Here's your week 20 Major League Baseball power rankings: (stats current as of Aug. 11)
30. Colorado Rockies (46-71) Last Week: 29
The Rockies have hit the baseball very well this season, giving them the highest average in the league at .277. Unfortunately, when it comes to pitching, Colorado goes from one extreme to the other. The Rockies' staff has posted an ERA of over five runs per game, proving that the only thing that can kill a good offense is awful pitching.
29. Texas Rangers (46-71) Last Week: 30
The Rangers sit 26 games out in the AL West race, and Texas can't seem to get any good news. Outfielder Alex Rios will be listed as day-to-day after re-aggravating a sprained ankle on Sunday against the Houston Astros. Texas did win the game, snapping a seven-game losing streak against Houston.
28. Houston Astros (49-69) Last Week: 28
The Astros hold down the number 28 spot in our rankings this week, and Chris Carter has been one of the hottest hitters in the league for the month of August. Carter already has 13 hits this month including four home runs and 11 RBIs.
27. Chicago Cubs (50-66) Last Week: 27
The Cubs are 14 games out in the NL Central race, and this season doesn't appear to be the massive turnaround year for Chicago. One player that has progressed well this season for the Cubs has been first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo has already hit 25 homers, which tops his career best for a season (23 in 2013).
26. Arizona Diamondbacks (51-67) Last Week: 26
The Diamondbacks' playoff chances faded in the Spring, and Arizona is 15.5 games out of the NL West hunt. The Diamondbacks are now playing without their best bat, Paul Goldschmidt, who'll likely spend the rest of the 2014 season on the disabled list with a fractured hand.
25. Boston Red Sox (52-65) Last Week: 25
The Red Sox stay in the number 25 spot, but Boston will continue to trend up. The Red Sox management felt a great deal of confidence in the huge trade the team made with the Oakland A's just before the deadline last week - Yoenis Cespedes has added a huge spark to the Boston lineup, and his three-run blast on Sunday topped off a series win against the red-hot Los Angeles Angels.
24. Minnesota Twins (52-64) Last Week: 23
At one point, the Twins were just five games out of first place in the AL Central. Now, the Twins have dropped to 11.5 games out and are in last place, as the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers continue to run away at the top of the division standings. It will be interesting to see if the Twins invest in their starting rotation this offseason, as Minnesota likely won't be making the postseason.
23. Philadelphia Phillies (53-65) Last Week: 24
The Phillies announced late last week that they are going to rest ace Cliff Lee for the remainder of the 2014 season. Lee has spent most of the year on the disabled list, and after a couple of scary injuries, the Phillies believe that resting Lee's arm is their best option. Lee had posted a 4-5 record this season, and Philadelphia expects him to be completely healthy by Spring Training before next season.
22. Chicago White Sox (56-63) Last Week: 20
The White Sox are nine games out of first place in the AL Central, and Chicago probably isn't going to catch the Detroit Tigers or the Kansas City Royals for a postseason spot this year. The White Sox clearly have a bright future ahead of them, with rookie Jose Abreu leading Major League Baseball with 31 home runs and 86 RBIs. If the White Sox can retool their starting rotation for next season, they will certainly be a playoff contender.
21. San Diego Padres (54-62) Last Week: 22
The Padres are 11.5 games behind in the NL West, yet they sit in third place. San Diego's pitching staff has been phenomenal this season, posting a 3.08 ERA - the best in the National League. I've talked about San Diego's struggles on offense all season long, and if the Padres can solve this problem, they'll be a team to watch in the future.
20. New York Mets (56-62) Last Week: 21
Oddly enough, the New York Mets have a run differential of exactly zero going into Monday's games. This means that the Mets have scored the same amount of runs as their opponents over the course of the entire season. Still, New York has a losing record and sits eight games out in the NL East.
19. Tampa Bay Rays (57-60) Last Week: 18
The Rays took a series win this weekend against the Chicago Cubs as they usher in a new era without their former ace David Price. The Rays received lefty Drew Smyly in the three-way deal that involved the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners. Smyly anchors a rotation that includes a lot of young talented arms that will try to compensate for the absence of Price, who won the AL Cy Young in 2012.
18. Miami Marlins (57-60) Last Week: 19
With Henderson Alvarez on the 15-day disabled list, the Marlins made an interesting move, calling up right-hander Brad Penny from Triple-A New Orleans. Penny, who pitched for the Marlins 10 years ago, went five innings while only allowing four hits and one earned run. This outing was Penny's first since the 2012 season, and Miami manager Mike Redmond was Penny's catcher the last time he pitched for the Marlins.
17. Cleveland Indians (59-59) Last Week: 17
Few pitchers have recorded as many strikeouts as Indians' ace Corey Kluber this season. In fact, the only pitcher with more strikeouts than Kluber this season so far has been David Price. Kluber has recorded 187 strikeouts, while going 13-6 this season with a 2.46 ERA.
16. Atlanta Braves (60-57) Last Week: 14
The Braves closed the gap in the NL East race with the Washington Nationals to 3.5 games with a 3-1 win Sunday night. Alex Wood struck out 12 batters over 7.1 innings in a huge win for Atlanta. The Braves have won just two of their last 10 games and will have to start winning if they want to pass the Nationals for first place.
15. Cincinnati Reds (60-58) Last Week: 16
The Reds have gone just 8-14 since the All-Star Break and have really missed the presence of first baseman Joey Votto in their lineup. Johnny Cueto has continued to pitch very well, winning four straight starts. Cueto has posted a 2.05 ERA this season, which is the second-lowest in the National League behind Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw.
14. New York Yankees (61-56) Last Week: 12
Derek Jeter passed Honus Wagner for sixth place on the all-time hits list on Saturday. Jeter hit an infield single that gave him hit number 3,341 - a remarkable accomplishment. The Yankees lost the final two games of a three game series against the Indians this week, dropping them to six games out of first place in the AL East race.
13. Toronto Blue Jays (63-56) Last Week: 11
Jose Bautista hit a walk-off single on Sunday that ended a 19-inning game against the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers/Blue Jays marathon was the second 19-inning game this weekend in Major League Baseball, as the Red Sox and Angels went the same distance on Saturday night before Albert Pujols lifted a game-ending drive over the wall to give the Angels the win.
12. Seattle Mariners (62-55) Last Week: 15
The Mariners are 10 games out in baseball's best division, but Seattle's pitching has made zero excuses this season. The Mariners have best ERA in Major League Baseball at 3.00. Felix Hernandez' velocity has dropped slightly over the past few years, but his command has still led him to an impressive 12-3 record with an amazing 1.97 ERA and 186 strikeouts. "King Felix" will definitely be one of the names mentioned for this year's AL Cy Young.
11. San Francisco Giants (62-56) Last Week: 8
The Giants slip to the number 11 spot in our rankings this week after losing four games in a row going into Monday's action. The Giants are chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have built a 4.5 game lead in the NL West. After being swept this weekend by the Kansas City Royals, the Giants will finish this stint of interleague play with a short two-game set against the Chicago White Sox to start Monday.
10. Pittsburgh Pirates (62-55) Last Week: 13
The Pirates have listed star outfielder Andrew McCutchen as "day-to-day," after McCutchen suffered a broken rib that was originally diagnosed as an oblique injury. Pittsburgh is hoping to avoid putting McCutchen on the disabled list, as he remained out of the lineup in Sunday's loss to the San Diego Padres. If McCutchen does have to go on the disabled list, all the finalists for last year's NL MVP award will be on the DL, as both Yadier Molina and Paul Goldschmidt have sustained injuries that have made them miss significant time this season.
9. St. Louis Cardinals (62-54) Last Week: 10
The Cardinals avoided a weekend sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles by winning 8-3 on Sunday, with Lance Lynn earning his twelfth win of the year. St. Louis trails the Milwaukee Brewers by two games in the NL Central race, and will continue to try to narrow the gap as Shelby Miller takes the mound against the Miami Marlins on Monday.
8. Kansas City Royals (63-53) Last Week: 9
The Royals now sit just a half-game behind the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central divisional lead after their seven game winning streak. Kansas City has hit the fewest home runs in Major League Baseball this season, with just 71. However, the Royals have made up for their lack of power with speed on the base paths. Kansas City has stolen 95 bases, the most in the American League.
7. Detroit Tigers (63-52) Last Week: 3
The Tigers drop to the seventh spot this week, and with Kansas City winning seven straight, the Tigers lead the AL Central by just half a game. On Sunday, the Tigers were on the losing end of a 19-inning thriller against the Toronto Blue Jays that lasted nearly seven hours.
6. Washington Nationals (63-53) Last Week: 5
The Nationals lead the Atlanta Braves by 3.5 games after losing 3-1 to Atlanta on Sunday night. Washington outfielder Denard Span continues to turn heads with his bat this month, already accumulating 20 hits in August that have boosted his average to a team-high .306.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (65-53) Last Week: 7
The Brewers took two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend, allowing them to keep their lead in the NL Central. Khris Davis has added two home runs in the last seven days to give him a team-high 19 blasts this season.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (67-52) Last Week: 6
The Dodgers are just 5-5 in their last 10 games, but Los Angeles has built up a 4.5 game lead on the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. Dee Gordon has played like the fastest man in Major League Baseball this season, and he leads the league in stolen bases with 51 and triples with 10. The Dodgers avoided a sweep by the Brewers yesterday as Clayton Kershaw earned win number 14.
3. Baltimore Orioles (67-50) Last Week: 4
The Orioles now have a five game lead on the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, and Baltimore has had the best power of any team in baseball. The Orioles have hit 147 home runs this season, the most from any team in the entire league. Nelson Cruz continues to be a nightmare for opposing pitching, with 30 bombs so far this year.
2. Los Angeles Angels (68-49) Last Week: 2
The Angels trail the Oakland Athletics by four games in the AL West, and Los Angeles would lead any other division in Major League Baseball. Mike Trout continues to assert himself as the best young talent in the game - his 65 extra-base hits this year are more than any other player in baseball.
1. Oakland Athletics (72-45) Last Week: 1
The A's continue their reign at the top of our power rankings, and Oakland doesn't look like they plan on slowing down any time soon. Oakland leads the Los Angeles Angels by four games in the AL West, and the A's have been very efficient at the plate this season, recording the second-lowest strikeout total at the plate in Major League Baseball.
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