MLB power rankings: Rockies reach the peak
Published: April 29, 2011Section: Sports
It’s the semester finale! While a lot has changed during break, some things stay the same. The Rockies, Phillies, Yankees and Rangers, for instance, consolidated from the top six to the top four while teams like the Indians dropped with important division losses. All records are as of April 26.
1. Colorado Rockies (16-7): As of Tuesday the Rockies had the best record in the MLB. With a series against the Pirates and the Diamondbacks on the way, expect them to hold on to this record.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (15-7): The Phillies entered the week on a five-game winning streak. Unfortunately losses to the Diamondbacks dropped them from the top spot.
3. New York Yankees (12-8): With great wins during the weekend against Baltimore, the Yankees strengthened their hold on the American League (AL) East.
4. Texas Rangers (14-9): During the weekend the Rangers swept the Royals. However, their ranking is threatened by their repeated losses to the Blue Jays.
5. Florida Marlins (15-7): During spring break the Marlins have been surging. With a sweep against the Pirates and wins against the Rockies and the Dodgers, the Marlins are tied with the Phillies for top of the National League (NL) East.
6. Cleveland Indians (14-8): In what was a surprise to many, the top of the AL Central Indians were swept by the then-bottom of the division Twins during the weekend. With games against the Royals this week, they have a chance to distance themselves from the second place royals.
7. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (14-10): During the break the Angels had ups, such as sweeping the White Sox and beating the Texans, and downs, such as being swept by the Red Sox.
8. Cincinnati Reds (12-12): Cincinnati may be on the decline after their 5-0 start. They are 3-4 in their last seven games and have dropped down to a .500 record.
9. St. Louis Cardinals (12-11): The Cardinals are on the rise with a great trip to the West and a 4-3 record for their current home stretch.
10. Kansas City Royals (12-11): The Royals have been slumping. They split a home series against the Indians, were swept by the Rangers and have now earned losses at Cleveland’s own ballpark.
11. Milwaukee Brewers (12-11): Since getting swept by the Nationals, the Brewers have amassed a decent 5-3 record, including two wins against the Phillies.
12. San Francisco Giants (11-11): With a win on Tuesday, the Giants seem to be recovering from their three losses against the Braves. If they hope to regain the lead in their division, they’ll need to start winning series on the road.
13. Boston Red Sox (10-12): A trip to the West did well for the Red Sox. In their visit to the AL West they went 5-1 with a five-game win streak to enter the week. Returning to the East hasn’t been too successful with losses to the Orioles.
14. Detroit Tigers (12-11): During the weekend the Tigers swept the White Sox to the bottom of the AL Central and, as of Tuesday, are tied for the number two spot in the division.
15. Tampa Bay Rays (11-11): The Rays have been doing well with wins against the Twins, White Sox and Blue Jays. They’ve barely played this week, with a day off Monday and a postponed game Tuesday.
16. Atlanta Braves (12-13): If not for an extra-innings loss to the Padres, the Braves would be riding a positive record after sweeping the Giants on their own field.
17. Los Angeles Dodgers (12-13): The Dodgers may have won the weekend series against the Cubs but, with two losses to the Marlins, they fell below a .500 record.
18. Toronto Blue Jays (11-12): Despite wins against the Rangers during the week, the Blue Jays have been unable to regain the number two spot in their division since losing it to the Rays over the weekend.
19. Oakland Athletics (11-13): In their last seven games the losing team has scored three or less runs. Unfortunately for Oakland, five of those games were losses.
20. Washington Nationals (10-12): In the last two weeks, the Nationals have had three games postponed. Maybe with a decrease in double headers the Nationals may become a threat.
21. Chicago Cubs (10-13): Losing to the Dodgers and the Rockies should not be too surprising for Cubs fans. Maybe they’ll snap their losing streak with a trip to Arizona.
22. Minnesota Twins (9-12): Last weekend the Twins finally began to shown signs of the team they were expected to be. With Mauer on the disabled list and Morneau returning from a bad case of the flu, the Twins managed to sweep the Indians over the weekend. With the wins, the Twins moved from six games to four games out of first place.
23. Pittsburgh Pirates (10-13): The Pirates have been interesting in the last couple of weeks. Since the start of spring break, they won a series against the highly ranked Reds before being swept by the Marlins.
24. Arizona Diamondbacks (10-12): With two straight wins against the Phillies, the Diamondbacks have further earned their spot as 24th. If not for these wins, they probably would have dropped down a rank or two.
25. New York Mets (10-13): The Mets have doubled their wins in the last week with a five-game streak. If they hope to keep the momentum going, they’ll have to hold up on a trip to Philadelphia before hosting the champion Giants next week.
26. Baltimore Orioles (9-12): The Orioles may have started the season 6-1 but, with a long losing streak of eight games, the Orioles dropped all the way from the top of their division to the bottom.
27. Chicago White Sox (10-14): In the last couple of weeks the White Sox were swept at home by the Angels, nearly swept on the road by the Rays, and dropped to the bottom of their division by getting swept by the Tigers. Even with wins against the Yankees, the White Sox have little to be proud of.
28. Houston Astros (9-14): The Astros are having a surprisingly good week. Going 4-3 in their last seven games, the Astros have nearly doubled their total wins in little more than a week.
29. Seattle Mariners (9-15): During break the Mariners amassed five wins. Unless they can start sweeping series, expect them to remain circling the drain.
30. San Diego Padres (9-15): Being swept at home by the Phillies, even if the games were close, makes it very hard to justify the Padres as doing well.