MLB Betting: This Week’s Power Rankings (August 18th, 2015)
Matters continue to get more confusing in some races and to settle out in others. Who wants the AL West crown enough to go in a big enough run to seize the top record? Will the Yankees fend off the Blue Jays or not? Check out this week’s version of the MLB betting rankings of each team in the league.
#30 Miami Marlins
Ichiro Suzuki got his 4,192nd hit this past Saturday, moving him into second all-time in professional baseball.
#29 Colorado Rockies
The Rockies only won one game against six losses last week, and they remain ensconced in last place in the NL West.
#28 Philadelphia Phillies
The Phils continue to shoot up out of last place in the league’s rankings. Their team defense still needs work, though.
#27 Oakland A’s
Last week, the Athletics went 0-6 and were outscored by a total of 48-18.
#26 Milwaukee Brewers
General manager Doug Melvin stepped down after taking the club through one of its best extended stretches in team history.
#25 Boston Red Sox
Not much has gone well for Boston this year, but manager John Farrell developing lymphoma is the cruelest twist.
#24 Cincinnati Reds
The Reds are 23 1/2 games out of first in the NL Central. Billy Hamilton has only batted .228 this year, awful for a center fielder.
#23 Seattle Mariners
Hisashi Iwakuma threw the team’s fifth no-hitter this past Wednesday, with the Orioles swinging at 55 percent of his pitches.
#22 Atlanta Braves
The Braves have used 33 pitchers already this season, a record for the franchise.
#21 Cleveland Indians
The Tribe saw Corey Kluber get his second complete game win this past Friday. The offense continues to slumber.
#20 Chicago White Sox
Jose Abreu is a rock at the center of this lineup, with eight home runs just since the All-Star break.
#19 San Diego Padres
Matt Kemp became the very first Padre to hit for the cycle – in the team’s 7,444th game overall.
#18 Detroit Tigers
Justin Verlander finally seems to be back, with 36 innings in his last five starts in which he put up a 1.75 ERA and 32 strikeouts – and just five walks.
#17 Arizona Diamondbacks
David Peralta is hitting .443 since the All-Star break, with four home runs and four triples.
#16 Minnesota Twins
The Twins are only 21-34 on the road this season. Their 10-game East Coast trip that started today will be their test for contending in the wild-card chase.
#15 Tampa Bay Rays
The offense is waking up a bit, as Asdrubal Cabrera has been the hottest hitter in the American League.
#14 Washington Nationals
The Nationals are 6-14 since July 28 – their worst record over any 20 games this season.
#13 Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout is only hitting .203 with two home runs in his last 17 games since he injured his wrist on July 26.
#12 Texas Rangers
Derek Holland is set to return to the Texas rotation, and the Rangers are only a game out of the second wild card position.
#11 Baltimore Orioles
Chris Davis has been destroying opposing pitching as of late, and the O’s are another team sniffing around that wild card league.
#10 Houston Astros
The Astros love playing at home: their batters hit 13 points higher with 25 more home runs. The pitchers are also better at home, with a lower ERA at Minute Maid Park than in road games.
#9 New York Mets
Jacob deGrom has a 2-0 record in five starts since the All-Star break. He has a frigid 1.64 ERA with 40 strikeouts.
#8 San Francisco Giants
Matt Duffy has been a major factor in the Giants’ most recent hot streak, with four extra-base hits in six games.
#7 Los Angeles Dodgers
Of the next 24 games, the Dodgers play 18 away. Their two home series? Against the Giants and Cubs.
#6 Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays swept the Yankees in the Bronx and then swept the A’s at home. The Jays are still primarily healthy and look to win games on the road this week.
#5 New York Yankees
The Yankees cling – just barely – to their division lead for now.
#4 Chicago Cubs
The Cubs only need to play .500 ball for the rest of the season to win 90 games.
#3 Pittsburgh Pirates
Against the Mets, Cardinals, Dodgers and Cubs, the Pirates emerged with 8 wins in 11 games. Now they face a stretch with 20 losing teams in 27 games.
#2 Kansas City Royals
The team had a 5-2 week despite two bullpen collapses. Lorenzo Cain is making a strong case for winning the MVP.
#1 St. Louis Cardinals
The Cards continue to hold off Pittsburgh, maintaining a five-game lead. Jaime Garcia has a terrific 1.57 ERA since his return from the disabled list.
Sources
ESPN.com (http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/13458561/john-farrell-boston-red-sox-manager-accompanied-friend-cleveland-indians-manager-terry-francona-first-chemo-treatment)
Rotoworld.com (http://www.rotoworld.com/player/mlb/4409/lorenzo-cain)
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