MLB Power Rankings: Red Sox with staying power, Cubs fall back

1. San Francisco Giants (57-33, previously No. 2) – The Giants go into the All-Star break as one of the hottest teams in baseball as they have won four straight and eight of 10 to open a 6.5-game lead in the NL West. Johnny Cueto has the most wins in the NL with 13 and Madison Bumgarner has the second-best ERA at 1.94.

2. Texas Rangers (54-36, previously No. 3) – Texas is struggling, but still leads the AL West by 5.5 games. It has dropped two straight and seven of its last 10 games and the issue has been starting pitching as it hasn’t received a win from a starter since June 27.

3. Washington Nationals (54-36, previously No. 5) – The Nationals go into the break feeling good as they have won three straight games and six of their last 10 to open a six-game lead in the NL East. Daniel Murphy is killing it this year as he is batting .348 with 66 RBIs. That BAis the best in baseball.

4. Chicago Cubs (53-35, previously No. 1) – It’s been pretty much a month-long funk for the Cubs as they most recently have dropped eight of their last 10 games, but still lead the NL Central by seven. Every team goes through struggles during the year, they just need to make sure it doesn’t last too much longer.

5. Cleveland Indians (52-36, previously No. 4) – Cleveland has dropped two straight games, but it still leads the AL Central by 6.5 games. The good thing for the Indians is that they have a plus-81 run differential, which is the only positive one in the division. Danny Salazar has a 2.75 ERA, which is second-best in the AL.

6. Baltimore Orioles (51-36, previously No. 7) – Though Baltimore had a tough West Coast swing, it is two games up in the American League East. Mark Trumbo continues to swing a hot bat as his 28 home runs tops the AL leaderboard.

7. Los Angeles Dodgers (51-40, previously No. 6) – The Dodgers have won three straight and seven of their last 10 games, but because of the Giants’ recent hot streak they remain 6.5 games out of first. They are hoping to get Clayton Kershaw back soon as his 1.79 ERA is the best in the NL.

8. Boston Red Sox (49-38, previously No. 8) – The Red Sox may have had their best week of the season and it came at the best time as they were fading fast. They have won four straight and seven of 10 despite a number of injuries. Dave Dombrowski as been active in the trade market and that likely will continue right up until the deadline.

9. Toronto Blue Jays (51-40, previously No. 10) – Toronto is playing much better of late and because of that the AL East race will be something special to watch down the stretch. Edwin Encarnacion’s 80 RBIs are the most in the majors and are eight more than the second place player.

10. Houston Astros (48-41, previously No. 11) – The Astros are making things interesting in both the AL West and the Wild Card as the have turned things around dramatically from their poor start. They are led by Jose Altuve and his AL –leading .341 batting average.

11. New York Mets (47-41, previously No. 9) – This wasn’t the way the Mets wanted to go into the All-Star break as they have dropped three straight and are now tied for the Marlins for second in the division. With all the injuries to their starting rotation, it may be time for them to make a trade for a starter.

12. Miami Marlins (47-41, previously No. 13) – Miami has won three straight games as it has moved into a tie for second in the NL East. After a sluggish start, Jose Fernandez is starting to pitch like he’s capable of as his 11 wins for tied for fourth in the NL and his 2.52 ERA is fifth.

13. St. Louis Cardinals (46-42, previously No. 14) – The Cardinals are doing everything they can to remain in striking distance of the Cubs, but need to take advantage of their recent poor play. They have a plus-89 run differential, which is the sign of a good team, but then they have gone 19-26 at home, the sign of a not so good team.

14. Detroit Tigers (46-43, previously No. 12) – The Tigers need something good to happen and something to happen fast or else they will be on the outside looking in at the playoffs. A good place to start would be improving their 23-27 record on the road.

15. Pittsburgh Pirates (46-43, previously No. 18) – Pittsburgh has won eight out of its last 10 games to climb back into the thick of the NL West Card race, which should be interesting to watch as the summer goes on. Mark Melancon continues to do his thing as his 27 saves are second in the National League.

16. Kansas City Royals (45-43, previously No. 15) – Things aren’t going so well in Kansas City as the Royals have dropped seven of its last 10 and doesn’t appear to have the same magic as it did a year ago. The Royals have a minus-26 run differential, which is never a sign for a good team.

17. Chicago White Sox (45-43, previously No. 17) – The White Sox don’t appear to be in the mix for the postseason so it will be interesting to see how they approach the trade deadline. They will get a number of calls on ace Chris Sale, but it doesn’t appear they will be trading him.

18. Seattle Mariners (45-44, previously No. 16) – Things looked somewhat promising for the Mariners at the beginning of the year, but it doesn’t look like they will be going anywhere. The injury to Felix Hernandez did not come at a good time as he’s been out over a month.

19. New York Yankees (44-44, previously No. 19) – The Yankees are playing better of late, but they still sit 7.5 games out in the American League East, but the problem both in the division and the Wild Card is there are three teams ahead of them. The best option for them might be selling and looking towards the future.

20. Philadelphia Phillies (42-48, previously No. 20) – Although they are out of any playoff race, the Phillies have won seven of their last 10 games, which is a good sign considering their youth. They could make a few small moves at the deadline, but the majority of their core should be kept in tact.

21. Colorado Rockies (41-58, previously No. 21)

22. Milwaukee Brewers (38-49, previously No. 23)

23. San Diego Padres (38-51, previously No. 24)

24. Oakland Athletics (38-51, previously No. 25)

25. Arizona Diamondbacks (38-52, previously No. 22)

26. Los Angeles Angels (37-52, previously No. 27)

27. Tampa Bay Rays (34-54, previously No. 26)

28. Minnesota Twins (32-56, previously No. 30)

29. Cincinnati Reds (32-57, previously No. 28)

30. Atlanta Braves (31-58, previously No. 29)