1. St. Louis Cardinals (Last week #1)
For the third week in a row the Red Birds nab the No. 1 spot in the power rankings. They took two out of three on the road in Cleveland to start the week and had a rough series against the Tigers over the weekend by losing two out of three. The Cards are still the best team in the league, as they own the best record in baseball at 25-12. Jhonny Peralta has been rolling as of late. Peralta is hitting .289 with four home runs and seven RBIs through his last 10 games. Jason Heyward is starting to heat up as well as he’s hitting .333 with five RBIs and nine runs scored over his last 10. Heyward was a big offseason acquisition and has been off to a slow start, so it must be nice for Cardinals fans to see him heating up. St. Louis has a tough week coming up, as they’ll travel to New York and Kansas City to take on two of baseball’s best, the Mets and the Royals.
2. Houston Astros (#4)
The Astros keep proving the doubters wrong as they move up to No. 2 in this week’s power rankings. They are currently riding a five-game win streak after sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. Houston does it by outslugging its opponents, as the Astros lead the league in home runs, and then handing it off to their lockdown bullpen that is second in the league in bullpen ERA. The ‘Stros are showing they don’t lack fight as four of their five wins on their streak have been come-from-behind wins. Houston will look to extend its streak this week as they welcome the struggling Oakland A’s to Minute Maid Park. They will then be off to Detroit for a four-game weekend series with the Tigers.
3. Kansas City Royals (#2)
The Royals took a step back this week, but that is mostly because of how hot the Astros have been. Kansas City had a good week as it went 4-2, taking two out of three from the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. The Royals continue to be one of the best teams in baseball. They own one of the best offenses in the game. They lead the league in hits, batting average, doubles, triples and are second in runs scored, total bases and slugging percentage. Eric Hosmer is going to be in the running for the MVP if he keeps up his play. He’s hitting .324 with seven homers and 29 RBIs while playing Gold Glove defense. The Royals host the Cincinnati Reds and instate rival the St. Louis Cardinals this week.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (#3)
If the Royals are the one best offenses in baseball, then the Dodgers are the best. LA is first in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS, second in home runs and runs scored. Adrian Gonzalez is having a monster year and is one of the best offensive players in baseball. Gonzalez has nine home runs, 32 RBIS with a batting average of .356, an on-base percentage of .429 and a slugging percentage of .681. The Dodgers went 4-3 this week, taking two of three from the Marlins and split a four-game series with the Rockies. LA will travel to San Francisco this week to take on their rival the Giants and then will come home to host the San Diego Padres.
5. Detroit Tigers (#7)
The Tigers have had a great week by taking three of four from the Twins and winning two of three from the Cardinals. Miguel Cabrera had an unreal week by hitting career home run No. 400, but he also hit .375 with four home runs and nine RBIs. He’s having another MVP caliber season. Detroit will enjoy some home cooking this week as they’ll welcome the Milwaukee Brewers and the red hot Houston Astros to Comerica Park.
6. Washington Nationals (#8)
7. New York Yankees (#5)
8. Minnesota Twins (#9)
9. New York Mets (#6)
10. Chicago Cubs (#15)
11. Tampa Bay Rays (#10)
12. San Francisco Giants (#11)
13. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (#17)
14. San Diego Padres (#12)
15. Chicago White Sox (#24)
16. Atlanta Braves (#21)
17. Pittsburgh Pirates (#16)
18. Boston Red Sox (#18)
19. Seattle Mariners (#19)
20. Baltimore Orioles (#20)
21. Miami Marlins (#13)
22. Toronto Blue Jays (#14)
23. Cincinnati Reds (#22)
24. Philadelphia Phillies (#27)
25. Texas Rangers (#25)
26. Cleveland Indians (#26)
27. Arizona Diamondbacks (#23)
28. Milwaukee Brewers (#30)
29. Oakland Athletics (#28)
30. Colorado Rockies (#29)
Follow Bobby on Twitter @RENorell_III
