1. Yankees (Last week 2)- They lost last night but had previously won 8 in a row, that'll give you the top spot and a 2 game lead in the division.
2. Rays (1)- They've lost 3 in a row and the Twins are suddenly gaining on them. Jeff Niemann needs to figure something out or get removed, 23 ER in his last 10 innings (3 starts).
3. Twins (3)- Like I said, they're gaining having won 4 in a row. Funny that the Yankees and Twins both had starting pitching issues and both have gone on winning streaks in spite of them.
4. White Sox (11)- Huge jump this week, on the heels of winning 7 in a row. They're starting to pitch better, Chris Sale has been dominating and with Manny in a playoff race the rest of the AL should be on watch.
5. Phillies (9)- This may be more of a speculative rank as I think they will now finish first in the NL, but they've been playing better than the Braves recently and are finally healthy.
6. Reds (6)- The Cardinals still beat them, but they can't beat anyone else. The Reds should win the division (6 game lead) but I'm not sold on them doing anything in the playoffs.
7. Braves (7)- Still ahead of the Phillies (.5 game lead) but does anyone actually think they're the better team? With Roy squared and Cole Hamels, I'm guessing this is the last week the Braves are in 1st place.
8. Giants (10)- Maybe I'm a sucker this week for hot teams and ranking them high, but the Giants have won 3 in a row and are only a game back of the Padres.
9. Red Sox (5)- Big drop this week as they played their way out of playoff contention getting swept by the other Sox.
10. Rangers (4)-Another big drop this week as they've lost 4 in a row. A few weeks back I said Cliff Lee wouldn't have another clunker, since then he's had 2 more and a start skipped. The Rangers are lucky their division sucks because it's the only division in baseball where they would have a lead.
Best of the Rest
11. Padres (9) - Losing 10 in a row will hurt you any way you want to slice it. They won last night and have Latos on the mound tonight so maybe they stay in first for a little longer, but it's going to be tough to hold on.
12. Rockies (12)- Tempted to rank them above the Padres but I couldn't. 4 wins in a row and still in line for another magical September run!
13. Blue Jays (13)- Other teams have better records, but 71 wins in the AL East is quite a feat,
14. Cardinals (14)- Now they're playing bad and have a team feud. If the Cardinals side with TLR and keep him and trade Rasmus, that'll come back to bite them in the ass, HARD.
15. A's (15)- Continue to play around .500 ball in the AL. Should be more competitive next year if they can muster up a slugger.
16. Marlins (17)- HanRam has been on fire, Stanton has a few homers recently, and Morrison is looking like a keeper. Watch out for a 3 headed NL East race next year.
17. Dodgers (16)- A 'meh' year all year long, they're not bad, they're not exciting, I say dece.
18. Astros (22)- Solid week as they continue to play well post giving up. The teams below them here may have better records, but they aren't playing better ball right now.
19. Tigers (19)- Another 'meh' team. 'Nuff said.
20. Brewers (20)- At least Prince Fielder is heating up his offseason trade value!
21. Angels (21)- At least Kazmir has been ok of late!
22. Mets (18)- At this rate they won't be ranked next week. Whatever the chance is Minaya gets fired won't be large enough.
No Ranking Needed
Nats- Say what you will, Nyjer Morgan is a badass.
Cubs- Another team playing better since giving up.
Royals- Crossing their fingers that their group of prospects don't pull Alex Gordon's.
Indians- Remember Pronk? I almost forgot he was good.
Diamondbacks- Maybe when they figure out who's going to general manage the team, and then manage the team, they'll be better. Maybe.
Orioles- They've been legit with Showalter, potential to be ranked next week.
Mariners- Lone bright spot is Felix, who should, but probably won't, win the AL Cy Young Award.
Pirates- It's hard to come up with things to say about the Pirates. They. Just. Suck.
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