a much tougher schedule this week, with three at home against the Giants and then three in Atlanta. Winning three would keep them in the thick of it. Getting Wilin Rosario back should be a huge lift. -- Juan Pablo Zubillaga (@jpzubillaga ), Rockies Zingers
8
Orioles
22-20
2
Last Week: 6 A quarter of the season is done. The Orioles have suffered a rash of injuries, an offensive desert with a couple of oases, starting pitching full of extremes, and a powder keg of a closer -- and they're just a half-game out of the AL East lead. Not too shabby. -- Jon Shepherd (@CamdenDepot), Camden Depot
9
Dodgers
23-22
1
Last Week: 8 Having Drew Butera pitch twice in three games sums up L.A.'s lackluster 3-3 week. Clayton Kershaw's second-shortest start ever saw him yield three triples in one inning. Yasiel Puig's franchise-record eight straight games with at least one extra-base hit and one RBI ended Sunday. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
10
Angels
24-19
2
Last Week: 12 The Halos have surged to a 24-19 record thanks to a 5-2 week and now own the third-best run differential in the AL (+40). The offense is firing on all cylinders (even with a slight slump from Mike Trout), placing third in the majors with a 111 wRC+, and it should receive a boost with Kole Calhoun likely returning this week and Josh Hamilton soon to follow. -- Justin Millar (@Justinmillar1), Halos Daily
11
Yankees
23-20
1
Last Week: 10 The week started off badly for the Yankees with two home losses to the Mets and with the news that both Carlos Beltran and CC Sabathia would miss some time, which placed the spotlight on inexperienced players, namely Zoilo Almonte and Chase Whitley. The Yankees then won four out of their next five to finish the week leading the AL East. Oh, and Masahiro Tanaka is still perfect at 6-0. -- Kenny Ducey (@Kenny Ducey), It's About the Money
12
Nationals
23-20
3
Last Week: 9 Another starter went on the DL in Adam LaRoche (.319/.421/.504), but the Nats have to make their move now. Over the next two weeks, they play 13 straight games against teams currently under .500. -- Harper Gordek (@harpergordek), Nationals Baseball
13
Blue Jays
23-22
4
Last Week: 17 While his defensive game is shaky at best, reclamation project Juan Francisco's hot bat has found a welcome home in the Blue Jays' lineup. In the month of May, Francisco has posted a .300 batting average and 1.048 OPS. -- -- Callum Hughson (@callumhughson), Mop-Up Duty
14
Marlins
23-22
3
Last Week: 11 A 3-4 week, which doubled their win total in road games for the year, was overshadowed by Jose Fernandez's UCL injury and subsequent surgery. Going into Sunday's game, Giancarlo Stanton was tied for first in homers in the NL, led in RBIs and was 10th in batting. After 20 games in 20 days, they get a day off before hosting the Phillies. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
15
Red Sox
20-23
2
Last Week: 13 You'd think that with David Ortiz crushing four home runs in Minnesota, the Red Sox would finally find that long-lost power stroke of theirs. Then they got swept by the Tigers, scoring a grand total of three runs in the three-game slaughter -- the fewest runs they've scored in a series of that length since 2008. -- Brett Cowett (@BACowett), Fire Brand of the AL
16
Royals
22-21
4
Last Week: 20 The Royals salvaged a four-game split against the Orioles with Danny Duffy's 1-0 gem on Saturday and then Alex Gordon's two-homer, six-RBI game on Sunday. That's eight wins in 12 games, and six of their next nine are against the White Sox (minus Jose Abreu and Chris Sale) and the Astros. Time to make a good run. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
17
Reds
19-23
2
Last Week: 19 With Joey Votto joining Jay Bruce among Cincinnati's walking wounded, the return of Devin Mesoraco from the DL couldn't have come at a better time. Mesoraco hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat, went 4-for-4 with two doubles in his second game, and is now hitting .500/.541/.870 on the season. -- Chad Dotson (@dotsonc), Redleg Nation
18
Mets
20-23
5
Last Week: 23 Mets and Marlins batters are tied for the NL lead in walks with 147. The Mets have seven batters with 10 or more bases on balls this year; that's the most players with double-digit walks of any NL club. -- Joe Janish (@metstoday), Mets Today
19
Twins
21-21
7
Last Week: 26 The Twins have won three consecutive series to climb back to .500. Brian Dozier, who leads all major league second basemen in homers since the start of 2013, has been a destructive force at the top of the lineup. -- Nick Nelson (@nnelson9), Twins Daily
20
Mariners
21-22
4
Last Week: 16 Nick Franklin, leading the PCL with a .376 average, was pulled from Sunday's game, leading to speculation he'll be joining the Mariners in Texas on Tuesday. With Brad Miller still hitting .154, Franklin may get a chance to win the shortstop job. Or he could end up DHing if Corey Hart lands on the DL after Sunday's hamstring strain. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
21
Rangers
21-23
6
Last Week: 15 After 44 games, the Rangers have hit only 27 home runs, good for third-worst in baseball. The culprit? A ground ball rate of 50 percent and a fly ball rate of only 26.9 percent. -- Brandon Land (@one_strike_away), One Strike Away
22
Rays
19-26
2
Last Week: 24 The Rays spent another week treading water, going 3-4 on a West Coast road trip. They lost Ben Zobrist for a few weeks with a thumb injury; however, expect Alex Cobb to return this week. Tampa Bay is still just a handful of games back in the AL East, but each week they stay in the hole makes the climb out that much more difficult. -- Tommy Rancel (@TRancel), The Process Report
23
White Sox
21-24
5
Last Week: 18 White Sox starting pitching allowed 25 earned runs in 33 innings pitched last week, and they lost every game in which one of their hulking 1B/DH-types did not hit a massive three-run homer. -- James Fegan (@TheCatbird_Seat), The Catbird Seat
24
Pirates
18-25
2
Last Week: 22 After starting 5-2, the Pirates are a lackluster 13-23. The offense has actually hit well in May -- .281/.352/.425, including a .333/.379/.611 line from Starling Marte -- but you wonder if that 9-16 April is going to haunt them for the rest of 2014. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
25
Phillies
19-22
--
Last Week: 25 After getting shut out four times in eight games, the Phillies exploded for 20 runs in wins over the Reds on Saturday and Sunday. Interesting note: Two years ago, the Phillies led the NL in attendance, at 44,021 per game. In just two years, they've dropped down to eighth at less than 31,000 per game. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
26
Padres
21-24
1
Last Week: 27 Good sign: Twenty-five of their next 28 games are against teams currently .500 or worse. Bad sign: Their No. 4 and 5 hitters on Sunday (Yonder Alonso and Jedd Gyorko) are hitting .197 and .154. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
27
Indians
19-25
6
Last Week: 21 The Indians had a season-high 22 hits in a 15-4 rout of the Blue Jays on Wednesday. Then they dropped their next four games, including a sweep by the visiting A's. On the plus side, Corey Kluber has struck out nine or more batters in each of his past three starts. -- Susan Petrone (@SusanPetrone), It's Pronounced "Lajaway"
28
Diamondbacks
18-28
--
Last Week: 28 After dropping two of three to the Nationals when the D-backs had a great chance to win the series (had it not been for Addison Reed's sixth home run allowed in 2014), the team responded by taking two of three from the Dodgers. The offense has clicked as of late, scoring 5.33 runs per game in the last week, while the pitching continues to be hit-or-miss. -- Jeff Wiser (@outfieldgrass24), Inside the 'Zona
29
Cubs
15-27
--
Last Week: 29 This season, the Cubs are 1-21 when trailing after the sixth inning and 14-2 when leading after the sixth inning. -- Joe Aiello (@VFTB), View from the Bleachers
30
Astros
16-28
--
Last Week: 30 Took two of three at home against both the Rangers and White Sox. Monday's game in Anaheim will represent their fifth attempt at a three-game win streak. Houston's 16 wins have been collected by nine different pitchers (2009 Padres have record: 24 different pitchers with at least one win). -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
power rankings
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| 2014 Power Rankings: May 26 | |||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS |
| 1 | Athletics 30-20 | 1 Last Week: 2 | Sonny Gray (1.99 ERA) continues to impress. He's allowed no more than three runs in each of his 10 starts -- ESPN.com |
| 2 | Tigers 28-18 | 1 Last Week: 1 | As they say, you can't predict baseball. After winning six straight in Baltimore and Boston, the Tigers got swept by the struggling Indians and lost three of four at home to the depleted Rangers in a series that saw backup infielder Danny Worth pitch not once, but twice. The reason for the struggles comes down to the starting pitching, which posted an ERA over 8.00 in the 1-6 span. -- Grey Papke (@spacemnkymafia), Walkoff Woodward |
| 3 | Giants 32-18 | -- Last Week: 3 | The Giants just keep on rolling. They swept the Twins and outscored them 16-4 in three games this past weekend. They're 15-7 in May and boast the best record in baseball. More good news: Pablo Sandoval appears to be turning a corner. He's hitting .370 with four home runs in his past 14 games. -- Connor Grossman (@GiantsBaseball), West Coast Bias |
| 4 | Angels 28-21 | 6 Last Week: 10 | The Angels can thank much of their 2014 turnaround to the starting rotation, a supposed weakness entering the year. The starters have thrown 310 2/3 innings this season (6.34 innings per start), good for tops in the American League. Last season, Halo starters threw only the ninth most innings in the AL. -- Andrew Karcher, Halos Daily |
| 5 | Cardinals 28-22 | -- Last Week: 5 | Jaime Garcia returned to the rotation to help the Cardinals go 5-1 last week and pull within 1.5 games of the Brewers. -- Matt Philip (@fungoes), Fungoes |
| 6 | Braves 28-21 | -- Last Week: 6 | The Braves got back on track this week, winning both of their series against good teams. For the first time in an Atlanta uniform Justin and B.J. Upton are hitting well at the same time. Julio Teheran is now the unquestioned ace of the staff, and has emerged as one of the elite starting pitchers in baseball. -- Martin Gandy (@gondeee), Chop County |
| 7 | Brewers 30-21 | 3 Last Week: 4 | The Brewers survived a 10-game, 10-day road trip through Chicago, Atlanta and Miami with a 4-6 record. Perennially underrated catcher Jonathan Lucroy has starred offensively in May, hitting .375 with 10 doubles, a triple and a home run. -- Ryan Topp (@RDTopp), Disciples of Uecker |
| 8 | Blue Jays 29-22 | 5 Last Week: 13 | The Blue Jays may be the hottest team in baseball right now, having won six in a row and 11 of their last 13 games to take over sole possession of first place in the AL East. It has been a long wait for Blue Jays fans to witness a team this good: Toronto has not been seven games over .500 since 2010 and hasn't been alone in first place this late in the season since 2000. -- Callum Hughson (@callumhughson), Mop-Up Duty |
| 9 | Rockies 27-23 | 2 Last Week: 7 | At 27-23, the Rockies have the exact same record as they did last year at this point. That team ended up 74-88. This year's team is better than that, but for a team already dealing with injuries, their chances to contend might have gone out of fashion quicker than the headfirst slide. -- Richard Bergstrom (@rockieszingers), Rockies Zingers |
| 10 | Dodgers 27-24 | 1 Last Week: 9 | Josh Beckett hurled the 24th no-hitter in franchise history, and the Dodgers' first since 1996, in a 128-pitch 6-0 decision over the Phillies on Sunday. The no-no helped Los Angeles finish a disappointing 5-5 trip to Arizona, New York and Philadelphia on a high note. A long flight home, then back to work Monday night hosting the Reds, Pirates and White Sox. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit |
| 11 | Marlins 26-25 | 3 Last Week: 14 | Randy Wolf's first start for Miami (five innings, nine hits, six runs) won't make anyone forget Jose Fernandez. A 3-3 week keeps them over .500 at 26-25. They were 13-38 at this point in 2013. They lead the NL in batter walks (171) and strikeouts (439). -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit |
| 12 | Yankees 26-23 | 1 Last Week: 11 | The Yankees hope Jacoby Ellsbury's dramatic game-tying, ninth-inning home run Saturday is a sign of things to come. The speedy outfielder hit just .153/.185/.269 last week as the New York offense continued to plod along to a 3-3 record. -- EJ Fagan (@ejfagan), It's About the Money |
| 13 | Orioles 25-23 | 5 Last Week: 8 | It was a tough week for the Orioles, who acquired their likely new starting catcher, Nick Hundley, for a poorly performing left-handed reliever (Troy Patton) with an assorted collection of red flags. To make up for the loss of Matt Wieters, it is time for others in the lineup to make up the difference if this team is to realize its goal of reaching the postseason. -- Jon Shepherd (@CamdenDepot), Camden Depot |
| 14 | Nationals 25-25 | 2 Last Week: 12 | After having a rough first start, Doug Fister has been terrific in each of his past three starts (a combined 1.86 ERA). -- ESPN.com |
| 15 | Royals 24-25 | 1 Last Week: 16 | Another one-run loss on Sunday dropped the Royals to 4-12 in one-run games. Earlier in the week, Mike Moustakas was sent down even though he was tied for the team lead in home runs with four. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot |
| 16 | Mariners 24-25 | 4 Last Week: 20 | After beating the Astros on Monday to climb over .500, they promptly lost the next two games of the series. They inexplicably keep running the awful Brandon Maurer out there as a starter, and the only position hitting over .244 is second base (although both of Robinson Cano's home runs have come while he was the DH). -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot |
| 17 | Twins 23-24 | 2 Last Week: 19 | After a shaky first few starts, Phil Hughes has pitched very well, with a 1.08 ERA over his last five starts. -- ESPN.com |
| 18 | Reds 22-26 | 1 Last Week: 17 | The Reds continue to tread water. It's hard to blame the starters, who have thrown more innings than all but one other NL team, while posting a collective 3.19 ERA. Unfortunately, by almost any measure, Cincinnati's bullpen is one of the two worst in the league (along with the Mets). -- Chad Dotson (@dotsonc), Redleg Nation |
| 19 | Rangers 25-25 | 2 Last Week: 21 | With news that Prince Fielder will be out for the remainder of the season, the Rangers scored 35 runs in four games in Detroit while earning a series victory. The Rangers will open the week back to within five games of Oakland. -- Brandon Land (@one_strike_away), One Strike Away |
| 20 | White Sox 25-27 | 3 Last Week: 23 | Chris Sale returned to the White Sox rotation this past week and not a moment too soon. Even after great outings from him, Jose Quintana and John Danks, the Sox rotation is still 14th in the AL in ERA, FIP, fWAR, BB/9, and smiles. -- James Fegan (@TheCatbird_Seat), The Catbird Seat |
| 21 | Indians 24-27 | 6 Last Week: 27 | After a dreadful series against Oakland, the Indians salvaged their homestand by sweeping Detroit. They've now matched their 2013 win total against the Tigers. However, the Indians are still plagued by sloppy defense. They lead the majors in errors and have yet to play more than two consecutive games without an error. -- Stephanie Liscio (@stephanieliscio), It's Pronounced "Lajaway" |
| 22 | Pirates 22-27 | 2 Last Week: 24 | Had won four in a row before losing Sunday. Opening Day starter Francisco Liriano dropped to 0-5 with a 5.06 ERA (although the Pirates won all six games in which he didn't get the decision). He allowed one or no runs in 15 of 26 starts last year, but just three times this year. A 10-game road trip to the Mets, Dodgers and Padres begins Monday. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot |
| 23 | Rays 23-28 | 1 Last Week: 22 | The Rays went 4-2 at home against Oakland and Boston to climb out of the AL East cellar. Alex Cobb returned to the rotation Thursday, sparking a four-game win streak to close out the week. They'll go head-to-head with red-hot, division-leading Toronto for three games before heading down to Fenway for what could be an intense weekend series after a small dustup in Sunday's game. -- Tommy Rancel (@TRancel), The Process Report |
| 24 | Mets 22-27 | 6 Last Week: 18 | After an abominable April averaging .145, Curtis Granderson is motoring in the month of May, batting .309 with a .382 OBP, five home runs and 15 RBIs. -- Joe Janish (@metstoday), Mets Today |
| 25 | Phillies 21-26 | -- Last Week: 25 | Only the Diamondbacks and Astros have a worse run differential. They were just no-hit on Sunday and are hitting .227 in May. Domonic Brown is batting .202/.254/.304, Ryan Howard has a .397 slugging percentage and backup catcher Wil Nieves hit second twice recently. Your 2014 Phillies! -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot |
| 26 | Red Sox 20-29 | 11 Last Week: 15 | Ten losses in a row. Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino are back on the shelf. Grady Sizemore, with his .607 OPS, is now an every-day starter. The Red Sox are eight games back of the AL East lead, so it's safe to say there have been better days in Beantown. Stephen Drew won't be a savior, but he's healthy and productive with a bat -- two skills the Red Sox desperately need. -- Brett Cowett (@BACowett), Fire Brand of the AL |
| 27 | Padres 23-28 | 1 Last Week: 26 | After hitting .217 with 15 home runs in April, they're up to .226 with 23 home runs in May. The last team with a worse season average than San Diego's .221 was the 1972 Rangers, who hit .217. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot |
| 28 | Cubs 18-30 | 1 Last Week: 29 | Starlin Castro hit his seventh home run of 2014 on Sunday. He had just 10 in all of 2013. -- Joe Aiello (@VFTB), View from the Bleachers |
| 29 | Diamondbacks 20-32 | 1 Last Week: 28 | The D-backs only partially made up for a sweep at the hands of the Cardinals by taking two of three from the Mets. But there are reasons for optimism: the team's pitching may finally have found some consistency, giving up just 3.17 runs per game in the last week. -- Ryan P. Morrison (@InsidetheZona), Inside the 'Zona |
| 30 | Astros 19-32 | -- Last Week: 30 | Scored only one run in three straight games, but Dallas Keuchel (2-0, 17.2 IP, nine hits, two earned runs, one walk, 14 strikeouts) and George Springer (6-for-19, four homers) helped Houston salvage a 3-4 week. Keuchel has already matched last year's win total (six), and will easily surpass last year's leader in wins (Jordan Lyles with seven). -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit |
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Like the play my friend!!!!! Looking for a big winner on the Brewers tonight as well!!!! Good luck tonight!!!!
Well i missed out on the brewers yesterday for a system play. And unfortunately it was easy money. Too busy with the end of the year lots of work to do with that...
today's system play:
dodgers (ranked #10) vs. pirates (ranked #22)
one one thing I like as well is dodgers lost first game so now we just have to win one of the next two....
play:
dodgers 1.5/1
today's system play:
dodgers (ranked #10) vs. pirates (ranked #22)
one one thing I like as well is dodgers lost first game so now we just have to win one of the next two....
play:
dodgers 1.5/1
| 2014 Power Rankings: June 2 | |||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS |
| 1 | Giants 37-20 | 2 Last Week: 3 | After taking two of three from the Cubs and three of four from the Cardinals, the Giants continue to boast the best record in baseball at 37-20. They finished May with a record of 19-9 and lost only one series during the entire month. With seven scoreless innings Sunday, Tim Hudson now has the second-best ERA in the National League at 1.75. -- Andrew Tweedy (@WCBGiants), West Coast Bias |
| 2 | Athletics 35-22 | 1 Last Week: 1 | On a weekend when the franchise honored the 40th anniversary of the 1974 World Series-winning A's, the current team swept the second-place Angels, scoring 26 runs. They've now scored more runs than any other team in baseball, an achievement made all the more remarkable by their tough home park. -- Jason Wojciechowski (@jlwoj), Beaneball |
| 3 | Tigers 31-22 | 1 Last Week: 2 | The first-place Tigers stumbled a little bit during a weeklong West Coast trip that saw them go 3-4, as their starters and closer got knocked around. On the plus side, ersatz setup man Joba Chamberlain was very strong, and picked up just his third save since 2010. -- Alexandra Simon, Walkoff Woodward |
| 4 | Blue Jays 34-24 | 4 Last Week: 8 | The Blue Jays are the hottest team in baseball right now. In the past 20 games, the Blue Jays are 16-4. In the past 17 games, Edwin Encarnacion has hit 14 home runs. Mark Buehrle is the first pitcher to reach 10 wins in 2014 and has allowed only two home runs in 81 1/3 innings pitched. -- Callum Hughson (@callumhughson), Mop-Up Duty |
| 5 | Angels 30-26 | 1 Last Week: 4 | The Angels continue to struggle with division foes, going 2-5 vs. the Mariners and A's last week. They're now 5-13 against teams other than the Astros in the AL West, with 39 such games left on the year. If they can't improve on their intra-division W-L record, it's not going to matter how well they play against everyone else. -- Nate Aderhold, Halos Daily |
| 6 | Brewers 34-23 | 1 Last Week: 7 | The Brewers went 4-2 last week against the Orioles and Cubs. The offense has produced 6.125 runs per game since Ryan Braun was moved into the second slot in the batting order on Memorial Day weekend. Aramis Ramirez is scheduled to return to the lineup on Tuesday. -- Ryan Topp (@RDTopp), Disciples of Uecker |
| 7 | Cardinals 30-27 | 2 Last Week: 5 | Top prospect Oscar Taveras walloped a home run in his major league debut, but it was one of the few highlights of the week. The Cardinals lost five of seven to open their homestand and lost first baseman Matt Adams to the DL. -- Matt Philip (@fungoes), Fungoes |
| 8 | Braves 31-25 | 2 Last Week: 6 | The Braves stumbled against Boston, but righted the ship against Miami. Atlanta continues to infuse the team with new talent from the farm system. Tommy La Stella has filled the second base hole by starting his major league career 6-for-15 (.400) with no strikeouts -- a refreshing change. Reliever Shae Simmons provides the Braves with another power arm in the pen. -- Martin Gandy (@gondeee), Chop County |
| 9 | Dodgers 30-28 | 1 Last Week: 10 | Carl Crawford's sprained ankle hastened Matt Kemp's return to the lineup and playing left field. Hanley Ramirez posted only the 17th 4-4-4-5 box score line in history Saturday. Brian Wilson has allowed at least one baserunner in 12 of his past 13 appearances. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit |
| 10 | Yankees 29-26 | 2 Last Week: 12 | The Yankees split their week, going 3-3. Mark Teixeira's wrist is acting up again, Masahiro Tanaka is their only reliable starter, the offense can't score and yet they're somehow still in second place in the AL East, 3.5 games behind red-hot Toronto. -- Stacey Gotsulias (@StaceGots), It's About the Money |
| 11 | Rockies 28-28 | 2 Last Week: 9 | Losing on a walk-off home run Sunday -- by Michael Bourn of all people -- was a fitting end to a dreadful 2-7 trip. The silver lining? The Rockies are .500 despite having played more road games than any other team. Coors Field will be a busy place this summer, and Colorado's .696 winning percentage at home is best in the majors. -- Ryan Hammon (@rockieszingers), Rockies Zingers |
| 12 | Nationals 27-28 | 2 Last Week: 14 | Since May 13, three Nationals starters have combined to put up an ERA of under 2.50, keeping the Nats hanging around in the NL East race. But the three don't include Gio Gonzalez or Jordan Zimmermann. The three are Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister and Tanner Roark. -- Harper Gordek (@harpergordek), Nationals Baseball |
| 13 | Marlins 28-28 | 2 Last Week: 11 | Steve Cishek yielded a rare homer Sunday, as the Braves swept three games in Miami. The Marlins have now lost their past four at home, after starting 20-7. Up next, a home-and-home with the Rays before three at Wrigley. Giancarlo Stanton in the past 30 days: .366/.487/.699. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit |
| 14 | Orioles 28-27 | 1 Last Week: 13 | The 2013 season saw the Orioles lead the majors with 212 home runs, including four players with over 20. This year, the team is hitting far fewer with only one on pace to hit 20 or more. That player is Nelson Cruz. He has 20 home runs already. -- Jon Shepherd (@CamdenDepot), Camden Depot |
| 15 | Rangers 29-28 | 4 Last Week: 19 | Texas finished an 11-game road trip, the club's longest of the season, with a 7-4 record. Now feeling a bit better about themselves, the Rangers will be at home for a nine-game homestand before heading out on the road to take on other AL West rivals. -- Brandon Land (@one_strike_away), One Strike Away |
| 16 | White Sox 29-29 | 4 Last Week: 20 | Expecting one player to transform a whole substandard unit is foolish, unless it's Chris Sale. He allowed one run over his first 18 innings since returning from the disabled list, struck out 23 and held opposing hitters to a sub-.200 OPS. Chris Sale, Chris Sale, Chris Sale. Also, Jose Abreu comes back this week. -- James Fegan (@TheCatbird_Seat), The Catbird Seat |
| 17 | Red Sox 27-29 | 9 Last Week: 26 | The Red Sox are a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma: 10 straight losses followed immediately by seven straight wins. The youth movement blazed forward, with Xander Bogaerts carving out 0.7 fWAR in just a single week, Brock Holt belting seven extra-base hits and Rubby De La Rosa hurling seven shutout innings with a 8/0 K/BB ratio. Now that's how you go streaking. -- Brett Cowett (@BACowett), Fire Brand of the AL |
| 18 | Mariners 28-28 | 2 Last Week: 16 | With Endy Chavez DHing, .219-hitting Justin Smoak batting cleanup and no Robby Cano, the Mariners still beat Max Scherzer on Sunday. That's because rookie lefty Roenis Elias spun a three-hit shutout. He threw his curveball 28 times, 26 recorded strikes and 13 recorded outs. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot |
| 19 | Royals 26-30 | 4 Last Week: 15 | Mike Moustakes returned Sunday after hitting .355 in eight games at Triple-A. He went 0-for-3 in a 4-0 loss to the Blue Jays. After winning the first two games in Toronto, the Royals dropped the next two. They remain last in the AL in slugging percentage and next-to-last in on-base percentage. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot |
| 20 | Pirates 26-30 | 2 Last Week: 22 | In the midst of a 10-game trip, the Pirates are 4-3 so far and just won three of four from the Dodgers in Los Angeles. They finish up the trip with three games in San Diego, beginning Monday. -- ESPN.com |
| 21 | Reds 26-29 | 3 Last Week: 18 | Just when it looked like the Reds were fading away for good, Cincinnati won four out of five games this week. They'll need Joey Votto to miraculously return soon, however; the Reds have scored fewer runs than every team in the majors except one. -- Chad Dotson (@dotsonc), Redleg Nation |
| 22 | Twins 26-28 | 5 Last Week: 17 | Since returning from the DL in late May, Josh Willingham has a 1.086 OPS with three homers in seven contests. With several hitters struggling badly, the Twins lineup needed that boost. -- Nick Nelson (@nnelson9), Twins Daily |
| 23 | Mets 27-29 | 1 Last Week: 24 | Jacob deGrom is the first pitcher in Mets history and the first in the majors since 2000 to begin a career without a win after four starts with at least six innings pitched and three runs or fewer allowed in each of them. -- Joe Janish (@metstoday), Mets Today |
| 24 | Indians 27-30 | 3 Last Week: 21 | The Indians were swept by the White Sox and then swept the Rockies, closing that series with a walk-off home run by Michael Bourn for the Tribe's fourth walk-off win of the season. The Indians pitching staff is the first in the majors to reach 500 strikeouts this season, due in large part to Corey Kluber's 60 strikeouts during the month of May. -- Susan Petrone (@SusanPetrone), It's Pronounced "Lajaway" |
| 25 | Padres 26-31 | 2 Last Week: 27 | If the Padres are ever going to make a move, now is a good time: Their next 16 games are against teams currently .500 or worse. On the bright side, since May 9 Yonder Alonso is hitting .300/.364/.543. Now they need Jedd Gyorko and Chase Headley to join him. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot |
| 26 | Phillies 24-30 | 1 Last Week: 25 | Ryan Howard drove in his 1,000th career run over the weekend and now has homered in four of his past seven games with 14 RBIs. The Phillies and Mets also became the first teams to play three straight games of 11 innings or more since 1991; maybe they can make it four in a row Monday. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot |
| 27 | Rays 23-34 | 4 Last Week: 23 | After taking four steps forward, the Rays took six steps back as they went 0-6 on their trip through Toronto and Boston. The slide gives them the worst record in the American League after two full months. If that wasn't enough, Wil Myers and Ryan Hanigan were placed on the disabled list. -- Tommy Rancel (@TRancel), The Process Report |
| 28 | Astros 24-34 | 2 Last Week: 30 | Two straight losses following a surprising seven-game winning streak. Managed only 10 runs in four-game series versus Orioles. Last 30 days: George Springer hit .307/.397/.673 and Dallas Keuchel allowed a .198 batting average with a 0.842 WHIP. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit |
| 29 | Cubs 20-34 | 1 Last Week: 28 | Mike Olt's nine home runs before June 1 makes him the first Cubs rookie to do it since Geovany Soto in 2008. -- Joe Aiello (@VFTB), View from the Bleachers |
| 30 | Diamondbacks 23-36 | 1 Last Week: 29 | Arizona took two of three from the Padres before losing three of four to the Reds. Hot and cold was the theme, as Josh Collmenter had a shutout of the Reds, while Wade Miley struck out 11 Padres, only to give up four homers in his next start. The offense was decent, but until there's some consistency on the mound, the D-backs won't truly heat up. -- Jeffrey Wiser (@InsidetheZona), Inside the 'Zona |
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once again...having a busy week cost me a chance at a couple of units...tis life...summer is around the corner in which I will have a little more time to work on the system plays...
I'll take another look, but it looks like all the system plays cashed on their first game last night according to the chart...
I'll take another look, but it looks like all the system plays cashed on their first game last night according to the chart...
