9/7 MLB Power Rankings; Cardinals on the rise
By Joe Meehan
The MLB Power Rankings were assembled by BoSox Injection writers Joe Meehan, Michele Pettis, and Drew Peabody.
(Last week’s ranking in parentheses.)
1.(1) LA Angels (86-55) – The Angels have won eight of ten. Jason Grilli has recovered from his 4.87 ERA and 1.62 WHIP posted in Pittsburgh before his trade to post a 2.28 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 27.2 innings since assuming a non-closer relief role with the Angels. – Drew
2.(4) Baltimore Orioles (82-59) – The Orioles could be the first team to clinch a playoff spot. Who saw that coming? – Michele
3.(2) Washington Nationals (79-61) – Washington has lost three of four. Rafael Soriano has blown five saves since the All-Star break and was removed from the closer’s role to get his confidence back: he has a 6.98 ERA after the break after 0.97 ERA before it. – Drew
4.(5) LA Dodgers (80-62) – The Dodgers have only a two-game lead in the division but their strong play makes it feel like more. – Michele
5.(3) Oakland Athletics (80-61) – Oakland has lost seven of nine. Adam Dunn has driven in five runs in four starts since his acquisition by the A’s. The team was desperate for runs after their offensive struggles since the departure of Yoenis Cespedes. – Drew
6.(11) St. Louis Cardinals (78-64) – The Cardinals have extended their divisional lead to 4.0 games despite being the only current playoff team without a positive plus/minus. – Joe
7.(9) San Francisco Giants (78-64) – Jake Peavy has been a great addition to the rotation. – Michele
8.(6) Kansas City Royals (78-62) – Danny Duffy left his last start after just one pitch with a shoulder injury. An extended absence would be a huge blow for the Royals’ rotation. – Joe
9.(7) Detroit Tigers (77-65) – The Tigers lost another game in which David Price went the distance, the second time this has happened in the last two weeks. On an unrelated note, it must’ve been an awkward clubhouse after some no-so-flattering pictures of Justin Verlander were released. – Joe
10.(10) Seattle Mariners (78-63) – Seattle has won five of six. Fernando Rodney leads the league in saves with 42, though he has given up runs in three of his last five appearances. – Drew
11.(12) Pittsburgh Pirates (73-68) – The Pirates are almost back to full health and the Brewers are reeling. Now is the time to strike. – Joe
12.(14) New York Yankees (73-67) – Their playoff hopes are looking rather bleak. – Michele
13.(13) Atlanta Braves (74-68) – Atlanta has lost three of five. Aaron Harang has come back to Earth, posting a 6.91 ERA while losing four of his last five starts. – Drew
14.(8) Milwaukee Brewers (74-68) – The Brewers have gone into a tailspin, losing 13 of their last 16 games. Losing Carlos Gomez for a week definitely won’t help. – Joe
15.(16) Cleveland Indians (73-67) – Three of the Indians’ next four series are against the Twins (2) and Astros (1). Don’t count them out of the playoff race just yet. – Joe
16.(17) Toronto Blue Jays (72-69) – The days of first place are long gone and so are their playoff hopes. – Michele
17.(15) Miami Marlins (68-72) – Miami has lost three of four. Jarred Cosart has rebounded from a mediocre season with Houston (4.41 ERA) to post a 1.99 ERA in six starts with the Marlins. – Drew
18.(18) Tampa Bay Rays (69-74) – They may have a .581 winning percentage since June 10, but it’s not enough to get to October. – Michele
19.(21) New York Mets (67-75) – The Mets have won four of six. Lucas Duda is making everyone forget about Ike Davis; he has poked 27 homers and driven in 80 runs. – Drew
20.(19) Cincinnati Reds (67-75) – The Reds made the decision not to make a playoff push at the trade deadline, and we’re currently seeing the results of that decision. – Joe
21.(20) San Diego Padres (66-75) – Not a good season for the Padres, but Seth Smith and his team-leading 12 homers are giving fans something fun to watch. Sort of. – Michele
22.(22) Philadelphia Phillies (66-75) – Philadelphia has won four of six. Journeyman Jerome Williams has thrived in Philadelphia, posting a 2.84 ERA in five starts. – Drew
23.(23) Chicago Cubs (64-78) – The Cubs are probably the team with the most upside in the bottom 10. The youth is so promising, but the biggest question is will that youth produce positive results next season or will Cubs fans have to wait another year? – Joe
24.(25) Boston Red Sox (63-79) – The 2012 and 2014 seasons were disappointing, but 2013 makes up for it. And 2015 is already looking good. – Michele
25.(24) Chicago White Sox (63-78) – The White Sox have so many holes that a possible Chris Sale offseason trade is starting to look more and more like a possibility. – Joe
26.(27) Houston Astros (62-80) – Houston has won five of six, including three of four since the firing of manager Bo Porter. Tony Sipp earned saves in back-to-back appearances this week, striking out six in three innings of work. – Drew
27.(26) Minnesota Twins (61-81) – Offseason to-do list: 1) Pitching 2) Pitching 3) Pitching. – Joe
28.(28) Arizona Diamondbacks (59-83) – It stinks to be eliminated from playoff contention this soon, but at least they weren’t the first. – Michele
29.(29) Colorado Rockies (58-84) – Looking forward to 2015 and seeing the progression of Nolan Arenado. – Michele
30.(30) Texas Rangers (53-89) – Texas has lost seven of eight. The AL West had its second managerial change in a week when Ron Washington resigned, citing pressing personal problems. – Drew
Biggest Jump: Cardinals (+5)
Biggest Drop: Brewers (-6)