MLB Power Rankings: Cardinals Remain Red Hot

The surge of no-hitters continued this week, with an unlikely candidate in Wade Miley against the Cleveland Indians. We saw a crazy week in the MLB, and not just because of Miley. The red-hot Brewers suddenly couldn’t win a game, the Dodgers continued their tumble, and the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals now have three of the best records in the league. Here’s how this past week shook up our MLB Power Rankings.

Week 7 MLB Power Rankings

1) Boston Red Sox (22-13) (Last Week: 9)

While some of the top teams have seemed to lose a little bit of traction as of late, the gears keep turning in Boston. If it wasn’t obvious before, their success isn’t a fluke anymore. In a year where batting is down, they’re hitting just under .270 as a team. When Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez are both hitting over .330 with over seven home runs each, the Red Sox are tough to beat.

2) St. Louis Cardinals (21-14) (Last Week: 4)

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to be one of the hottest teams in baseball and have won eight of the last 10. Sure, their opponents haven’t been the best, but they’re taking care of business. While their team batting average is just middle of the pack, they get the big hits when it matters.

3) Chicago White Sox (19-13) (Last Week: 6)

The Chicago White Sox may have only split their two-game series with the Red. However, they made a statement with a three-game sweep over the Kansas City Royals and find themselves top of the AL Central. Nobody in the majors has a better run differential than the White Sox.

4) San Francisco Giants (20-14) (Last Week: 2)

The Giants just keep taking care of business and flying under the radar. They did lose two of three to Colorado, but followed that up with a 2-1 series win over San Diego. If Buster Posey can stay on the field, he could be a sneaky MVP pick, as he’s hitting .400 with eight home runs in just 23 games.

5) Oakland Athletics (21-15) (Last Week: 5)

The A’s have a two-game lead atop their division, thanks in part to Jed Lowrie and Matt Olson both already having 20 RBI’s this season. Ramon Laureano is finding his power again too, making this offense all the more dangerous.

6) New York Mets (16-13) (Last Week: 18)

The Mets have won five straight, and their last loss was to the Cardinals. Not too bad. They’re doing all of this with Lindor hitting below the Mendoza line. They are middle of the pack as a team for batting average, but are fourth in the MLB in on base percentage, and I don’t have to preach the importance of getting on base.

7) Cleveland Indians (18-14) (Last Week: 19)

The Indians may have traded away one of their best players in Lindor, but their other players are stepping up. Franmil Reyes and Jose Ramirez are one of the best power duos in the league, and their pitching is eighth in the league in team ERA.

8) San Diego Padres (19-16) (Last Week: 8)

The Padres seem to finally be back on track now, as they have won six of their last 10, which is impressive considering two of their last three series have come against the Giants. They are the only team in the MLB to have an ERA under three, and it’s only a matter of time before the bats start to heat up.

9) New York Yankees (18-16) (Last Week: 15)

We knew the Yankees wouldn’t be in a slump all season long, and it looks like they’re finally waking up. They’ve won seven of their past 10, and their downfall has been hitting as a team. With Giancarlo Stanton back in MVP form, with a .292 average and nine home runs, we could see a heck of a run soon, if the other guys start to carry their weight.

10) Milwaukee Brewers (19-16) (Last Week: 1)

I don’t know why, but every team I put high seems to have a shambolic following week. The Brewers were no exception, as they lost six straight games from Sunday to Friday. They have won their last two, however, and will be getting a much-needed rest day after playing 17 days in a row.

11) Houston Astros (18-16) (Last Week: 7)

The Astros had a tough slate, matching up with the Yankees and Blue Jays. They were able to split those six games down the middle though and should have a much easier time with the Angels for their next three. They need to take the games they can now as their schedule gets much harder in the middle to end of May.

12) Tampa Bay Rays (19-17) (Last Week: 14)

Although the Rays were only able to take one of three from Oakland, they did well to earn a sweep in four games over the Angels, who continue to fall short of expectations. If they want to make the playoffs in a tough AL, they’ll need more from their bats than their measly .224 average.

13) Toronto Blue Jays (17-16) (Last Week: 13)

Could this finally be the year Vlad Jr. breaks out? He’s had some big moments, but consistency has been an issue. He’s hitting .310 right now, but the Blue Jays can’t rely on just him. Toronto needs more from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Cavan Biggio, while George Springer is out.

14) Los Angeles Dodgers (18-17) (Last Week: 10)

On paper, this team is really good. On the field, it’s time to hit the panic button. I’m not saying they need to worry about not making the MLB Playoffs yet, but they did lose Dustin May for the rest of the season and are barely over .500. The Dodgers have lost eight of 10 and will get burned if they continue to do the bare minimum in a tough division.

15) Philadelphia Phillies (18-17) (Last Week: 22)

The Phillies did well to sweep the Brewers in a four-game series, but then lost two of three to the struggling Braves. They need to find more consistency away from home, as they are just 5-11 outside of Citizens Bank Park.

16) Chicago Cubs (17-17) (Last Week: 26)

The Cubs are hot again. Will it last this time, or fizzle out just as quickly as it came? Chicago has won seven of 10, but much like the Phillies, they need more consistency on the road, as they are just 4-9 outside of Chicago. With both their team ERA and team batting average 23rd in the MLB, they need one side of the ball to start to pick up consistently, or they likely will experience a .500 season.

17) Texas Rangers (18-18) (Last Week: 27)

The Rangers seemed to be a lost cause early in the year, but they are suddenly .550 after another good week. They took five of seven from the Twins and the Mariners. This will likely be nothing more than a cute story, since their next 13 come against either the Giants, Astros and Yankees.

18) Atlanta Braves (17-17) (Last Week: 24)

The Braves are back to .500, but the only thing on anyone’s mind in Atlanta is the status of Ronald Acuña, as he took a scary pitch to the hand that saw him leave the game immediately after. On a team struggling to get consistent production, he was one of the few producers, and they’ll need him back or others to pick it up immediately.

19) Seattle Mariners (18-17) (Last Week: 11)

Another victim of getting high praise by me and crashing back to earth is the Seattle Mariners. Just two weeks ago, they were justly put in the top-five of the MLB. Since then, they’ve looked like a shell of themselves. This past week, they lost a three-game series to both the Orioles and the Rangers. Seeing they have the Dodgers for two before the Indians for four, this isn’t the trend you’d like to see.

20) Cincinnati Reds (15-16) (Last Week: 20)

Jesse Winker is on another planet right now, posting a .354 batting average for Cincinnati. Add in Castellanos hitting nine home runs so far, and you’d think this team would be in a solid position, offensively. The only question is what the hell is going on with Eugenio Suarez? He’s never been a great hitter when it comes to batting average, but a .130 line with a strikeout in 40% of his at bats is just flat out embarrassing.

21) Miami Marlins (15-18) (Last Week: 25)

The Marlins continue to be a tale of two teams, with fantastic pitching, but questionable hitting. They followed up a bad three-game sweep against the Nationals last week with a three-game sweep of Arizona, before losing two out of three to Milwaukee. This team seems to change completely from series to series, and it looks like another frustrating season is in store for Marlins fans.

22) Los Angeles Angels (15-18) (Last Week: 16)

Mike Trout is a perfect example of why playoff success should mean absolutely nothing to a player’s legacy. I know championships mean a lot, but he is hitting .376 with an on base percentage of .488, damn near .500, and this team still is somehow behind even the Rangers and dead last in their own division. 

23) Kansas City Royals (16-17) (Last Week: 3)

When I ranked this team third last week, I knew that it wasn’t going to keep up. At the time, they were top-three material, according to their record and the eye test. What I did not expect was for this team to absolutely bottom out and pull their best Detroit Tigers impression. They are winless in their last eight and have only one win since April 28th.

24) Baltimore Orioles (15-19) (Last Week: 21)

You’d usually expect a team to play better in front of their home crowd in their own stadium, right? Not in Baltimore! The Orioles are 4-13 at home (worst in the MLB), but 11-6 on the road (third in the MLB). Unfortunately for them, four of their six games this week are in Baltimore, so we’ll probably see them back near the bottom next week too.

25) Washington Nationals (13-17) (Last Week: 17)

We shouldn’t count the Nationals out, because they showed when they won the World Series not to count them out too early. This season just feels different though, as they continue to struggle to find any consistency. Surprisingly, Trea Turner is the only National to have more than four home runs and their team ERA is middle of the pack. It’s not good for a team that needs to rely on it’s pitching often.

26) Arizona Diamondbacks (15-19) (Last Week: 12)

Stop me if you’ve heard this MLB news before, but the Diamondbacks are inconsistent as hell. They’ve looked good some weeks, then they’ve had weeks like this past one where they’ve lost six straight, dating back to Sunday. They have the Marlins and Nationals for their next seven, which shouldn’t be difficult, but this team has shown you can’t expect anything to go the way it should.

27) Minnesota Twins (12-20) (Last Week: 29)

The Twins still suck right now, but they’re getting better, slowly. They have split their last 10, but they have to face the White Sox and Athletics for their next nine. For as bad as their record is though, their run differential is only -2 over the course of the season. Don’t be shocked if they win a few more than they should in these three upcoming series as severe underdogs.

28) Pittsburgh Pirates (14-19) (Last Week: 23)

I’m glad I gave them their due in the MLB Power Rankings when I did, because it looks like I was right when I said it wouldn’t last for long. Their season isn’t done yet, but they’re looking like the Pirates we all know and love, having lost eight of 10. They do have the Reds for three, which could go either way, but then have to face the Giants and Cardinals for their next six.

29) Colorado Rockies (12-22) (Last Week: 28)

For as bad as this roster is, and for as tough of matchups as they had this week, they did admirably. The Rockies took two of three from the Giants, before getting swept in three to the red hot Cardinals. They have to face the Padres for six of the next 10, so hopefully they can keep their decent division success going.

30) Detroit Tigers (10-24) (Last Week: 30)

This team sucks so bad. They’re projected to lose 114 games this season. When your team batting average and ERA are both 28th in the league, it’s not surprising they can’t win games. The point of the rebuild is to build a team. It seems like they’ve been stuck in the mud like this for the past few years. The Tigers might continue to be for years to come unless something changes, because no one would want to play in Detroit right now. Don’t expect to see a different bottom team in the MLB Power Rankings for the rest of the season.