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MLB Power Rankings: Giants, Rangers, Mets climb – Metro US
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MLB Power Rankings: Giants, Rangers, Mets climb

MLB Power Rankings: Giants, Rangers, Mets climb
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1. Chicago Cubs (34-14, previously No. 1) – Not only are the Cubs running away from the NL Central, they are running away from all of baseball. It isn’t just the pitching that is getting it done for Chicago, its hitting has enjoyed a great start to the year as well. Ben Zobrist is second in the NL with a .351 average.

2. San Francisco Giants (32-20, previously No. 3) – Thanks to winning eight of their last 10 games, the Giants have taken command of the NL West. Johnny Cueto has adjusted well to his new team as his eight wins are third in the National League and Madison Bumgarner’s 2.12 ERA is fourth in the NL.

3. Boston Red Sox (30-20, previously No. 2) – The Red Sox have maintained their solid play to have a slim lead over the Orioles heading into their series this week. Jackie Bradley Jr.’s hit streak has ended, but now Xander Bogaerts is the player to watch as he could challenge Bradley’s 29-game hit streak. The shortstop has hit safety in 22 games going into Monday.

4. Washington Nationals (30-21, previously No. 4) – Known for their pitching, Daniel Murphy has been the player to really watch this season as he is batting .387, which is the best in all of baseball for those who qualify. Stephen Strasburg does have nine wins to tie for the most in the National League.

5. Texas Rangers (29-21, previously No. 9) – The Rangers are among one of the hottest teams in the game as they have won seven of 10 games to jump to the top of the AL West. It’s a bit surprising as they have a plus-11 run differential and the second place team, the Mariners, are at plus-47.

6. Baltimore Orioles (28-20, previously No. 5) – Baltimore continues to play solid baseball as they are neck-and-neck with the Red Sox in the AL East. Mark Trumbo’s 15 home runs are tied for the most in the American League, but the question with them is can their pitching improve and win some games for them.

7. New York Mets (28-21, previously No. 8) – Even with their success on the field, the biggest stories of late with the Mets have occurred off the field with their issues with the Dodgers over the weekend and then Matt Harvey refusing to speak to the media. Yoenis Cespedes continues to lead the NL in home runs with 15.

8. Pittsburgh Pirates (28-21, previously No. 11) – Even by winning seven of 10 games, the Pirates are still 6.5 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central. Leading the way for Pittsburgh this season has been Starling Marte as his 2.5 WAR is tied for the best in the National League.

9. Seattle Mariners (28-21, previously No. 6) – Seattle has slipped a bit as they have lost its lead in the AL West by losing three straight games. Robinson Cano continues to mash at the plate as his 15 home runs are tied for first in the AL and his 44 RBIs are second.

10. Kansas City Royals (27-22, previously No. 15) – The Royals have won three straight games and seven of their last 10 to take over first place in the competitive AL Central. It has been a strange year though as their usual dominant pitching staff hasn’t been as dominant. Ian Kennedy leads the way with a 3.28 ERA.

11. Cleveland Indians (26-22, previously No. 13) – Although Cleveland has dropped to second place in the AL Central, they may be in the best shape moving forward as it has a plus-37 run differential – the best in the division. Danny Salazar has continued his solid start to the year as his 2.39 ERA is fourth in the NL.

12. Los Angeles Dodgers (27-24, previously No. 17) – Led by Clayton Kershaw and his National League-leading 1.46 ERA, the Dodgers have won two straight and six of their last 10 to jump into second place in the NL West. They should be able to make a run soon as their plus-33 run differential leads the division.

13. Chicago White Sox (27-24, previously No. 7) – Chicago is in one of the worst stretches of any team in the majors this season as they have lost six straight and eight of 10 games to fall out of first place and into third place in the AL Central. Chris Sale continues to dominate as his nine wins lead the AL and his 2.29 ERA is third.

14. Miami Marlins (26-24, previously No. 14) – The Marlins are doing what they can to stay in the thick of things in the NL East, although it remains to be seen how long they can keep it up for. They do have two hitters in the top five in the NL in terms of batting average in Marcell Ozuna (.344) and Martin Prado (.326).

15. Philadelphia Phillies (26-24, previously No. 10) – Reality is starting to set in for the Phillies as they have lost three straight and now sit in a tie for third in the NL East. Jeanmar Gomez still is the surprise league-leader in saves with 17.

16. St. Louis Cardinals (26-25, previously No. 12) – St. Louis just can’t seem to get any momentum going this season and because of the Cubs will have to have its eyes set on the Wild Card. Leading the way has been Stephen Piscotty as he has a 2.5 WAR, which is tied for the best mark in the NL.

17. Toronto Blue Jays (26-26, previously No. 20) – Over the weekend the Blue Jays proved they could play with the best the AL has to offer in the Red Sox, but their offense can only carry them so far. Toronto will need to get better performances overall from the mound.

18. New York Yankees (24-25, previously No. 18) – The Yankees remain one of the hottest teams in the game as they have won seven of their last 10 games, but they are still 5.5 games out in the AL East, which shows just how poor of a start they got off to this year. They are still getting players back from injury, but need their bats to catch fire as Jacoby Ellsbury is currently their best hitter hitting .287.

19. Detroit Tigers (24-25, previously No. 21) — It’s been a down year for the Tigers, but even with being one-game below .500 they are fourth in the AL Central and three games out of first place. Victor Martinez is leading the American League in hitting as he is batting .351.

20. Colorado Rockies (23-26, previously No. 16) – It’s been a down week for the Rockies as they have lost two straight and seven of their last 10 games. They are in third in the NL West and 7.5 games out of first place. Playing at Coors Field, they still are able to crush home runs on a daily basis as Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story each have 14, tied for second in the NL.

21. Milwaukee Brewers (23-27, previously No. 26)

22. Arizona Diamondbacks (23-29, previously No. 22)

23. Tampa Bay Rays (22-26, previously No. 19) –

24. Los Angeles Angels (22-28, previously No. 23)

25. Oakland Athletics (22-29, previously No. 24)

26. Houston Astros (22-29, previously No. 27)

27. San Diego Padres (20-31, previously No. 25)

28. Cincinnati Reds (16-34, previously No. 28)

29. Minnesota Twins (15-34, previously No. 30)

30. Atlanta Braves (14-35, previously No. 29)