Veteran Lance Berkman is rejuvenated in St. Louis. leading the National League with a .624 slugging percentage. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) Every second Friday, CBCSports.ca's Mike Dennis breaks down the balance of power in Major League Baseball.
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1. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS[up from 8] Record : 38-26 Last 10 : 6-4 Flying above the pack on the slugging of Lance Berkman (NL-leading .624 percentage) and the suddenly awakened Albert Pujols, the Cardinals are the emerging National League Central power. |
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2. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES [up from 3] Record : 37-26 Last 10 : 4-6 With a mediocre .250 team average you’d think the Phillies would struggle but they get just enough out of Ryan Howard and company to make the pitching of Doc Halladay, Cliff Lee and the gang, stand up. |
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3. BOSTON RED SOX[up from T-9] Record : 3626 Last 10 : 6-4 Having the league leaders in hits, RBIs (Adrian Gonzalez) and stolen bases (Jacoby Ellsubry) plus dominating the Yankees, is a winning combination for the Red Sox. However, they’re holding their collective breath on the health of Dustin Pedroia’s knee. |
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4. NEW YORK YANKEES[up from 13] Record : 33-27 Last 10 : 6-4 Bombing out against the Bosox, the Bronx Bombers are right in the hunt despite pitching injuries and batting inconsistencies. Derek Jeter and anyone watching a Yankees’ telecast will be delighted when he finally reaches 3,000 hits. |
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5. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS[up from 11] Record : 35-28 Last 10 : 6-4 Despite the devastating loss of catcher Buster Posey for the year on that home plate collision, the Giants are hanging tough in the NL West. Matt Cain is more than able with several powerful performances despite a modest record. |
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6. TEXAS RANGERS[up from 12] Record : 35-29 Last 10 : 6-4 Nervous that Alexi Ogando couldn’t handle the closer’s role if they moved Neftali Feliz to the rotation, the Rangers are revealing themselves as the class of the AL West mainly because of their pitching. Ogando’s 7-0, CJ Wilson is 6-3 and the team can still hit. |
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7. MILWAUKEE BREWERS[up from 17] |
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8. CLEVELAND
INDIANS[down from 2] Record : 34-26 Last 10 : 3-7 There’s no wahoo, moxie or home-park magic anymore for the sagging Indians who dropped seven in a row recently. Those Tigers in their mirror are closer than they appear. |
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9. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS[up from 26] Record : 34-29 Last 10 : 5-5 Briefly atop the NL West, the Diamondbacks don’t have anyone hitting close to .300 but aren’t wilting as the weather warms up. JJ is no Putz when it comes to saves with 17 and counting. |
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10. DETROIT TIGERS[down from 7] Record : 34-28 Last 10 : 8-2 First four starters Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Brad Penny are averaging six wins apiece as the Tigers claw their way back into the AL Central battle. Catcher Alex Avila is the big offensive surprise. |
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11. ATLANTA BRAVES[down from 6] Record : 35-28 Last 10 : 6-4 A right shoulder injury knocked Jason Heyward out of the Braves’ lineup for a half-dozen games and Dan Uggla’s been just ugly at the dish. See how far pitching can carry you … at least into the wild card race. |
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12. TAMPA BAY RAYS[down from 4] Record : 33-29 Last 10 : 5-5 Perhaps it was fitting that manager Joe Maddon chose a pajama motif for the Rays’ latest road trip outfits. Since recovering from a 0-6 start, Tampa Bay’s been in a 5-5 sleep mode in June, sort of lounging around. |
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13. TORONTO BLUE JAYS[down from T-9] Record : 32-31 Last 10 : 5-5 Jose Bautista has gone more than a week without a home run (May 28 was his last), but there’s always Adam Lind to provide the long ball. Brett Lawrie nearly cracked the line up but a broken hand has delayed his call-up. |
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14. SEATTLE MARINERS[up from 27] Record : 32-31 Last 10 : 5-5 When Mike Carp hit .422 during a 22-game hitting streak at AAA Tacoma, the Mariners floated the idea he’d be better off helping at the major league level so they called him up to be their DH. Even when Michael Pineda (6-3, 2.33 ERA) loses, he looks impressive. |
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15. FLORIDA MARLINS[down from 5] Record : 31-30 Last 10 : 1-9 A 1-9 stretch and a losing record in Miami have taken a bit of the fight out of the Marlins. Having Josh Johnson and Hanley Ramirez on the disabled list also isn’t helping matters. |
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16. CINCINNATI REDS[down from 1] Record : 33-31 Last 10 : 6-4 Also puzzling is why the Reds can’t get away from the .500 level. Jay Bruce is bashing homers and RBIs and Joey Votto has a good batting average but with a team ERA above only Houston and the Cubs, Cinci is scuffling. |
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17. LOS ANGELES ANGELS[down from 15] Record : 30-34 Last 10 : 3-7 Well, well Vernon Wells is back. Yet the Angels aren’t looking down on anyone in the AL West except for Oakland. Jered Weaver came down from his 6-0 start though his ERA is still excellent. Dan Haren’s back has been balky. |
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18. PITTSBURGH PIRATES[up from 28] Record : 30-31 Last 10 : 6-4 This 30-30 start for the Pirates may call for a parade. It’s only been 19 years (1992) since they had a winning record. Everyone’s favourite Pittsburgher is Andrew McCutchen, who does a number of things quite well. |
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19. NEW YORK METS[up from 21] Record : 30-32 Last 10 : 6-4 The real Jose Reyes is on display at Citi Field and elsewhere and he’s awesome. National League leader in hits, average, triples and second in stolen bases almost makes the Mets forget their financial situation. Almost. |
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20. COLORADO ROCKIES[down from 14] Record : 30-32 Last 10 : 5-5 Losing Jorge De La Rosa for the season and seeing Ubaldo Jimenez with just one win doesn’t do much for the Rockies’ confidence. |
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20. BALTIMORE ORIOLES[up from 21] Record : 29-31 Last 10 : 5-5 After a 1-5 road trip including three losses in Oakland, the Orioles preferred some Maryland home-cooking as they returned the favour by sweeping the visiting A’s. Baltimore rookie of the year candidate Zack Britton notched his first win since May 1. |
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22. LOS ANGELES DODGERS[no change] Record : 29-35 Last 10 : 5-5 The Brinks trucks are expected to make the Dodgers June 15 payroll delivery again so that’s good news as is the continued play of Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Other than that, the weather’s been pretty good on the coast. |
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25. CHICAGO WHITE SOX[up from 29] Record : 31-34 Last 10 : 7-3 Ageless wonder Omar Vizquel continues to deliver when he gets into the White Sox lineup. He even had a two-run triple in Seattle. Neither Alex Rios nor Adam Dunn is hitting their weight, although Dunn does tip the Toledo’s at about 285. |
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24. WASHINGTON NATIONALS[down from 18] Record : 27-36 Last 10 : 5-5 Latest rumour from the U.S. capital is that 2010 number one draftee Bryce Harper is working on a “kiss-and-tell”. Seems that the powerful hitter tosses air kisses to pitchers he’s taken deep like David Ortiz flips bats. Nationals are kind of muddling along. |
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25. SAN DIEGO PADRES[down from 23] Record : 29-35 Last 10 : 6-4 All you need to know about the Padres is that Chris Denorfia leads the team in hitting. You probably already know about the San Diego zoo, SeaWorld and the lovely golf courses in SoCal. |
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26. KANSAS CITY ROYALS[down from 19] Record : 27-36 Last 10 : 4-6 Could be a Royal straight flush for the KC club with Eric Hosmer showing he deserved all the hype as a prospect. Hot-hitting Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur haven’t melted down yet, either. |
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27. OAKLAND ATHLETICS[down from 16] Record : 27-37 Last 10 : 0-10 Nine losses in a row were enough to get manager Bob Geren fired despite the A’s league-leading mounds corps. Losing Brett Anderson to the DL, though, didn’t help matters. Bob (Harold) Melvin (and the Blue Notes) is now at the helm. |
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28. CHICAGO CUBS[down from 24] Record : 25-36 Last 10 : 2-8 Speaking of those pesky 1-9 runs, say hello to the northside Chicago outfit, aka the Cubs. Soon-to-be pitching coach Carlos Zambrano will comment on the rest of the pitchers 15 minutes after the conclusion of the ball game. |
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29. MINNESOTA TWINS[up from 30] |
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30. HOUSTON ASTROS[down from 29] Record : 24-39 Last 10 : 5-5 OK, no jokes about the Astros taking two of three from the Blue Jays. Even the worst teams string together a few wins occasionally. Michael Bourn leads the NL in stolen bases. That must count for something. |