MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers climb (Updated June 16)

1. St. Louis Cardinals (42-21, previous No. 1) – It’s not surprising how much success the Cardinals have had this season given pre-season expectations.What is surprising is the amount ofsuccess they’ve had even with all the injuries they’ve had to deal with. Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Matt Holliday and Matt Adams have all gone down this year. Despite that,they’ve built a six-game lead over the Pirates in the NL Central.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (37-27, previous No. 4) – The Dodgers’ plus-57 run differential is the second-best in the NL as they have opened a 3.5 game advantage in the NL West. Zack Greinke has picked up his play since April, as his 1.95 ERA is fourth-best in the NL.

3. Houston Astros (37-28, previous No. 2) – Houston has rebounded, winning two straight, but it has still dropped seven of 10 games. With the AL West being as poor as it is, the Astrosstill hold a 2.5 division lead. Dallas Keuchel’s 8-2 record with a 2.04 ERA leads the team and is among the best in the AL.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates (36-27, previous No. 8) – Pittsburgh has won five straight games and seven of 10, but unfortunately it is in the same division as the Cardinals, so the Piratesare still six games out of first. Along with Gerrit Cole’s dominance from the mound, Starling Marte’s 45 RBIs are fifth in the NL.

5. Tampa Bay Rays (36-29, previous No. 9) – Don’t look now, but the Rays have won four straight games and are now in first place in the AL East. After a poor start, the Rays have turned it around, led by their starting pitching. Chris Archer has led the way with seven wins and a 2.00 ERA, which is second in the AL.

6. Kansas City Royals (35-25, previous No. 5) – Even though the Royals have played .500 baseball of late, the Twins have struggled greatly, so Kansas City hastaken over the top spot in the AL Central. The biggest news with the Royals is how their fans have taken over the All-Star voting with eight Royals players currently in position to start in the game.

7. New York Mets (35-30, previous No. 10) – New York is back on top of the NL East standings, as it has won two straight and for the year is 25-11 at home. The Metsdid make some news off the field when they DFA’d pitcher Dillon Gee on Monday. With how things have been going of late, it may have been best just to get him off their hands.

8. Chicago Cubs (34-27, previous No. 11) – Much like the Pirates, the Cubs are playing much better of late, but haven’t been able to gain any ground in the division because of how well the Cardinals have been. They are seven games back in the division. A story worth monitoring is Jon Lester, and how he’s been under some scrutiny for not pitching like the ace he was signed to be.

9. Minnesota Twins (34-29, previous No. 3) – The Twins have fallen back to Earth, losing eight of their last 10 games to now trail the Royals by 2.5 games in the AL Central. Glen Perkins leads all of baseball with 22 saves. Minnesota could be in the market to add a big-name player at the deadline to give it a boost.

10. New York Yankees (34-29, previous No. 6) – Although the Yankees have fallen out of first place in the AL East, it doesn’t mean they have played poorly of late. Mark Teixeira’s 18 home runs and 48 RBIs are the most in the American League, as their offense has been much improved from a year ago.

11. Texas Rangers (34-30, previous No. 13) – Although for much of April it seemed like things weren’t going anywhere for the Rangers, they have turned things around to now only trail the Astros by 2.5 games in the AL West. Prince Fielder’s 45 RBIs are tied for third in the American League.

12. Detroit Tigers (34-30, previous No. 14) – Detroit has won two games in a row and six of 10, but because of a tough week last week, it remains three games behind the Royals and is in third place in the division. Miguel Cabrera’s .344 average is the best in the AL and his 47 RBIs are second.

13. Toronto Blue Jays (34-31, previous No. 16) – Although the Blue Jays lost Monday, they are still the hottest team in baseball, as prior to the loss they had won 11 straight games. It is their offense doing the most damage, as they scored 31 runs in three games over the weekend against the Red Sox. Josh Donaldson’s 3.9 WAR is tied for the best in the American League.

14. San Francisco Giants (34-31, previous No. 7) – It’s been a tough stretch of late for the Giants, as they have dropped five straight games and are just 16-18 at home. Fortunately, with a sub-par NL West, they are still in second place. Nori Aoki has jumped into the top five in batting average in the NL, hitting .324.

15. Washington Nationals (33-31, previous No. 12) – The Nationals currently sit in second place in the NL East. Bryce Harper continues to rake at the plate, hitting .337 with 21 home runs and 51 RBIs, all of which are in the top-five in the National League.

16. Baltimore Orioles (32-31, previous No. 23) – The Orioles are playing much better of late, winners of eight of their last 10 games. Closer Zach Britton’s 17 saves are tied for third in the AL. With how bunched the AL East is, the division lead is completely there for the taking.

17. Los Angeles Angels (32-32, previous No. 17) – At .500, the Angels may be one of the teams at the trade deadline looking to do the most damage because it would appear they are one big piece away from contending in the AL West. Mike Trout’s 3.8 WAR is the third-best mark in the American League.

18. San Diego Padres (32-34, previous No. 15) – The Padres aren’t messing around this year. In the middle of his ninth season as manager, the team fired manager Bud Black. In the interim, Dave Roberts will take over. It will be interesting to see what kind of spark (if any) this gives the team.

19. Arizona Diamondbacks (31-32, previous No. 20) – Paul Goldschmidt is doing everything he can to turn the Diamondbacks’ season around. His average is up to .366, which is the best in baseball. Arizona has won four straight and trails the Dodgers by 5.5 games in the NL West.

20. Atlanta Braves (31-33, previous No. 19) – Atlanta is doing just enough to stick around in the NL East, as it is 3.5 games out of first place. The Braves’pitching is leading the way, as usual, with Shelby Miller’s 2.02 ERA being fifth in the National League.

21. Cleveland Indians (29-33, previous No. 18) – Cleveland is seven games out in the division and sits in fourth place in the AL Central, despite the season Jason Kipnis is having, as his .335 average is third in the American League. They still have an outside shot at the postseason, pending a strong second half.

22. Seattle Mariners (29-35, previous No. 25) – Seattle has a minus-41 run differential, which is the worst in the AL West. Even ace Felix Hernandez has struggled of late, not making it out of the first inning in his last start.

23. Cincinnati Reds (28-35, previous No. 24) – Cincinnati has lost three straight games and has fallen 14 games out of first place. At least it is hosting the All-Star Game to give the city something to look forward to.

24. Colorado Rockies (28-35, previous No. 24) – There isn’t much to cheer about with the Rockies this year besides DJ LeMahieu’s .333 batting average, the third-best mark in the National League. The Rockies’310 runs allowed are the second-most allowed in baseball.

25. Miami Marlins (28-37, previous No. 27) – Things continue to go poorly for the Marlins, still seven games out of first place in the NL East. At least Giancarlo Stanton’s 23 homers are the most in baseball.

26. Boston Red Sox (27-38, previous No. 21) – The Red Sox are a disaster. They have dropped seven straight games after being swept by both the Orioles and Blue Jays in back-to-back series’ and have looked miserable in the process. Their minus-62 run differential is the second-worst mark in the American League and they held yet another team meeting on Monday.

27. Oakland Athletics (27-39, previous No. 28) – Oakland has won two straight, but still remains 10.5 games out of first place in the AL West and is the second-worst team in the AL. Some good news: Sonny Gray’s 1.60 ERA is the best in the AL.

28. Chicago White Sox (28-34, previous No. 22) – The White Sox are struggling of late, as they have the worst run differential in the American League at minus-64. Currently eight games back in the division, all hope isn’t lost, but they are running out of time.

29. Milwaukee Brewers (24-41, previous No. 30) – If not for the Phillies, the Brewers would be the worst team in baseball. They are a full 19 games out of first place in the NL Central.

30. Philadelphia Phillies (22-43, previous No. 29) – Things are spiraling out of control with the Phillies as they have lost seven straight games and have a major league worst minus-90 run differential.