1. New York Yankees (1) (9-3)- The defending World Champs still hold onto the top spot in the rankings, coming off of a week where they went 5-1, taking a series from the Angels, and sweeping the surging Texas Rangers. They are now tied for the best record in the MLB, even with Mark Teixeira hitting .114.
2. Tampa Bay Rays (4) (9-3)- What a week for the Rays. This team is now tied with the Yankees for the best record in the Majors after going 6-0, sweeping both the Orioles and Red Sox on the road. Matt Garza has gone at least 8 innings in every start this season, and with Pat Burrell producing out of the DH spot, this team is clicking on all cylinders.
3. Minnesota Twins (8) (9-4)- Is Francisco Liriano back? It looks like he just might be. Add him to the way Scott Baker is pitching and that is a very formidable top 2 in the rotation. Pavano looks like he did back on the Marlins and the M+M boys continue to rake. As long as Rauch continues to hold down the 9th inning, this team could go very deep into the playoffs.
4. Philadelphia Phillies (3) (8-4)- Just as many feared, the Phillies are 1-2 when facing teams other than the Astros or Nationals. Even when beating those teams, they were missing Lance Berkman and Ryan Zimmerman. There are major concerns in the rotation right now until Joe Blanton returns. The Phils offense has also struggled mightily against quality pitching. They managed just 2 runs off of Roy Oswalt and scored one run off of Ricky Nolasco, thanks to Jayson Werth’s 2 out solo shot in the ninth on Saturday night. Nate Robertson, Detroit Tigers’ castoff shut this team down on Sunday, pitching 6.1 innings. Raul Ibanez is also hitting .171.
5. St. Louis Cardinals (7) (8-4)- After some concerns about Chris Carpenter, he went out and threw a 7 inning gem, while striking out 10. Adam Wainwright threw a complete game on Sunday night and provided much needed rest to the bullpen after the 20 inning marathon on Saturday. Back to back 4-2 weeks for the Redbirds and Jaime Garcia in the 5th spot is pitching incredibly. This team is very dangerous.
Tags: Angels, Astros, Athletics, blue jays, Braves, brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, indians, Johnny G, Mariners, marlins, Mets, Nationals, orioles, Padres, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Rays, Red Sox, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, Yankees
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