With the prime rivalries out of the way, it’s back to business in baseball. For us, that means power rankings:
First 4
1. (1) Cardinals: Haven’t lost a series since April. And it’s June now. That will get you the best record in baseball and keep the No. 1 spot on lockdown.
2. (3) Rangers: Shades of 2011, although it’s doubtful St. Louis and Texas were ever 1-2 in any power rankings before that year’s World Series. Oakland is making its move a little earlier this year.
3. (2) Reds: They’ve done more damage in the NL East than in their own division. And they haven’t even played the West yet. Keeping pace with the Cardinals, but look out below: The Pirates have caught them.
4. (4) Braves: More stabilized than streaky of late, perhaps this Atlanta team will settle in and cruise to the NL East title. No one else is even over .500. Still.
Middle mentionables
5. (15) A’s: A 9 out of 10 surge sends Oakland to the top of the wild card standings, but just out of reach of our first four.
6. (9) Pirates: It’s worth noting every week how many games over .500 this team is. Will 13 be enough? I’m sure any Pittsburgh fan would take .500 the rest of the way, but this team could do so much more. We’re sticking with the three-NL-Central playoff prediction.
7. (12) Red Sox: Took two out of three from the Yankees and charge of a division that still might manage to be turned upside down a couple of times before it is all said and done.
8. (13) Orioles: If you don’t believe in Boston, this is your team. Look for them to be consistently solid.
9. (10) Diamondbacks: A one-spot jump might not be giving the NL West leaders their due, but Arizona’s only 6-4 over its last 10. The series in St. Louis gives them a chance to make a strong statement.
10. (8) Rockies: They’ve fallen two spots in the rankings, but only two games behind Arizona. Colorado can recover from both.
11. (5) Tigers: Who wants the AL Central? If Detroit isn’t careful, they could be this year’s White Sox.
12. (7) Indians: And that might make Cleveland this year’s Tigers.
13. (17) Rays: They didn’t pass the Yankees in the standings, but we’re letting them pass them here, because they’re the hotter team right now, even if four of those wins came courtesy of the Marlins. (It’s a rivalry!)
14. (6) Yankees: Losing six out of seven to the Mets and Red Sox will send you tumbling in the power rankings. And eight spots might not be far enough, but it’ll do … for now.
15. (11) Giants: If you’re going to win your third title in four years, you’re going to have to win on the road.
16. (20) Blue Jays: Like the Tigers last year, I keep thinking that Toronto just needs time to fit the high-priced pieces together. Then watch out. But if you’re the worst among teams that spent 2012 in the AL when you start that surge…
17. (18) Padres: Treading water.
18. (19) Phillies: Same here. Moving up a spot by default.
19. (14) Nationals: Played a competitive series with the Braves, but lost two out of three. And you don’t want the Strasburg watch to start up again while you’re sitting under .500.
20. (30) Twins: A 10-spot jump might not seem warranted, but we sent them to the bottom during the 10-game skid. Ending it against the Tigers and a sweep of the Brewers earns Minnesota the benefit of the doubt … for a week.
21. (16) White Sox: The Sox climb all the way back to .500, then sink like a rock against the Cubs and A’s. They never play well in Oakland, but they should have been the better team inside Chicago’s city limits.
22. (22) Mariners: On the bright side, the Astros are on five-game winning streak and are still four games behind Seattle in the standings.
23. (21) Angels: And on the dark side, a three-game losing streak coupled with Oakland’s hot streak has them buried again. And all they really had was one finger out of the dirt.
24. (27) Cubs: Did you see the picture of the Cubs huddled around the Crosstown Cup like it was named Stanley? We told you it was big! Sweeping the White Sox was the Cubs’ World Series. It’s going to have to be.
25. (24) Mets: Congrats on sweeping the Yankees. Don’t let it go to your head while playing the Marlins. Oops, too late. Six of Miami’s 16 wins are against the Mets. That’s what Boomer Esiason told me anyway.
26. (23) Royals: What more can you say about the Royals other than, “Coming soon to a Final 4 near you”? (The one directly below, not the LCS.)
Final 4
27. (25) Dodgers: Any day now all that high-paid talent is going to click.
28. (26) Brewers: It’s fun to subtract Milwaukee’s nine-game winning streak each week and see how the Brewers stack up against the worst of the worst. A .353 winning percentage still beats Houston and Miami.
29. (28) Astros: Five wins in a row on the road against the Rockies and Angels. Maybe they’re not that bad. Well, yes they are, but you might as well finish the sweep in L.A. tonight. Make that Anaheim.
30. (29) Marlins: Should a sweep of the Mets get them out of the basement? Not this week.