MLB Power Rankings: Rangers take over for Cubs at No. 1

1. Texas Rangers (49-27, previously No. 2) – There’s officially a new No. 1 team as the Rangers have won eight of their last 10 games. Whilethey are percentage points behind the Cubs for the best record, they are unquestionablythe hottest team in baseball. Cole Hamels has put together a solid stretch as he now as an ERA of 2.79, tied for fourth in the AL.

2. Chicago Cubs (48-26, previously No. 1) – The Cubs are having their first roughstretch of the season as they have dropped two straight and six of their last 10. Even with the rough patch, they are still nine games up in the NL Central. Jake Arrieta still has the best ERA in baseball at 1.74.

3. San Francisco Giants (49-28, previously No. 3) – San Francisco has won eight of its last 10 games to now lead the NL West by eight games over the Dodgers. The Giantshave been consistent as they have a 24-14 record at home and 25-14 record on the road. Madison Bumgarner’s 1.99 ERA is third in the National League.

4. Cleveland Indians (44-30, previously No. 9) – Winners of nine straight, the Indians are right there with the Rangers in terms of a June surge. The Indiansnow hold a five-game lead in the AL Central with a plus-81 run differential, which is the only positive one in the division.

5. Baltimore Orioles (45-30, previously No. 5) – Thanks to winning five straight and seven of their last 10, the Orioles have opened a four-game lead in the AL East. Chris Tillman has performed better than most thought as his 10 wins are second in the AL and Mark Trumbo still leads all of baseball with 22 home runs.

6. Washington Nationals (44-32, previously No. 4) – Washington has lost seven of its last 10 games, but still holds a three-game lead over the Mets in the NL East. Daniel Murphy continues his outstanding season at the plate as he is batting .349, the best in the majors.

7. Boston Red Sox (41-34, previously No. 6) – It’s been an up-and-down week for the Red Sox with some of their deficiencies really starting to show. They need a No. 2 starter to go along with David Price and desperately need help in the bullpen. Dave Dombrowski will be working the phones hard between now and the trade deadline.

8. Miami Marlins (41-35, previously No. 11) – Miami is starting to make things interesting in the NL East as it has won seven of its last 10. With the Nationals struggling of late, it’s tight up top with the Marlins, Mets and Nationals. Jose Fernandez is really heating up as his 10 wins are tied for fourth in the NL.

9. Toronto Blue Jays (41-36, previously No. 7) – The Blue Jays remain in striking distance in the American League East, but with the Orioles and Red Sox both in front of them, at some point they are going to need to make a move. Of note, Edwin Encarnacion’s 66 RBIs are the most in baseball.

10. Los Angeles Dodgers (41-36, previously No. 8) – It hasn’t been a good last few weeks for the Dodgers as they have dropped three straight and are now eight games out in the NL West. Clayton Kershaw still has the most wins in the NL (10) and second-best ERA at 1.79.

11. New York Mets (40-34, previously No. 12) – Just three games out in the NL East, the Mets certainly are still in the mix, but they really need to get their hitting going for them to make a series run at the division. Noah Syndergaard is doing his best to make things work as his 2.08 ERA is fourth in the NL.

12. St. Louis Cardinals (39-35, previously No. 14) – Things are starting to get dicey for the Cardinals as with the Cubs running away with the division, their attention is on the Wild Card and a number of teams have jumped ahead of them of late. They do have a plus-75 run differential, which is a positive thing and shows a sustained winning stretch can come at any time.

13. Kansas City Royals (39-35, previously No. 10) – Kansas City is now five games out in the AL Central with the way the Indians have played of late. An easy fix for the Royals to turn things around is to improve on the road because as it stands now they have a 13-25 record.

14. Houston Astros (39-37, previously No. 15) – The Astros certainly are starting to turn things around as they have won eight of their last 10 games, but even with that are still 10 games out in the AL West. Jose Altuve is batting .347, the best in the American League.

15. Seattle Mariners (38-38, previously No. 13) – Seattle is struggling of late as it has dropped seven of its last 10 games and is now 11 games back in the division and with the Astros ahead of them, it’s a lot of ground to make up. They hope to get ace Felix Hernandez back just after the All-Star break.

16. Detroit Tigers (38-38, previously No. 16) – The Tigers have lost three straight and find themselves seven games out in the AL Central. It’s a tough spot to be in as they don’t want to be sellers at the deadline, but being as far back as they are, it might be the best option.

17. Chicago White Sox (38-38, previously No. 18) – What a difference a few months makes. After leading the division for most of the first part of the season, the White Sox have fallen back in a hurry and now trail the Indians by seven games. They do say they will not trade Chris Sale despite the number of inquiries they will receive on him.

18. New York Yankees (37-37, previously No. 17) – At .500, the Yankees may be better off being sellers at the deadline and start to look at the future. With the way the American League is right now, they aren’t going to win the division and the Wild Card is a long-shot.

19. Pittsburgh Pirates (37-39, previously No. 22) – While the Pirates have won three in a row, they still are 12 games out in the division and have a number of teams ahead of them in the Wild Card. While a second half push is not out of the question, they need to get it going soon.

20. Colorado Rockies (36-39, previously No. 19) – With the type of offense the Rockies have, there’s no way they should have a minus-one run differential, which comes back to the issue they seem to have every year which is poor performances from the mound.

21. Arizona Diamondbacks (36-42, previously No. 26)

22. Milwaukee Brewers (34-41, previously No. 21)

23. San Diego Padres (33-44, previously No. 25)

24. Oakland Athletics (32-43, previously No. 28)

25. Los Angeles Angels (32-44, previously No. 23)

26. Philadelphia Phillies (32-45, previously No. 24)

27. Tampa Bay Rays (31-43, previously No. 20)

28. Cincinnati Reds (29-47, previously No. 27)

29. Atlanta Braves (26-49, previously No. 30)

30. Minnesota Twins (24-51, previously No. 29)