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MLB Power Rankings: Surprising Indians climb to 2nd
By Mike Dennis, CBC Sports
Posted: May 6, 2011 2:35 PM ET
Last Updated: May 6, 2011 3:05 PM ET
Josh Tomlin and fellow Indians starter Justin Masterson, shown here, have carried the team through the first 30 games of the season. Cleveland also led the AL in runs per game and batting average. (Tony Dejak/Associated Press) Every second Friday, CBCSports.ca's Mike Dennis breaks down the balance of power in Major League Baseball.
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1. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES [no change] Record : 21-9 Last 10 : 7-3 It's not enough that the Phillies have Roy (no-hit) Halladay leading their mound corps, but with Joe Blanton on the DL the Phils plugged in Vance Worley to the rotation and the unheralded youngster gave up just one run in 12 innings in his first two starts. |
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2. CLEVELAND
INDIANS[up from 7] Record : 21-9 Last 10 : 8-2 Nothing like a 13-game home-winning streak and franchise-best 18 wins in April to rocket the Indians up the rankings. They lead the AL in runs per game and batting average and have been carried by starters Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin. |
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3. NEW YORK YANKEES[down from 2] Record : 17-12 Last 10 : 5-5 Blame it on the long ball but the Yankees top the majors in home runs and have scored nearly 60 per cent of their runs via the homer. Ex-Blue Jay A.J. Burnett tops the team in wins and Mariano Rivera leads the world (actually the AL) in saves. |
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4. FLORIDA MARLINS[up from 10] Record : 19-11 Last 10 : 6-4 Another team with a franchise-best start, the Marlins roared out of the gate at 16-9. Good balance throughout the lineup, with first baseman Gaby Sanchez emerging as a force in his second full season in the bigs. |
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5. COLORADO ROCKIES[down from 4] Record : 18-11 Last 10 : 5-5 Troy Tulowitzki finally cooled off from his home-run barrage and Carlos Gonzalez finished April in a 3-for-24 funk, yet the Rockies have rolled to a comfortable advantage in the NL West standings. |
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6. TAMPA BAY RAYS[up from 22] Record : 17-14 Last 10 : 7-3 The Rays rebounded with a 16-6 stretch after opening the season 1-8. Ben Zobrist reverted to Zorilla with a 7-for-10 doubleheader, including 10 RBIs. Joe Maddon's club also welcomed back, no not ex-Ray Gabe Kapler, but Evan Longoria, out since the second game. |
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7. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS[up from 13] Record : 18-14 Last 10 : 6-4 All World slugger Albert Pujols regained some pop, but not his average, yet the Cardinals top the majors in hitting, hardly offering a Holliday for NL foes. Outfielder Matt Holliday has been above .400 every day but once since April 17. |
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8. ATLANTA BRAVES[up from 21] Record : 18-15 Last 10 : 7-3 Braves have found the plus side with their record thanks in large part to their pitchers, bolstered by the fine form of starter Jair Jurrjens, fresh off the disabled list. Veteran Tim Hudson also sparkled in a one-hit shutout of the Brewers. |
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9. LOS ANGELES ANGELS[down from 5] Record : 18-14 Last 10 : 6-4 Against teams not called Boston, the Angels opened the season 16-8. Unfortunately the Angels dropped six games to the Red Sox before winning in a five-hour, 13-inning effort. Former Blue Jay Vernon Wells re-discovered his home run stroke with a couple of dingers at Fenway. |
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10. TEXAS RANGERS[down from 3] Record : 17-15 Last 10 : 3-7 The Rangers seemed eager to be rid of Michael Young, shifting him from third base, then adding more bats to vie for DH opportunities, yet the 11-year Texas stalwart is still there, leading the club in batting average and right behind Adrian Beltre in RBIs. |
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11. OAKLAND ATHLETICS[down from 10] Record : 16-16 Last 10 : 5-5 The A’s have the best earned-run average in baseball so they’re never out of a game. Tyson Ross has replaced the injured Mr. Perfect Game, Dallas Braden, and kept pace with the likes of Trevor Cahill, Brent Anderson and Gio Gonzalez. |
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12. BOSTON RED SOX[up from 16] Record : 14-17 Last 10 : 4-6 Jacoby Ellsbury is stealing, Dustin Pedroia is grittily dirtying his uniform and Youk is sweating profusely. Looks like the Red Sox are back. Those were the injured guys and they seem healthy along with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez who fields nearly as sweetly as he swings the bat. |
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13. TORONTO BLUE JAYS[up from 18] Record : 14-17 Last 10 : 5-5 Dashing madly around the base-paths, the Blue Jays may be the most interesting or exciting close-to- .500 team in baseball. Jose Bautista, who's caused plenty of wrenched necks for pitchers swivelling to watch his rockets, needed some chiropractic work of his own. |
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14. KANSAS CITY ROYALS[down from 9] Record : 17-14 Last 10 : 5-5 That 10-4 quick start by the Royals faded as the calendar flipped over to May. Third time was the charm for Jeff (Frenchy) Francoeur, now with his third major league club, and fellow outfielder Alex Gordon, demoted previously to the minors because of injury and poor performances. |
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15. CINCINNATI REDS[down from 6] Record : 16-15 Last 10 : 5-5 Splitting their first 30 games evenly wasn't exactly the start the NL Central defending Reds had envisioned. NL MVP Joey Votto is among the league leaders in batting and the team is thankful they're in the most competitive division in the NL. |
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16. CHICAGO CUBS[up from 17] Record : 14-16 Last 10 : 4-6 From Dan Shulman of ESPN: Good news for Cubs, Alfonso Soriano has 10 home runs; bad news: so does the rest of the team. Take heart Chicagoans, Soriano is up to 11 homers and his teammates have moved ahead with 15 home runs. |
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17. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS[down from 8] Record : 15-16 Last 10 : 5-5 Tim Lincecum’s Freak Show continues a la a 12-strikeout shutdown of the Mets in New York. Serious power outage, though, with third baseman Pablo Sandovar on the DL and an average of just 3.6 runs a game.. |
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18. LOS ANGELES DODGERS[up from 19] Record : 15-17 Last 10 : 4-6 Biggest question for the Dodgers was which would run out first: Andre Ethier's hitting streak or the finances to meet the payroll for the end of the month. Don't worry, owner Frank McCourt is smart like a Fox. |
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19. DETROIT TIGERS[down from 15] Record : 9-10 Last 10 : 6-4 A seven-game losing streak had the Tigers reeling but they recovered to beat the Yankees in back-to-back-to-back outings. All of the Tigers starting pitchers, except Matt (5-0) Scherzer, had losing or .500 records. |
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20. SEATTLE MARINERS[up from 30] Record : 15-17 Last 10 : 7-3 Is that (Justin) Smoak and mirrors that the Mariners are employing to climb back towards respectability? The highly touted first baseman is leading the M's in homers and RBIs and Felix Hernandez and rookie Michael Pineda have dominant stuff as starters. |
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21. BALTIMORE ORIOLES[down from 20] Record : 14-16 Last 10 : 6-4 Rookie starter Zach Britton had a 5-1 record and Jake Arrieta was close behind at 4-1. Other than that, spring is super in Maryland and, hey, there are always crab cakes. |
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22. MILWAUKEE BREWERS[down from 14] |
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23. PITTSBURGH PIRATES[up from 25] Record : 15-16 Last 10 : 6-4 Pirates lost their anchor after a good start and drifted towards their usual doldrums with occasional gusts of competence. Closer Joel Hanrahan was 9-for-9 in save opportunities. |
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24. WASHINGTON NATIONALS[no change] Record : 14-17 Last 10 : 4-6 I'd say that multi-year, multi-millions contract idea isn't Werth too much so far, right? Jayson is struggling. Fortunately, the Nationals have the Mets around to keep them out of the NL East basement. |
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25. NEW YORK METS[up from 29] Record : 13-18 Last 10 : 5-5 The surge in Mets' productivity lasted about as long as Jason Bay's return from the disabled list, all of 10 games. Chris Young has shown fine form but has benefitted from an extremely low BABIP. That would be batting average on balls in play. |
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26. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS[up from 27] Record : 14-16 Last 10 : 6-4 Diamondbacks have the more productive Drew (Stephen with a close to .300 average and 22 RBIs as compared to older brother J.D. in Boston with just five). And they have San Diego to prop them up in the NL West. |
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27. MINNESOTA TWINS[down from 26] |
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28. SAN DIEGO PADRES[down from 23] Record : 12-19 Last 10 : 4-6 Actually, the Padres have the worst batting average in baseball, along with the best ERA in the NL so that’s pretty balanced although that’s not the case with their record. |
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29. CHICAGO WHITE SOX[down from 12] Record : 11-21 Last 10 : 3-7 That 3-15 tailspin by the Pale Hose is enough to get manager Ozzie Guillen tweeting mad. The White Sox won the race to become the first team to lose 20 games. |
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30. HOUSTON ASTROS[down from 28] Record : 12-19 Last 10 : 4-6 So, this is what it looks like to be worse than the White Sox! Four wins were all the Astros starters could muster in April. One bright spot is former Blue Jays prospect Brett Wallace among the top 10 in batting average. |