Post by Zig on Jun 9, 2014 13:06:39 GMT -5
For the second straight week, the San Francisco Giants hold down the No. 1 position in our Power Rankings. The Giants' Bay Area rivals, the Oakland Athletics, remain at No. 2 for the second week in a row.
The American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, winners of six of their past eight games, move up one spot to take over the No. 3 spot, while the Milwaukee Brewers rise two spots to No. 4. The Detroit Tigers, in the fifth spot, round out the top five teams.
This week's voters were Jim Bowden of ESPN Insider, Tim Kurkjian of ESPN The Magazine, David Schoenfield of the SweetSpot Blog Network/ESPN.com, and Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
2014 Power Rankings: June 9
RANK TEAM / RECORD TRENDING COMMENTS
1
Giants
42-21
--
Last Week: 1 The Giants have lost one game since the previous iteration of the power rankings. They're hitting a major league-best .283 with runners in scoring position and two outs. The strong performances of the starting pitchers are converted to wins by an ultra-successful bullpen that's boasting a 2.38 ERA and the major league saves leader, Sergio Romo. -- Connor Grossman (@giantsbaseball), West Coast Bias
2
Athletics
39-24
--
Last Week: 2 The A's have the second-best record in the majors, behind only the Giants, but their run differential (plus-128) is nearly double that of San Francisco (plus-65). -- Jason Wojciechowski (@jlwoj), Beaneball
3
Blue Jays
38-26
1
Last Week: 4 The Blue Jays had their streak of seven consecutive series wins snapped when St. Louis took two of three over the weekend. Regardless, they finished the week 4-2 and sit 12 games above .500. You can't win them all. -- Callum Hughson (@callumhughson), Mop-Up Duty
4
Brewers
38-26
2
Last Week: 6 Third baseman Aramis Ramirez returned to the lineup, and the Brewers continued churning out the runs last week against the Twins and Pirates. The team is currently in the midst of an important run of 15 of 18 games on the road, with a trip to Queens to visit the Mets up next. -- Ryan Topp (@rdtopp), Disciples of Uecker
5
Tigers
33-26
2
Last Week: 3 Joe Nathan's nightmare season continues, as he has allowed two or more runs in four of his past five appearances. His ERA stands at an atrocious 7.04. -- ESPN.com
6
Angels
34-28
1
Last Week: 5 Raul Ibanez is running out of time to prove he deserves a spot on the Angels' roster. The 42-year-old is batting just .143/.249/.259 and is homer-less in his past 125 plate appearances. The only thing keeping him in Anaheim at the moment is Ian Stewart's delayed return from injury. -- Nate Aderhold, Halos Daily
7
Braves
32-29
1
Last Week: 8 The Braves are struggling to find a spark that could propel them on a streak of consistent winning. The offense continues to be lackluster, especially with runners in scoring position. There is hope as Jason Heyward has been on a tear, hitting .321/.390/.604 in his past 12 games. -- Martin Gandy (@gondeee), Chop County
8
Nationals
32-29
4
Last Week: 12 The Nationals' surge to first place in the NL East has been based on a dominating pitching performance in the past month, during which the staff led the majors in ERA (2.42), WHIP (1.05), OPS against (.596) and walks allowed (47). -- Harper Gordek (@harpergordek), Nationals Baseball
9
Mariners
33-29
9
Last Week: 18 Since that game on May 7 when he recorded no strikeouts, Felix Hernandez is 5-0 in six starts with a 1.99 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings. The game he didn't win was Sunday's 15-strikeout performance against the Rays. He hasn't allowed a home run since April 21. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
10
Dodgers
33-31
1
Last Week: 9 Lost two of three versus the White Sox to end a disappointing 4-6 homestand. They're 13-19 at home. Last time they finished a season six or more games under .500 at home was 1999 (37-44). Expected to run away with the division, Los Angeles is now a half-game out of the second wild card. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
11
Marlins
33-30
2
Last Week: 13 Swept a home-and-home from slumping Tampa Bay, but needed to rally Sunday to avoid being swept by the Cubs at Wrigley. Henderson Alvarez's scoreless-innings streak ended at 26 as he left Sunday's game with a hip strain. That streak is the third-longest in team history, behind Luis Aquino (26 1/3, 1994) and Javier Vazquez (29, 2011). -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
12
Orioles
31-30
2
Last Week: 14 The Orioles keep finding some misfortune, with Johan Santana's Achilles tear and Manny Machado's bat overshadowing an exceptional start from Kevin Gausman on Saturday. -- Jon Shepherd (@camdendepot), Camden Depot
13
Cardinals
33-31
6
Last Week: 7 The Cardinals rediscovered confidence by taking two of three from the AL East-leading Blue Jays in Toronto on the strength of shutouts from starters Shelby Miller and Jaime Garcia. -- Matt Philip (@fungoes), Fungoes
14
Yankees
31-31
4
Last Week: 10 The punchless Yankees scored 19 runs last week and went 2-5; they have failed to score more than four in a game since Memorial Day. The lineup is fully healthy at this point, with Carlos Beltran and Mark Teixeira back in the mix, allowing Joe Girardi to trot out the team's de facto "best" lineup. -- Domenic Lanza (@domeniclanza), It's About the Money
15
White Sox
31-33
1
Last Week: 16 The White Sox, April's best offense in baseball, have struck out in 24.9 percent of their plate appearances since the beginning of May and are pretty far away from being the best offense in baseball these days. For comparison point, Adam Dunn -- famous for strikeouts -- finished the 2005 season with a 25.0 percent strikeout rate. -- James Fegan (@thecatbird_Seat), The Catbird Seat
16
Indians
32-31
8
Last Week: 24 The Indians seem to have found their stride, sweeping both the Rockies and Red Sox at home. Their 21-11 (.656) record at home is the best in the AL and third-best in the majors. -- Susan Petrone (@susanpetrone), It's Pronounced "Lajaway"
17
Rangers
31-32
2
Last Week: 15 The hits just keep coming. Mitch Moreland is now likely out for the season due to ankle reconstruction surgery, and Rougned Odor hurt his shoulder diving back to first base on Sunday. It's tough to remember any professional sports franchise ever ravaged by as many injuries in a season as the 2014 Texas Rangers, who have now made 19 DL transactions this season. -- Brandon Land (@one_strike_away), One Strike Away
18
Royals
31-32
1
Last Week: 19 The Royals won three of four against St. Louis and two of three so far in a four-game series against the Yankees. Although they've hit just 28 home runs, they are first in the AL in doubles, so ... umm, just turn some of those doubles into home runs. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
19
Pirates
29-33
1
Last Week: 20 Having the fourth-worst run differential in the National League, the Pirates continue to look like a team that's headed nowhere. -- ESPN.com
20
Reds
29-32
1
Last Week: 21 Another .500 week for the Redlegs, though they did win their first home series in nearly a month. After a rough April, Homer Bailey is finally returning to form; in his past four starts, he has posted a 2.57 ERA. -- Chad Dotson (@dotsonc), Redleg Nation
21
Red Sox
28-34
4
Last Week: 17 With a win Sunday night, the Red Sox ended yet another losing streak. But the losses showed that their outfield is the worst unit in the American League, posting a cumulative minus-0.8 WAR. Other than Shane Victorino, who's on the DL, there isn't any help coming to Boston's outfield any time soon. Here's hoping 2B-turned-OF prospect Mookie Betts tears it up at Triple-A. -- Brett Cowett (@bacowett), Fire Brand of the AL
22
Rockies
29-33
11
Last Week: 11 The Rockies returned from a horrible road trip to play horribly at home, dropping below .500. The only pitcher to get a win this homestand was just demoted to the bullpen. To add injury to insult, the Rockies sent Jordan Lyles, Boone Logan and Carlos Gonzalez to the DL. One-fourth of the Rockies' payroll is now disabled. -- Richard Bergstrom (@rockieszingers), Rockies Zingers
23
Twins
29-32
1
Last Week: 22 The Twins are stuck in last place in the AL Central, but they're finally aiming to do something about it, as evidenced by the signing of Kendrys Morales during the weekend. -- Nick Nelson (@nnelson9), Twins Daily
24
Mets
28-35
1
Last Week: 23 The Mets have scored first in 12 of their past 14 games. However, they've lost 20 games after holding a lead, including seven by walk-off. Both figures are the most in the majors. -- Joe Janish (@metstoday), Mets Today
25
Padres
28-35
--
Last Week: 25 On the bright side, relievers Huston Street, Joaquin Benoit and Alex Torres are a combined 4-0 with a 1.25 ERA and haven't lost a game the Padres led in the eighth inning or later all season. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
26
Astros
28-36
2
Last Week: 28 Hit two grand slams in the same game for the first time in nearly 45 years as they crushed the Twins on Sunday. Have now won 11 of their past 15, moving within six of the last AL wild-card spot (dream big!). Jose Altuve in past 30 days: .366/.391/.480. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
27
Cubs
25-35
2
Last Week: 29 Despite Sunday's hiccup, the Cubs' bullpen has been much improved this season, ranking ninth in the majors in ERA, compared to 25th last season. -- Joe Aiello (@vftb), View from the Bleachers
28
Diamondbacks
28-37
2
Last Week: 30 The D-backs are coming off their best week of the season, posting a plus-14 run differential and taking two of three from the Braves after sweeping the Rockies. After an obscene 5-18 start, the team is 23-19 since April 22. -- Ryan P. Morrison (@insidethezona), Inside the 'Zona
29
Rays
24-40
2
Last Week: 27 Joe Maddon set a goal for his team -- the owner of the majors' worst record -- to be 50-50 at the season's century mark. In order to do that, the Rays will need to go 26-10. Good luck. -- Tommy Rancel (@trancel), The Process Report
30
Phillies
25-36
4
Last Week: 26 With eight losses in nine games, the Phillies finally should know what everyone also has known: This is an awful team going nowhere. Even this week's homestand against the Padres and Cubs won't be enough to turn things around. May as well start looking to trade what you can. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
Biggest Jump: 9(Mariners)
Biggest Drop: 11 (Rockies)
espn.go.com/mlb/powerrankings
The American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, winners of six of their past eight games, move up one spot to take over the No. 3 spot, while the Milwaukee Brewers rise two spots to No. 4. The Detroit Tigers, in the fifth spot, round out the top five teams.
This week's voters were Jim Bowden of ESPN Insider, Tim Kurkjian of ESPN The Magazine, David Schoenfield of the SweetSpot Blog Network/ESPN.com, and Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
2014 Power Rankings: June 9
RANK TEAM / RECORD TRENDING COMMENTS
1
Giants
42-21
--
Last Week: 1 The Giants have lost one game since the previous iteration of the power rankings. They're hitting a major league-best .283 with runners in scoring position and two outs. The strong performances of the starting pitchers are converted to wins by an ultra-successful bullpen that's boasting a 2.38 ERA and the major league saves leader, Sergio Romo. -- Connor Grossman (@giantsbaseball), West Coast Bias
2
Athletics
39-24
--
Last Week: 2 The A's have the second-best record in the majors, behind only the Giants, but their run differential (plus-128) is nearly double that of San Francisco (plus-65). -- Jason Wojciechowski (@jlwoj), Beaneball
3
Blue Jays
38-26
1
Last Week: 4 The Blue Jays had their streak of seven consecutive series wins snapped when St. Louis took two of three over the weekend. Regardless, they finished the week 4-2 and sit 12 games above .500. You can't win them all. -- Callum Hughson (@callumhughson), Mop-Up Duty
4
Brewers
38-26
2
Last Week: 6 Third baseman Aramis Ramirez returned to the lineup, and the Brewers continued churning out the runs last week against the Twins and Pirates. The team is currently in the midst of an important run of 15 of 18 games on the road, with a trip to Queens to visit the Mets up next. -- Ryan Topp (@rdtopp), Disciples of Uecker
5
Tigers
33-26
2
Last Week: 3 Joe Nathan's nightmare season continues, as he has allowed two or more runs in four of his past five appearances. His ERA stands at an atrocious 7.04. -- ESPN.com
6
Angels
34-28
1
Last Week: 5 Raul Ibanez is running out of time to prove he deserves a spot on the Angels' roster. The 42-year-old is batting just .143/.249/.259 and is homer-less in his past 125 plate appearances. The only thing keeping him in Anaheim at the moment is Ian Stewart's delayed return from injury. -- Nate Aderhold, Halos Daily
7
Braves
32-29
1
Last Week: 8 The Braves are struggling to find a spark that could propel them on a streak of consistent winning. The offense continues to be lackluster, especially with runners in scoring position. There is hope as Jason Heyward has been on a tear, hitting .321/.390/.604 in his past 12 games. -- Martin Gandy (@gondeee), Chop County
8
Nationals
32-29
4
Last Week: 12 The Nationals' surge to first place in the NL East has been based on a dominating pitching performance in the past month, during which the staff led the majors in ERA (2.42), WHIP (1.05), OPS against (.596) and walks allowed (47). -- Harper Gordek (@harpergordek), Nationals Baseball
9
Mariners
33-29
9
Last Week: 18 Since that game on May 7 when he recorded no strikeouts, Felix Hernandez is 5-0 in six starts with a 1.99 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings. The game he didn't win was Sunday's 15-strikeout performance against the Rays. He hasn't allowed a home run since April 21. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
10
Dodgers
33-31
1
Last Week: 9 Lost two of three versus the White Sox to end a disappointing 4-6 homestand. They're 13-19 at home. Last time they finished a season six or more games under .500 at home was 1999 (37-44). Expected to run away with the division, Los Angeles is now a half-game out of the second wild card. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
11
Marlins
33-30
2
Last Week: 13 Swept a home-and-home from slumping Tampa Bay, but needed to rally Sunday to avoid being swept by the Cubs at Wrigley. Henderson Alvarez's scoreless-innings streak ended at 26 as he left Sunday's game with a hip strain. That streak is the third-longest in team history, behind Luis Aquino (26 1/3, 1994) and Javier Vazquez (29, 2011). -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
12
Orioles
31-30
2
Last Week: 14 The Orioles keep finding some misfortune, with Johan Santana's Achilles tear and Manny Machado's bat overshadowing an exceptional start from Kevin Gausman on Saturday. -- Jon Shepherd (@camdendepot), Camden Depot
13
Cardinals
33-31
6
Last Week: 7 The Cardinals rediscovered confidence by taking two of three from the AL East-leading Blue Jays in Toronto on the strength of shutouts from starters Shelby Miller and Jaime Garcia. -- Matt Philip (@fungoes), Fungoes
14
Yankees
31-31
4
Last Week: 10 The punchless Yankees scored 19 runs last week and went 2-5; they have failed to score more than four in a game since Memorial Day. The lineup is fully healthy at this point, with Carlos Beltran and Mark Teixeira back in the mix, allowing Joe Girardi to trot out the team's de facto "best" lineup. -- Domenic Lanza (@domeniclanza), It's About the Money
15
White Sox
31-33
1
Last Week: 16 The White Sox, April's best offense in baseball, have struck out in 24.9 percent of their plate appearances since the beginning of May and are pretty far away from being the best offense in baseball these days. For comparison point, Adam Dunn -- famous for strikeouts -- finished the 2005 season with a 25.0 percent strikeout rate. -- James Fegan (@thecatbird_Seat), The Catbird Seat
16
Indians
32-31
8
Last Week: 24 The Indians seem to have found their stride, sweeping both the Rockies and Red Sox at home. Their 21-11 (.656) record at home is the best in the AL and third-best in the majors. -- Susan Petrone (@susanpetrone), It's Pronounced "Lajaway"
17
Rangers
31-32
2
Last Week: 15 The hits just keep coming. Mitch Moreland is now likely out for the season due to ankle reconstruction surgery, and Rougned Odor hurt his shoulder diving back to first base on Sunday. It's tough to remember any professional sports franchise ever ravaged by as many injuries in a season as the 2014 Texas Rangers, who have now made 19 DL transactions this season. -- Brandon Land (@one_strike_away), One Strike Away
18
Royals
31-32
1
Last Week: 19 The Royals won three of four against St. Louis and two of three so far in a four-game series against the Yankees. Although they've hit just 28 home runs, they are first in the AL in doubles, so ... umm, just turn some of those doubles into home runs. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
19
Pirates
29-33
1
Last Week: 20 Having the fourth-worst run differential in the National League, the Pirates continue to look like a team that's headed nowhere. -- ESPN.com
20
Reds
29-32
1
Last Week: 21 Another .500 week for the Redlegs, though they did win their first home series in nearly a month. After a rough April, Homer Bailey is finally returning to form; in his past four starts, he has posted a 2.57 ERA. -- Chad Dotson (@dotsonc), Redleg Nation
21
Red Sox
28-34
4
Last Week: 17 With a win Sunday night, the Red Sox ended yet another losing streak. But the losses showed that their outfield is the worst unit in the American League, posting a cumulative minus-0.8 WAR. Other than Shane Victorino, who's on the DL, there isn't any help coming to Boston's outfield any time soon. Here's hoping 2B-turned-OF prospect Mookie Betts tears it up at Triple-A. -- Brett Cowett (@bacowett), Fire Brand of the AL
22
Rockies
29-33
11
Last Week: 11 The Rockies returned from a horrible road trip to play horribly at home, dropping below .500. The only pitcher to get a win this homestand was just demoted to the bullpen. To add injury to insult, the Rockies sent Jordan Lyles, Boone Logan and Carlos Gonzalez to the DL. One-fourth of the Rockies' payroll is now disabled. -- Richard Bergstrom (@rockieszingers), Rockies Zingers
23
Twins
29-32
1
Last Week: 22 The Twins are stuck in last place in the AL Central, but they're finally aiming to do something about it, as evidenced by the signing of Kendrys Morales during the weekend. -- Nick Nelson (@nnelson9), Twins Daily
24
Mets
28-35
1
Last Week: 23 The Mets have scored first in 12 of their past 14 games. However, they've lost 20 games after holding a lead, including seven by walk-off. Both figures are the most in the majors. -- Joe Janish (@metstoday), Mets Today
25
Padres
28-35
--
Last Week: 25 On the bright side, relievers Huston Street, Joaquin Benoit and Alex Torres are a combined 4-0 with a 1.25 ERA and haven't lost a game the Padres led in the eighth inning or later all season. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
26
Astros
28-36
2
Last Week: 28 Hit two grand slams in the same game for the first time in nearly 45 years as they crushed the Twins on Sunday. Have now won 11 of their past 15, moving within six of the last AL wild-card spot (dream big!). Jose Altuve in past 30 days: .366/.391/.480. -- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit
27
Cubs
25-35
2
Last Week: 29 Despite Sunday's hiccup, the Cubs' bullpen has been much improved this season, ranking ninth in the majors in ERA, compared to 25th last season. -- Joe Aiello (@vftb), View from the Bleachers
28
Diamondbacks
28-37
2
Last Week: 30 The D-backs are coming off their best week of the season, posting a plus-14 run differential and taking two of three from the Braves after sweeping the Rockies. After an obscene 5-18 start, the team is 23-19 since April 22. -- Ryan P. Morrison (@insidethezona), Inside the 'Zona
29
Rays
24-40
2
Last Week: 27 Joe Maddon set a goal for his team -- the owner of the majors' worst record -- to be 50-50 at the season's century mark. In order to do that, the Rays will need to go 26-10. Good luck. -- Tommy Rancel (@trancel), The Process Report
30
Phillies
25-36
4
Last Week: 26 With eight losses in nine games, the Phillies finally should know what everyone also has known: This is an awful team going nowhere. Even this week's homestand against the Padres and Cubs won't be enough to turn things around. May as well start looking to trade what you can. -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot
Biggest Jump: 9(Mariners)
Biggest Drop: 11 (Rockies)
espn.go.com/mlb/powerrankings
