Teams are finally beginning to separate themselves after just over a month of the season. There is still plenty of time for teams to figure out their roster moving forward.
10. Washington Nationals – Last Week: Not ranked – The Nationals have had a back and forth season, but their offense is finally beginning to get healthy. Bryce Harper did a lot of damage last week and now the team sits at 17-15 after an abysmal start. The Mets still hold the top spot, but they have shown weakness.
9. Minnesota Twins – Last Week: Not Ranked – This team, most likely, will not keep up this pace, but for now they are sitting at 18-14 with a +16 run differential and 8-2 in their last 10 games. Tori Hunter has played well in what is most likely his last season, but they don’t have enough pitching to carry them.
8. Tampa Bay Rays – Last Week: Not Ranked – The hits just keep coming for the Rays. Alex Cobb and Drew Smyly are most likely lost for the season. Smyly was the big haul in the Price trade and had pitched well before getting injured. Cobb was developing into an ace. They keep winning games, even with all the injuries and are 17-15 overall.
7. New York Mets – Last Week: Ranked 10 – They sit on top of the NL East but the Nationals are closing the gap. They are 20-11 with a +25 run differential and Bartolo Colon seems timeless. After their hot start they are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
6. Detroit Tigers – Last Week: Ranked 3 – The Tigers continue their free-fall and have only a +5 run differential. The hitting has come back down to earth and the pitching performances they got in the first two weeks of the season are beginning to disappear. With their current run differential this team may have to explore some pitching options.
5. New York Yankees – Last Week: Ranked 6 – The Yankees are still the best in the AL East. They sit 20-12 overall and have a nice run differential of +30. Michael Pineda was fantastic against the Orioles, striking out 16. If he continues this pace he may be the valuable trade piece they went for years ago.
4. Houston Astros –Last Week: Ranked 1 – As I have mentioned this team is going to be streaky. After winning 10 straight games they are now just 5-5 in their last 10. They are still 5 games in front of the division but they sit at just .500 at home.
3 . Kansas City Royals – Last Week: Ranked 4 – The Royals continue to have a great run differential at +47 and boast a 20-11 record on top of the AL Central. They are putting up many more runs their season and their bullpen is still fantastic. They will be looking to create some separation against the Tigers.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers – Last Week: Ranked 5 – The Dodgers slide up the list and have the best run differential in baseball at +51 and they are 20-10 in the NL West. Kershaw has a mediocre 4.26 ERA in this time. If he finds himself, the Dodgers could get even better.
1. St. Louis Cardinals – Last Week: Ranked 2 – The 22-9 Cardinals finally lost a series, but we’re in May so that is impressive in itself. The pitching is beginning to get a little more human as they had 20 runs last week on the next closest team. However, their offensive has been stepping up better and Heyward looks like he is coming around. The pitching was never going to keep up their torrid pace and questions still linger with their bullpen and usage, but they boast 6.5 games on the Cubs.
Honorable Mention:
San Diego Padres – The Padres had been cracking the top 10, but they do not seem to be able to scratch things together consistently.
Pittsburgh Pirates – Despite being swept by St. Louis last week they have just won 2 games against them. They are playing in close games and their offense has yet to show up. It should and when it does will make the Central more enjoyable.
