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MLB power rankings: Mets, Tigers, Royals the top 3 – Metro US
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MLB power rankings: Mets, Tigers, Royals the top 3

MLB power rankings: Mets, Tigers, Royals the top 3
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1. New York Mets (15-5, previous No. 2) – The Mets have continued to dominate, already jumping out to a 5.5 game lead in the NL East. They are 10-0 at CitiFieldand are being led by their pitching. Bartolo Colon and Matt Harvey each have four wins, which leads the National League.

2. Detroit Tigers (14-6, previous No. 1) – Although the Yankees took 3-of-4 from them at home in the middle of last week, the Tigers quickly put that behind him as they have won three in a row to still have the best record in the AL. Jose Iglesias is second in the AL in hitting with a .397 average, while Miguel Cabrera is third at .375.

3. Kansas City Royals (13-6, previous No. 3) – The Royals and Tigers have separated themselves from the rest of the AL Central. Kansas City’s plus-34 run differential is tops in the majors, led by its pitching, as it hasallowed an average of 3.21 runs a game.

4. St. Louis Cardinals (12-6, previous No. 6) – Though the Cardinals have won seven of their last 10 games and sit atop the NL Central standings, they got some bad news on Monday when ace Adam Wainwright was ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles. This will put more pressure on a sub-par Cardinals bullpen.

5. New York Yankees (12-8, previous No. 17) – The Yankees are one of the hottest teams in baseball, having won eight of their last 10 games, and have now moved atop the AL East standings. Their plus-24 run differential is best in the division and second-best in the AL. Alex Rodriguez has five homers over the first 20 games.

6. Los Angeles Dodgers (12-7, previous No. 4) – Although the Dodgers are in first place in the NL West and 9-1 at home, their rotation is battling major injuries, led by Brandon McCarthy’s torn ligament in his elbow. He’s out for the year. They will need Adrian Gonzalez to continue to pace the offense, as he’s hitting .382 with seven homers and 18 RBIs.

7. Houston Astros (12-7, previous No. 12) – Houston is not only leading the AL West, the Astros are leading the division by three games after an impressive start to the year. Dallas Keuchel is having a terrific start from the mound with an ERA of just 0.62. How long can the Astros sustain their success?

8. Boston Red Sox (11-9, previous No. 8) – It’s been an up-and-down season for the Red Sox, which includes the league’s worst starting rotation ERA. Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez seem to be settling in nicely in Boston. The Sox’lineup is one of the most feared in baseball, but how much better can their starting rotation get?

9. San Diego Padres (11-10, previous No. 5) – The Padres have cooled off after a hot start, but their offense is still one of the best in the game. San Diego has scored 100 runs, which is the most in the NL. Justin Upton has made a nice transition to the West Coast with five early homers.

10. Chicago Cubs (11-7, previous No. 9) – The Cubs have won three games in a row and are in second place in the NL Central. It’s not been Jon Lester leading the rotation, rather Jake Arrieta who has three wins so far. Their offense hasn’t been too shabby either, totaling 82 runs so far this year, the most in their division.

11. Colorado Rockies (11-8, previous No. 10) – In a weird split, the Rockies are 4-5 at home, but 7-3 on the road. Their offense hasn’t been as powerful as it’s been in the past, but D.J. LeMahieu is pacing the NL with a .415 average, the best in baseball.

12. Pittsburgh Pirates (11-9, previous No. 20) – Pittsburgh owes all of its success to its starting rotation as through the first 20 games, Piratesstarters have allowed just 38 runs. In all, the Pirates have allowed 64 total runs and have a run differential of plus-15.

13. Tampa Bay Rays (11-9. previous No. 18) – Led by their pitching, the Rays have remained competitive in the AL East despite having trouble scoring runs. Tampa has allowed an average of four runs a game, led by Chris Archer’s three runs and 0.84 ERA.

14. Atlanta Braves (10-9, previous No. 7) – Atlanta has seen the Mets race to a 4.5 game lead in the division. As usual with the Braves, they’ve received good starting pitching, but below average hitting. Closer Jason Grilli has seven saves so far and has done a good job replacing Craig Kimbrel.

15. Baltimore Orioles (9-10, previous No. 11) – The attention in Baltimore has shifted off the field with the riots that have taken place in the city. They will have decisions to make with their home games scheduled this week with a 10 p.m. curfew being implemented. On the field, Adam Jones is off to a blistering start, leading the AL with a .404 average.

16. Cincinnati Reds (9-10, previous No. 16) – Aside from Joey Votto’s six homers and 15 RBIs, and Anthony DeSciafani’s 1.04 ERA there hasn’t been much to cheer for in Cincinnati. The Reds are 3.5 games behind the Cardinals.

17. Los Angeles Angels (9-10, previous No. 24) – The Angels are ahead of both the A’s and Mariners in the standings, but sit in second place in the AL West, as the Astros have got off to a hot start to open the year. The team made some noise this week when they traded away Josh Hamilton to the Rangers.

18. Toronto Blue Jays (9-11, previous No. 15) – Although Toronto has been able to hit, they have one of the worst pitching staffs in the league, which has them in last place in the AL East. Rookie Devon Travis has hit six homers and is batting .368, fourth in the AL.

19. Chicago White Sox (8-9, previous No. 21) – The White Sox are a game below .500, but are having difficulty scoring runs, as they are averaging 3.53 runs per game. If they can turn their offense around, they have the pitching to contend for a playoff spot.

20. Seattle Mariners (8-11, previous No. 23) – Even with a minus-20 run differential, the worst in the division, the Mariners are just four games out of first place in the AL West. Nelson Cruz is on fire though, as he’s belted nine homers and has driven in 21 runs, both tops in the AL.

21. Arizona Diamondbacks (8-11, previous No. 13) – It was a tough week on the field for Arizona, whichhas dropped four straight games. Paul Goldschmidt does have 16 RBIs, the third-most in the NL.

22. Minnesota Twins (8-11, previous No. 25) – It appears to be another rough season in Minnesota as their minus-22 run differential is worst in the AL.

23. Oakland Athletics (8-12, previous No. 14) – Things have not gone according to plan to open the year for the A’s, as they have lost four straight games and seven of their last 10. They’ve scored 96 runs, which is by far the most in their division, but the pitching staff hasn’t performed thus far.

24. San Francisco Giants (8-12, previous No. 28) – The Giants have a big hole to dig themselves out of after a tough start to the year. The issue for the defending champs has been their offense, as they are averaging just 3.05 runs per game.

25. Philadelphia Phillies (8-12, previous No. 27) – It’s been much of the same in Philadelphia to open the year. Cole Hamels has looked better after his rough Opening Day start, so will he eventually be traded?

26. Miami Marlins (8-12, previous No. 29) – Miami has started to turn things around after a dismal start. Dee Gordon is pacing the offense with his .395 average, the second-best in the National League.

27. Texas Rangers (7-12, previous No. 22) – Texas is in last place in the AL West, but made a huge splash in trading for slugger Josh Hamilton, as he looks to get his career back on track.

28. Washington Nationals (7-13, previous No. 19) – What is going on in Washington? The Nationals have lost six straight and have a run differential of minus-20.

29. Cleveland Indians (6-12, previous No. 26) – Things could not have gone much worse for the Indians to open the season, as they have gone just 1-5 at home and sit in last place in the AL Central.

30. Milwaukee Brewers (4-16, previous No. 30) – Could the year have started any worse for the Brewers? Their minus-50 run differential through 20 games is by far the worst in the game.