MLB Power Rankings: Cardinals, Astros, Royals the best in baseball

1. St. Louis Cardinals (25-13, previous No. 1) – St. Louis has dropped six of its last 10 games, but the Cardsstill have the best record in baseball and a plus-44 run differential, the second-best mark in the National League. They continue to have success without Adam Wainwright, who is lostfor the year. Closer Trevor Rosenthal is tied for the most saves in the league with 13.

2. Houston Astros (25-14, previous No. 6) – Yes, the Astros have the best record in the American League almost 40 games into the season. They are 13-10 at home, and an exceptional 12-4 record on the road. They have been led by Dallas Keuchel and his 5-0 record and 1.87 ERA, both of which lead the AL.

3. Kansas City Royals (24-14, previous No. 4) – The Royals’ plus-55 run differential tops the AL. They have two players in the top five in WAR in the AL in Lorenzo Cain, who leads the league at 2.8 and Mike Moustakas, who is tied for second at 2.2.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers (24-13, previous No. 2) – The Dodgers are right behind the Cardinals for the best mark in the game, although their plus-58 run differential is the best in the league. Adrian Gonzalez continues to lead the offense, as he’s hitting .356 (second in NL) and hasdriven in 32 runs (third in the NL).

5. Detroit Tigers (23-16, previous No. 7) – It is the Tigers’ offense keeping them 1.5 games out of first in the AL Central. Jose Iglesias has the best average in the AL, batting .345, while Miguel Cabrera has 10 homers to go along with 30 RBI. The 30 RBI are tied for the most in the American League.

6. New York Mets (23-16, previous No. 5) – Led by their 16-4 record at home, the Mets remain on top of the NL East by a game over the Nationals. They are led by their pitching as Bartolo Colon and Matt Harvey have the most wins in the NL and closer Jeurys Familia is tied for the most saves in the league with 13.

7. Washington Nationals (22-17, previous No. 9) – As many thought would happen, the Nationals have hit their stride, winning three straight and eight of their last 10. Bryce Harper continues to dominate with 14 home runs and 37 RBI.Both lead the NL. He also has a WAR of 3.6, which is also the best in the NL.

8. New York Yankees (22-17, previous No. 3) – New York dropped back in the rankings this week, as it has lost six of its last 10 games. The Yanksstill lead the AL East by a game. The home run ball has worked wonders for the Yankees as Mark Teixeira has 11 (second in AL) and Alex Rodriguez has 10 (tied for third in AL).

9. Chicago Cubs (21-16, previous No. 12) – The Cubs continue to surprise many in the baseball world, winning seven of their last 10 games. They are now 3.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central, with it just being a two-game race as of now. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .344, which is third in the NL.

10. Minnesota Twins (21-17, previous No. 8) – Minnesota has cooled off over the past two weeks, but it is still just three games out of first in the AL Central. Glen Perkins has 13 saves, tied for the most in the league. Torii Hunter is off to a strong start with six home runs and 21 RBI.Both lead the team.

11. Tampa Bay Rays (21-18, previous No. 11) – Because of some terrific pitching, the Rays are just one game behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Everyone is aware of their strong rotation, but second baseman Logan Forsythe is pacing the offense, hitting .300 and driving in 17 runs.

12. San Francisco Giants (20-18, previous No. 14) – After a disastrous start, the Giants continue to climb up the standings. They have won three straight and six of their last 10 to cut the deficit in the NL West to 4.5 games. Center fielder Angel Pagan is hitting .324 to lead the team.

13. Los Angeles Angels (19-19, previous No. 19) – The Angels are .500 and in second place in the AL West, but they are 5.5 games behind the division leading Astros. After a season-ending injury last season, Garrett Richards has bounced back with a 2.29 ERA, fourth in the AL.

14. San Diego Padres (19-20, previous No. 10) – San Diego has dropped three straight and six of10overall. A big issue for the Padres is their pitching and defense, as they’ve allowed 190 runs, the second-most in the NL, which is 4.87 runs per game.

15. Chicago White Sox (18-17, previous No. 25) – Don’t look now, but the White Sox have won six games in a row and are 4.5 games out of first in the AL Central. They are getting a strong season from Avisail Garcia, who is fourth in the AL in average, batting .338.

16. Atlanta Braves (18-19, previous No. 17) – Atlanta is currently four games out of first place in the NL East, but it has won three games in a row. Newcomer Shelby Miller is leading the way with five wins and a 1.33 ERA, which is the best in the NL. In order for the Braves to make a jump in the standings they will need to get some production from their lineup.

17. Pittsburgh Pirates (18-20, previous No. 13) – If the Pirates can garner anyoffensethey will be able to make a run in the NL Central, but that is a major question mark. As of now, the Pirates are averaging 3.84 runs per game.A.J. Burnett is pacing the staff with a 1.38 ERA, the second-best mark in the NL.

18. Boston Red Sox (18-20, previous No. 16) – The roller coaster of a season has continued for the Red Sox. Their pitching is currently in order, but their offense is suddenly in a huge slump. They need David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez and Mike Napoli to perform like they are capable,because as it stands now the team sits in third place in the AL East.

19. Cincinnati Reds (18-20, previous No. 18) – Things aren’t going well in Cincinnati as the Reds have lost three straight games and are struggling from the mound. The Reds have allowed an average of 4.5 runs per game, which isn’t going to get things done.

20. Toronto Blue Jays (18-22, previous No. 15) – It’s been a strange season so far for the Blue Jays, as they have scored 210 runs, by far the most in the American League.But they cannot get any type of pitching, allowing an astonishing 5.25 runs per game.

21. Seattle Mariners (17-20, previous No. 21) – For Seattle to make any type of run this season they will need to have more than two players step up and perform. Felix Hernandez suffered his first loss over the weekend, but has six wins and Nelson Cruz has a league-leading 15 homers.

22. Philadelphia Phillies (17-23, previous No. 30) – Following a dreadful start, the Phillies have rattled off six straight wins to get themselves out of the basement in the NL East. Freddy Galvis has a .341 average, fourth in the NL, to lead the offense.

23. Baltimore Orioles (16-19, previous No. 22) – One would say being three games below .500 would be a bad thing, but with how mediocre the AL East has been this year, the Orioles aren’t out of anything yet, especially with their strong offense.

24. Arizona Diamondbacks (16-21, previous No. 23) – A week after showing some life, the Diamondbacks went out and lost seven of their last 10 games and are now eight games out of first in the NL West. Scoring runs isn’t an issue, but getting decent pitching is the problem as they have just a plus-five run differential.

25. Texas Rangers (16-22, previous No. 24) – Normally, you would expect teams to perform better at home than on the road, but it has been the opposite for Texas to start the year. They are 6-13 at home and 10-9 on the road.

26. Miami Marlins (16-23, previous No. 20) – It’s gotten ugly in Miami as the Marlins have lost four straight and eight of 10 and fired their manager Mike Redmond. They’ve replaced him with general manager Dan Jennings, who doesn’t have any managing experience besides high school.

27. Cleveland Indians (14-23, previous No. 29) – Cleveland certainly isn’t off to the start it would have liked. Corey Kluber has turned things around, but the rest of the team hasn’t, as they are still 9.5 games out of first in the AL Central.

28. Milwaukee Brewers (14-25, previous No. 26) – The Brewers have played better since shaking things up and hiring Craig Counsell, but they still are one of the worst teams in baseball with a run differential of minus-55, the worst in the game.

29. Oakland Athletics (14-26, previous No. 27) – What is going on in Oakland? The A’s have dropped eight of their last 10 games and are now in last place, trailing the Astros by 11.5 games. It could alreadybe time to panic for the Athletics.

30. Colorado Rockies (13-22, previous No. 28) – Things aren’t going so well in Colorodo. The Rockies have lost eight of 10 and have allowed a league-high 5.23 runs per game. Things don’t appear to be getting better anytime soon, especially with the drama surroundingTroy Tulowitzki.