8/24 MLB Power Rankings; Angels fly to the top

The MLB Power Rankings were assembled by BoSox Injection writers Joe Meehan, Michele Pettis, and Drew Peabody.

(Last week’s ranking in parentheses.)

1.(2) LA Angels (76-52) – The Angels lost their last two games to Oakland to fall back into a first place tie after pounding also-rans like Philadelphia, Texas, and Boston for wins in eight of nine games. After losing their ace Garrett Richards to a knee injury, the team is hoping the remainder of the starters can pick up the slack. – Drew

2.(1) Oakland Athletics (76-52) – Oakland has won their last two against the Angels after losing the previous six of seven. Unheralded closer Sean Doolittle has been what Koji Uehara was last year for the Red Sox; he has a 0.64 ERA since June 30, has converted his last eight save chances and has a 80/5 strikeout/walk ratio for the season. – Drew

3.(5) Washington Nationals (74-54) – Washington has won 11 of 12 and 16 of 22 in August. Tyler Clippard leads the NL in holds with 29, while sporting a 1.95 ERA. – Drew

4.(3) LA Dodgers (74-57) – Looking ahead a week, there is a potential Doug Fister vs. Clayton Kershaw matchup looming. It’s a huge opportunity for baseball fans everywhere to see an awesome pitchers’ duel between the top two NL teams. – Michele

5.(4) Baltimore Orioles (73-54) – Their seven-game division lead is proof of a weak AL East, but they do have the third best record in the AL. – Michele

6.(7) Kansas City Royals (72-56) – The Royals just keep winning. Closer Greg Holland has converted 40 of 42 save opportunities and holds a 1.79 ERA for the surprising Central division leaders. – Joe

7.(6) Milwaukee Brewers (71-58) – A sweep of the Dodgers left the Brewers in a good position, but since then they’ve lost three in a row to the Blue Jays and Pirates. – Joe

8.(9) St. Louis Cardinals (70-58) – The Cardinals have won eight of 10 to move within half a game of the Brewers in the division. If they’re going to jump them though they’re going to need more from new starters John Lackey and Justin Masterson, who are sporting 5.40 and 6.30 ERAs, respectively. – Joe

9.(8) Detroit Tigers (69-59) – David Price tossed a one-hitter against his former team, but lost 1-0. Bet the Tigers didn’t think they’d be battling for a Wild Card spot at this point of the season. – Joe

10.(10) Seattle Mariners (70-58) – Seattle has won five of eight. Ex-closer Tom Wilhelmsen has thrived in his new role in the strong Mariners ‘pen. With the ability to pitch more than one inning, Wilhelmsen has a 2.11 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 68.1 innings this season. – Drew

11.(11) San Francisco Giants (68-60) – Michael Morse is on fire (16 HR and 57 RBI). What will his return to Nationals park be like? – Michele

12.(14) Atlanta Braves (68-62) – Atlanta has won eight of nine. In the course of this nine game run, the pitching staff has allowed 18 runs. – Drew

13.(12) Pittsburgh Pirates (67-62) – The Pirates are not handling all of their injuries well, as they’ve gone 3-7 over their last 10 games. There’s still hope for a playoff spot, but not if they can’t up their level of play. – Joe

14.(17) New York Yankees (66-61) – The addition of Brandon McCarthy is paying off; he’s built up a 5-2 record and a stellar 1.90 ERA. – Michele

15.(13) Toronto Blue Jays (66-63) – To distract themselves from their dwindling playoff hopes, apparently the front office is fighting Creighton University over their logo. – Michele

16.(19) Miami Marlins (64-64) – Miami has won four of five. Though Red Sox fans always drool over
 Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins 22 year old left fielder Christian Yelich should have their attention as well, as he has nine homers, 16 steals and a .792 OPS in 2014, his first full major league season. – Drew

17.(18) Cleveland Indians (65-63) – Nick Swisher underwent knee surgery and will miss the rest of the season, which is probably a good thing for the Tribe. Let’s hope he can make a full recovery and maybe return to form next season. – Joe

18.(15) Tampa Bay Rays (63-66) – Wil Myers is back, though probably too late for a playoff run. – Michele

19.(16) Cincinnati Reds (62-68) – The wheels have come off in Cincinnati. There’s not much to see here besides Billy Hamilton still flying around the bases (49 stolen bases). – Joe

20.(21) New York Mets (60-70) – The Mets have lost eight of 11. Jeurys Familia has subbed admirably
for regular closer Jenrry Mejia, who is battling calf problems. Familia has saved three games this month with a 1.97 ERA. – Drew

21.(20) San Diego Padres (59-69) – They’re not going to find their way into the playoff race, but they’re showing they’re not going gently into the night by having a winning record in games since July 19. – Michele

22.(22) Chicago White Sox (59-70) – There are rumors in Chicago that the front office might be willing to move Chris Sale this offseason for the right price, and the Red Sox have already been linked to the dominant lefty. They certainly have the prospects to get a deal done. – Joe

23.(24) Philadelphia Phillies (57-72) – Philadelphia has split their last eight games. Marlon Byrd continues to put up solid numbers for the Phils, slugging 23 homers while leading the team with a .783 OPS. – Drew

24.(27) Chicago Cubs (57-72) – The youth movement in Chicago is starting to produce results. Anthony Rizzo has 29 home runs and Javier Baez has added seven of his own since his call up to the bigs. – Joe

25.(25) Minnesota Twins (58-71) – Top prospect Byron Buxton is done for the year after a nasty collision in the outfield in Double-A. That’s two top prospects that have suffered season ending injuries for the Twins this season. – Joe

26.(28) Houston Astros (55-75) – Houston has won five of nine. Jose Altuve is trying to become the
 first AL player to win the batting title and stolen base crown in the same season since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 and only the second overall since Jackie Robinson in 1949. – Drew

27.(23) Boston Red Sox (56-73) – The 2014 season is a nightmare, but the signing of Rusney Castillo is a ray of hope for the future. Unless he’s a total bust. – Michele

28.(26) Arizona Diamondbacks (55-75) – They could really use Paul Goldschmidt back. And some pitching… – Michele

29.(29) Colorado Rockies (51-77) – Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez are both out for the year, but at least Michael Cuddyer hit for the cycle. – Michele

30.(30) Texas Rangers (49-79) – Texas has lost seven of nine, making them the last team without 50 wins in the majors this season. Adrian Beltre is putting up a great season despite a shaky lineup; he is fourth in the league in hitting, seventh in OPS and ninth in slugging. – Drew

Biggest Jump: Yankees, Marlins, Cubs (+3)

Biggest Drop: Red Sox (-4)