1. New York Yankees (2) (21-9)- The Bronx Bombers regain the top spot in the rankings and continue to play phenomenal baseball this year. If Javier Vazquez was not struggling so badly, this team may be 26-4 at this point. This team as a whole is throwing some impressive numbers out there. They are first in the AL in average, runs, OBP, OPS, and slugging. In addition to the offensive numbers, the Yanks are 2nd in the league in ERA, batting average against, OPS, and WHIP. This team might win 115 games. Very impressive squad.

2. Tampa Bay Rays (1) (22-9)- The Rays still own the best record in baseball and I could have kept them in the same spot atop the rankings but their offensive production throughout the past week has been alarming. Anytime a pitcher like Dallas Braden throws a perfect game against you, there is reason to be concerned. With that all being said, every pitcher in the rotation has en ERA under 3.50 and only two pitchers on the entire roster have ERAs over 4.00. I have a feeling the Rays and Yanks will be jockeying for the top stop all season long.

3. Minnesota Twins (3) (21-11)- The Twins swept the Tigers at home and then split their series with the Orioles, all with superstar Joe Mauer on the shelf for the week. Mauer did come back on Sunday to DH and appears to be ok going forward. Francisco Liriano continues to dominate with a 2.36 ERA and Mauer and Morneau are hitting .341 and .339, respectively. This team is the real deal, folks.

4. Philadelphia Phillies (5) (19-12)- If Jayson Werth is not the front-runner for the MVP award right now, I’m not sure who is. This guy is just spraying balls all over the yard and it is truly impressive to watch. The Phillies had a very impressive week, taking 3 of 4 from the Cardinals and 2 of 3 from the Braves. Carlos Ruiz leads the league in OBP and this lineup continues to pummel opposing pitchers. In years past Ruiz was the only “break” in the lineup for opposing pitchers but now with his new plate approach this lineup is just murder.

5. St. Louis Cardinals (4) (20-12)- The Cards pretty much treaded water this week, but due to the impressive performance by the Phillies, they move down this week. Colby Rasmus is sporting a flashy 1.028 OPS and rookie Jaime Garcia has a 1.18 ERA in addition to the usual weapons this team has on a nightly basis. The team leads the league in ERA and the starting staff has given up so few homerun balls, you can count them on one hand. Here is some bad news for the NL Central, Albert hasn’t even gotten hot yet.

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Tags: Angels, Astros, Athletics, blue jays, Braves, brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, indians, Mariners, marlins, Mets, Nationals, orioles, Padres, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Rays, Red Sox, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, Yankees

1. Tampa Bay Rays (1) (18-7)- The young Rays still own the best record in baseball after going 4-2 in the 5th week of the season. This team has a collective 3.14 ERA on the season and are first in batting average against, whip, quality starts, and runs scored. They are also in the top 5 in every other offensive category you can imagine. No pitcher in the starting rotation has an ERA above 3.38 and that belongs to James Shields. After Shields it is Garza with a 2.06 ERA, Jeff Niemann 2.76 ERA, David Price 2.34 ERA, and finally rookie Wade Davis with a 2.79 ERA. Unbelievable what this team is doing.

2.New York Yankees (2) (16-8)- The Bronx Bombers continue to play well after a week where they took both of their series. Robinson Cano is absolutely ripping the cover off the ball right now and leads the team in batting average, RBI’s, runs scored, and OPS. With the Rays and Yankees playing like this, the rest of the AL better win their division to get into the playoffs, because the wild-card is off limits at this point.

3. Minnesota Twins (3) (16-9)- The top several spots here have stayed pretty much the same with no one really distancing themselves from the field. I’m sure Twins fans expected more this week than a split but still an impressive week for Francisco Liriano, who has a 1.50 ERA after his impressive start on Sunday. Justin Morneau continues to hit well despite his lower back issue early in the week but Joe Mauer has a bruised heel that has kept him out for several days. This team will struggle if Mauer misses significant time.

4. St. Louis Cardinals (4) (17-8)- Very, very impressive showing for the Red Birds this week. After a four game sweep at home over Atlanta, the Cardinals took the final series of the week over the Reds. This team is top 10 in any category you can imagine, offensively or pitching-wise. Chris Carpenter is just fine after having some early season scares and Colby Rasmus is blossoming into a pure superstar right in front of our eyes. Carpenter, Wainwright, Penny, and Garcia all have ERAs under 3.00. Simply Amazing.

5. Philadelphia Phillies (5) (14-10)- I can’t quite figure this team out. Every time I think they don’t have nearly enough pitching to win consistently, they go out and totally out-slug their opponents like they did to Johan Santana on Sunday. Believe it or not Raul Ibanez is on a four game hitting streak, raising his average to a whopping .224. Nice work Rauuuul. Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer at the back end are putting too many innings on the bullpen but they are winning games right now. Blanton will be back soon and that will shore up some loose ends on the pitching staff.

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Tags: Angels, Astros, Athletics, blue jays, Braves, brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, indians, Mariners, marlins, Mets, Nationals, orioles, Padres, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Rays, Red Sox, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, Yankees