10. New York Yankees: 27–23 record; 4.6 runs scored, 4.3 runs allowed—The third-place Yankees have yet to hit their stride this season, but there are signs of a breakout. Slow-starting Mark Teixeira has come on of late posting a .548 slugging percentage in May, while the similarly sluggish Alex Rodriguez had a .314 batting average over the same stretch. Forty-year-old starter Andy Pettitte has a 3.49 ERA through his first four starts while Hiroki Kuroda is coming off his best start of the season—eight shutout innings in a 2–0 win over Oakland. Despite the lukewarm start, the Yankees are still just a game and a half out of first place. Previous: 9
9. Miami Marlins: 29–22 record; 4.0 runs scored, 4.0 runs allowed—Winners of eight of their last 11 contests the Marlins, that made so much noise in free agency last winter, have quietly crept up to within a half a game of the NL East lead. Cubs castoff starter Carlos Zambrano is his old self again sporting a 3.00 ERA through 10 starts with a 3–3 record. Fellow starter Mark Buehrle is fairing the best of their three mammoth free-agent signings with a 3.26 ERA and 5–4 record through 10 starts. Twenty-two-year-old outfielder Giancarlo Stanton has hit 12 of his 13 home runs in May. Previous: NR
8. Baltimore Orioles: 29–22 record; 4.5 runs scored, 4.4 runs allowed—With five losses in a row, one has to wonder whether this is the beginning of the end for the Orioles that haven’t finished above third place in the AL East since 1997. Good pitching is generally a high need to sustain any success in baseball and the Orioles don’t have much of it. Just two starters have ERAs under 4.00 (Jason Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen) on the season, though closer Jim Johnson has made a name for himself with 16 saves and an 0.84 ERA. Adam Jones, who just signed a six-year $85.5 million extension, is third in the American League with 16 home runs. Previous: 7
7. Chicago White Sox: 29–22 record: 4.7 runs scored, 4.0 runs allowed—The hottest team in baseball is none other than new manager Robin Ventura’s Chicago White Sox. Winners of eight straight games and 12 of their last 13 Chicago has benefited from bounce-back performances courtesy of highly-paid veterans Alex Rios, (.283 batting average, and is paid $12 million) Adam Dunn (16 home runs, $14 million), and Jake Peavy (6-1 record, 3.07 ERA, $17 million). Under-appreciated 36-year-old first baseman Paul Konerko continues to amaze with an AL-leading .381 batting average while hitting 11 home runs. Previous: NR
6. St. Louis Cardinals: 27–24 record; 5.3 runs scored, 4.0 runs allowed—Despite the worst record of any team in these rankings the St. Louis Cardinals, which have lost nine of their last 14 games, still have the best run-scoring differential in the National League, (+65). The anomaly usually means that a team has been unlucky in close games and that their record soon will even out and indeed the Cardinals are just 3–9 in one-run games. Outfielder Carlos Beltran continues to be a tremendous addition with his league-leading 15 home runs while hitting .294. Fellow veteran Rafael Furcal is hitting .333 through 222 at-bats on the season. Previous: 3
5. Cincinnati Reds: 28–22 record; 4.0 runs scored, 3.7 runs allowed—The first-place Reds, winners of nine of their last 12 games, have finally woken up from their April-slumber to take the lead in the NL Central. First baseman Joey Votto has been on a tear this past month, hitting .355 with a .483 on-base percentage and a .677 slugging percentage—exactly what the Reds wanted when they signed him to a 10-year, $225 million extension. Starter Mat Latos, for whom the Reds gave up a king’s ransom in the offseason finally has his ERA under 5.00 after going 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA in May. Top-starter Johnny Cueto keeps rolling along with a 5-3 record and a 2.54 ERA in 11 starts. Previous: 10
4. Washington Nationals...
4. Washington Nationals: 29–21 record; 3.8 runs scored, 3.3 runs allowed—The Nats are evidence of just how far a stellar starting rotation can get you. Only three National League teams have scored fewer runs on the season, yet only the Dodgers have a better record than Washington. The Nationals’ offense should get going soon though. With 19-year-old mega-prospect Bryce Harper heating up (.274 batting average, .504 slugging percentage) and the return of two-time Silver Slugger Award-winning third baseman Ryan Zimmerman to the lineup, their offense should be able to handle some off-days by their starters. There haven’t been many, though. Their five starters have a combined ERA of 2.85 and are the envy of every GM in the league. Previous: 5
3. Tampa Bay Rays: 29–22 record; 4.2 runs scored, 4.0 runs allowed—The Rays have now gone a month without the services of franchise player Evan Longoria yet have managed to hold their own, maintaining a first-place tie with the Orioles in baseball’s toughest division, the AL East. Longoria, who is reported to resume baseball activities in a few weeks, was hitting .329 at the time of his injury but his production in the lineup has been replaced by outfielder Matt Joyce. Joyce, an under-the-radar All-Star last season is hitting .288 with 28 runs batted in and a team-leading nine home runs. Rookie starter Matt Moore has shown signs of breaking out as he fanned 10 White Sox in last start, while allowing two runs in seven innings. Previous: 2
2. Los Angeles Dodgers: 32–18 record; 4.4 runs scored, 3.5 runs allowed*—Even after losing five of their last seven games, Don Mattingly’s club still has the best record in baseball. How have they done it? The Dodgers have raced to the lead with some stars like Matt Kemp (12 home runs, 28 RBIs, and a .355 batting average) and Clayton Kershaw (4-3 record with 2.42 ERA) excelling in the driver’s seat as well as some unsung veterans. Thirty-eight year-old outfielder Bobby Abreu has hit .339 in 75 at-bats since coming over from the Angels. Meanwhile, 33-year-old starter Chris Capuano (7-1 record, 2.14 ERA) and 36-year-old starter Ted Lilly (5-1 record, 3.14 ERA) have more than held their own in the rotation. Previous: 4
1. Texas Rangers: 31–20 record; 5.7 runs scored, 4.2 runs allowed—Despite allowing the Dodgers to overtake them for the best record in the majors, evidence still points to the Rangers as being the best team out there. In fact, even after losing to the Mariners by a combined 20 runs on Tuesday and Wednesday (10–3 and 21–8) the Rangers still have the highest run-scoring differential in the league (+79). Of course when you have Josh Hamilton’s production (21 home runs, 57 RBIs, and a .368 batting average) in your lineup, it helps. Yu Darvish anchors the rotation with a 7–2 record while sporting a 3.25 ERA. Previous: 1
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*—designates statistics not including Thursday night’s games.
