The MLB non-waiver trade deadline came and went on Saturday at 4:00 PM, and though there was a flurry of action right before the wire, several teams were left out in the cold in their quest to better themselves for the rest of this season. Check out how we graded the teams in the hunt for October at Bankroll Sports!

Atlanta Braves: The only move the Braves made during this trade season was picking up SS Alex Gonzalez from the Toronto Blue Jays. How has that move worked out so far? Gonzalez is batting .259 with six extra base hits, one homers, and three RBIs in 15 games with Atlanta. The man he was traded for, SS Yunel Escobar is batting .323 with three dingers and nine RBIs. We won’t mention the two prospects that the Braves gave up in this deal as well. Oops. Look out from behind Atlanta, as the pack is coming to get you in the NL East. Final Grade: D-

Philadelphia Phillies: Give some props to the Phils for going out and getting their man in RHP Roy Oswalt. This is clearly a sign that the boys from the City of Brotherly Love are going for gold once again in the National League. However, this could be a case of too little, too late. The Phils are 3.5 games out of the Wild Card in the race in the NL and are 2.5 back of the Braves. Giving up LHP JA Happ and some prospects to take on all that payroll is risky, but the move worked last year with LHP Cliff Lee. It could work again this year. We love the guts, but aren’t so sure it will be worth the glory. Final Grade: B-

New York Mets: The Mets badly needed to add at least 1-2 starting pitchers at the trade deadline and missed out on everyone. At 6.5 games out from the NL East race and 7.5 back with a trillion teams to hop in the NL Wild Card, the season appears to be over in the Big Apple. GM Omar Minaya badly needed to make a move and failed miserably. Final Grade: F

St. Louis Cardinals: The brass of the Cardinals made a bold move by giving up OF Ryan Ludwick and some minor league prospect talent to get RHP Jake Westbrook from the Cleveland Indians. We aren’t so sure about bringing in a guy who didn’t pitch at all last season and is only 6-7 with a 4.65 ERA this year, but Westbrook does bring some valuable experience. He could be a great fourth pitcher in the postseason behind Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Jamie Wright. Final Grade: B

Cincinnati Reds: The Reds really didn’t do much at the trade deadline, and they really didn’t seem all that active on the phones either. There’s a reason for that. Though Cincinnati is in position to make the playoffs now, it is also in a spot to be able to make a run at a number of NL Central titles in the future and everyone knows it. There was no reason to tinker with what was going on. Final Grade: A

San Diego Padres: Hats off to the Padres for getting this trade deadline exactly right. The pitching staff as a whole needed no tweaking whatsoever, as this has been arguably the most consistent unit 1-12 in the majors all season long. A bat would come in handy though in the NL West race, and that’s exactly what San Diego got with OF Ryan Ludwick. Ludwick has all sorts of pop in his bat and has already blasted 11 homers in 77 games this season. Look for him to help boost an offense that struggles at times. Picking up SS/3B Miguel Tejada brings a veteran leader into a very young clubhouse. The Padres are clearly going for glory this year and we love it. Final Grade: A

Los Angeles Dodgers : Someone was going to be trading for Chicago’s LHP Ted Lilly, but at least the Dodgers didn’t give up the farm to get him. Giving up on Blake Dewitt might come back to bit LA in the butt, but at least it acquired handy utility man Ryan Theriot in this deal as well. The Dodgers are 6.5 games behind the playoff chase, but this should at least help a bit in the quest to get back in it. Adding OF Scott Podsednik and RHP Octavio Dotel might help as well. This might not be enough to get the job done, though. Final Grade: B+

Colorado Rockies: Shame on you, Colorado. The Rockies badly needed to go out and find a bat for the middle of the lineup and they failed to do so. Is this a sign on giving up on the season? Didn’t we learn anything last year from the hunt for Rocktober??? Final Grade: F

San Francisco Giants: San Fran had plenty of chances to go out and get a bat in the outfield to improve the team, but the Giants felt the need to stand pat instead. We can’t blame them. This is probably the best chance the team has had to win in years, and the squad has a nice chemistry. 61 wins is tied for the NL lead. Final Grade: B

New York Yankees: The Bronx Bombers added three key pieces to the puzzle on the final hours before the trade deadline, picking up OFs Lance Berkman and Austin Kearns as well as reliever Kerry Wood. Leave it up to GM Brian Cashman to make the moves to make the Yankees win now, but the future seemed to be mortgaged just a bit by giving up a slew of prospects. Final Grade: B-

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays badly needed a bat, but instead, GM Andrew Freidman elected to go with a bullpen arm instead. He clearly bought RHP Chad Qualls at a cheap price, as his ERA was over 8.00 with Arizona this year. Two seasons ago, the team made a similar move by picking up RHP Chad Bradford at the deadline, and he helped pitch Tampa Bay to the World Series. Could this be the same sort of situation? We’re not ones to doubt the cash strapped Rays. Final Grade: B

Boston Red Sox: If the Red Sox thought they were buyers at the trade deadline, why didn’t they take a chance at giving up some of their pitching in the minors for a quality bat? If they thought they were sellers, why not try to move some of these older pieces to the puzzle that aren’t going to be used in the future? We’re certainly puzzled at the fact that there was no activity in Beantown at the gun. Final Grade: D

Chicago White Sox: They needed a bat, but the White Sox grabbed a great arm instead in the form of RHP Edwin Jackson. Jackson will step into the rotation in the place of RHP Jake Peavy, who has been shut down for the year. With postseason experience, Jackson might be just the man to help pitch the Pale Hose into the second season in spite of the fact that he has had a miserable year. Being back in the AL should help where he thrived with Detroit and Tampa Bay the last two seasons. Final Grade: B+

Minnesota Twins: Yikes. Giving up on the best catching prospect in baseball for Matt Capps? We understand that Capps has had a good season as the Nationals closer, but do the Twinkies really need him? This is a troubling and puzzling move for Minnesota, which didn’t help out its situations in the outfield or in the starting rotation either. Final Grade: F

Detroit Tigers: GM Dave Dombrowski must have thought his Tigers were out of it, as they are currently seven games back in the AL Central. He’s probably right. Final Grade: C

Texas Rangers: The AL West race was probably all but over the day that LHP Cliff Lee was inked by the Rangers. As a team in bankruptcy, Texas certainly did a heck of a job making moves at the trade deadline, bolstering an offense as well that was already potent. With an eight game pad in the AL West, we have to give this team the best grade of any team at the deadline. Final Grade: A+

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Ok, so the Halos are probably out of the playoff race, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t have a great trade deadline. Picking up RHP Dan Haren from the dismal Diamondbacks was a great move to make, not just for this season, but for the future. Haren is young and is still a great arm at the front end of any rotation. Giving up on a Sabermetric nightmare in LHP Joe Saunders was a very small price to pay. Final Grade: A

The 2010 All-Star Game is just a few days away, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are analyzing the top snubs from the mid-summer classic.

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: How on earth have there been two pitching replacements selected for the All-Star Game and Jered Weaver isn’t one of them? Perhaps if Weaver played on any other team, this would be an excusable snub by manager Joe Girardi, but there is just no reason for the best pitcher on the host team for this game to be left off of the roster. Weaver has 130 strikeouts this year, which is the second most in baseball and the most in the American League. He is 8-4 with a 2.97 ERA, and he would have double digits in wins if not for the fact that his team is averaging exactly 2.0 runs per game in his L/3 starts.

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds: We understand that you only have so many spots on your roster to deal with and that you have to fill in someone from every team in the game, but manager Charlie Manuel really screwed up by not putting Votto on his roster. Perhaps he will end up getting on the roster by the time the game actually starts on Tuesday, but for now, Votto will be back in Cincinnati wondering what more he had to do in the first half of the season to become an All-Star. His 21 homers is best in the National League, while his .313 batting average puts him in the Top 5 in that category as well. Votto is on pace to drive in about 115 runs this year, and his OPS of 1.006 is off the charts. First base is a deep position, especially in the NL, but there is no way to justify why Votto was left off of this team when his teammates, 2B Brandon Phillips and 3B Scott Rolen are.

Mat Latos, San Diego Padres: Thank goodness that Manuel wised up and put closer Heath Bell on the All-Star team finally. Latos should be there as well. How on earth does no one from the best staff in baseball have the goods to be on the All-Star roster? Latos ranked eighth in the NL in ERA at 2.62, and he is 9-4 to show for his 16 starts. His numbers are virtually identical to St. Louis Cardinals RHP Chris Carpenter and aren’t that much worse than anyone aside from Josh Johnson and Ubaldo Jimenez in the NL. Some starting pitcher should be representing the Padres in LA on Tuesday, and Latos should be the man for the job.

Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets: How many ten game winners can really say that they don’t deserve to be All-Stars? Pelfrey was the spit and glue for the Mets for the better part of two months already this year, and though he hasn’t had a great last few starts, this award is supposed to be a recognition for your entire body of work from the first half of the year. Pelfrey is 10-3 with a 3.39 ERA, and, and though his strikeout total is down from the rest of the big arms in baseball, that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been just as effective. If Pelfrey’s name was Greg Maddux, he would arguably be in a position to not just be in the All-Star Game, but to be starting in it as well. It’s not fair that he was left off of the squad because he isn’t your tradition household name amongst pitchers in the league.

Billy Wagner, Atlanta Braves: We hate to keep picking on the way that Manuel picked this roster, but if nothing else, shouldn’t Wagner be entitled to pitch in the All-Star Game because of his history? Now that Bell has his spot on the team, Wagner is the biggest snub amongst relievers in the league. He has 19 saves against just three blown saves, and has 55 strikeouts, the second highest number amongst closers in the NL. His 1.27 ERA is tops amongst closers, while a 0.91 WHIP and .164 batting average against are also best in the NL for stoppers. Wagner is a future Hall of Famer. His name should have carried him onto the All-Star roster with numbers like that. We love Jonathan Broxton in Los Angeles, but we’re sorry… Broxton’s 18 saves and 1.98 ERA aren’t as strong as Wagner’s 19 saves and 1.27 ERA.

Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox: At least Manuel picked two other first basemen on his roster when he left Votto off of the team. Girardi seemingly just overlooked Konerko, as the only other listed 1B on his team is Miguel Cabrera. No disrespect is meant to Cabrera, a deserving All-Star in his own right, but leaving Konerko off of the team is a travesty. He ranks fourth in the AL in home runs with 20 and has already knocked in 60 runs this year. By the way, that’s four more than starting 1B Justin Morneau and six more than OF Jose Bautista, who is also on the team as an outfielder. Aside from his sheer numbers, Konerko is the team leader for the White Sox, and he is arguably the main cog in their resurgence from the bottom of the AL Central up to where they sit now, just one game back of the Detroit Tigers for the division lead.

The rosters for the 2010 MLB All-Star Game have been chosen by managers Charlie Manuel and Joe Girardi, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are taking a first glance at the matchup for the All-Star Game odds and which team we think has the upper hand in the mid-summer classic scheduled for next Tuesday in Anaheim. BetUS Sportsbook will have all of your All-Star Game props and MLB All-Star Game betting lines available to you for this annual festival.

Without a doubt, the National League team has the better set of pitchers at their disposal for this game. If anyone aside from RHP Ubaldo Jimenez starts the game for the NL team, it is a travesty. Yes, Jimenez has struggled just a tad over his last few starts, but it isn’t often that you can say that a pitcher is coming into the All-Star Game with at least 14 wins under his belt. Turning the ball over to RHP Josh Johnson and his 1.82 ERA doesn’t seem like such a bad idea either for Manuel. If a game is close in the late innings, there aren’t a ton of closer options for Manuel to turn to. RHP Jonathan Broxton is having another solid year for the Dodgers, as he gone 17-for-19 on save opportunities and has a 2.02 ERA. LHP Arthur Rhodes may be having the best year for any relief pitcher in baseball in Cincinnati, though. The southpaw as three wins and 15 holds, and up until he allowed three runs against the Phillies last week, his ERA was at 0.28. Still, a 1.06 ERA and 0.88 WHIP are nothing to be ashamed of.

The American League has a nice lineup that is chalk full of speed, particularly at the top of the order. One would think that both OF Carl Crawford and OF Ichiro Suzuki are going to be taking off on the base paths quite a bit if they get aboard, while the big bats of 3B Evan Longoria, DH Vladimir Guerrero, 1B Justin Morneau, and OF Josh Hamilton aren’t going to be far behind waiting to produce runs. Off of the bench, the AL has a superior advantage, as 3B Alex Rodriguez and DH David Ortiz could both pop home runs at a moment’s notice to blow the game wide open for the American League.

The AL pitchers are going to have a tougher time finding traction against the NL roster, though. LHP Cliff Lee won’t be starting the game in all likelihood, but he is arguably the hottest pitcher in baseball right now having thrown 73.1 innings in his L/9 starts and allowing just 13 runs in those outings. Lee is also 7-1 to show for his work in that time, which upped his record to 8-3 on the season. Lefties are certainly at no shortage on this AL roster, as both LHP David Price, LHP Jon Lester, and LHP CC Sabathia are amongst the best in the game. As we all know, if the AL has a lead going into the ninth inning, it’s Enter Sandman time. RHP Mariano Rivera has nailed down a number of All-Star Games in his career, and this year could be no exception.

Manuel has a lineup at his disposal that is chalk full of men from his own division. Four of the nine starters for the NL are out of the East, though 2B Chase Utley won’t be playing in the game due to injury. Expect SS Hanley Ramirez to start off the game as the leadoff hitter. He is really the only pure speed that this roster has until you reach the bench, though. Power is the name of the game for the National League, as 1B Albert Pujols leads a slew of sluggers that can change the game on one swing of the bat as well. The bench doesn’t appear as deep for the NL as it does for the AL, especially when you’re talking about everywhere aside from first base. Obviously, 1Bs Ryan Howard and Adrian Gonzalez are amongst the best hitters in baseball, but there just isn’t any pop beyond those two waiting as potential pinch hitters. The fact that the fans voted in OF Jason Heyward as a starter in this game is a joke, as the rookie is only batting .251 on the season. He is currently on the DL with a bone bruise, and it is unknown whether or not he will be able to give it a go in the All-Star Game or not.

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2010 MLB All-Star Game: American League Roster

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays
Vladimir Guerrero, Texas Rangers
Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox
Trevor Cahill, Oakland Athletics
Fausto Carmona, Cleveland Indians
Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
Phil Hughes, New York Yankees
Cliff Lee, Seattle Mariners
Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox
David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
Matt Thornton, Chicago White Sox
Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers
John Buck, Toronto Blue Jays
Victor Martinez, Boston Red Sox
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers
Ty Wiggington, Baltimore Orioles
Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
Adrian Beltre, Boston Red Sox
Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees
Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays
David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

2010 MLB All-Star Game: National League Roster

Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
David Wright, New York Mets
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers
Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves
Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers
Matt Capps, Washington Nationals
Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers
Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies
Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves
Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies
Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
Evan Meek, Pittsburgh Pirates
Arthur Rhodes, Cincinnati Reds
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants
Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves
Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres
Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds
Martin Prado, Atlanta Braves
Jose Reyes, New York Mets
Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
Omar Infante, Atlanta Braves
Scott Rolen, Cincinnati Reds
Michael Bourn, Houston Astros
Marlon Byrd, Chicago Cubs
Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers
Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Young, Arizona Diamondbacks

*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 6/12/2010
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 6/28/2010)

1. Tampa Bay Rays (40-22) – The Rays continue to lead the American League East but by a slim margin. Tampa Bay comes into Sunday’s action just one game ahead of the New York Yankees at the top of the division. The Rays ranks fourth in all of baseball with an earned run average of 3.42, along with the second best WHIP – 1.23. Offensively Carlos Pena has blasted 15 homeruns over the fence, while Evan Longoria has drove in 48 runs, and Carl Crawford has scored 46 times. Tampa Bay will look to win two out of three over the Marlins on Sunday – then take Monday off, before heading to Atlanta and Miami for three game series against NL East teams.

2. New York Yankees (39-23) – The Yankees will look for a three game sweep over the lowly Houston Astros on Sunday. New York has seen an emerging star in Robinson Cano just carry the entire load offensively. Cano is batting .371, while hitting 12 homeruns, driving in 46 runs, and also scoring 47 runs. New York comes into Sunday’s action just one game behind the Rays at the top of the AL East. The Yankees offense is second in all of baseball with a .280 batting average, and also second in runs batted in; 329. New York’s pitching has also been solid – 9^th in earned run average (3.80) and 4^th in WHIP (1.25). The Yankees, after sending Houston out of town will take Monday off, before hosting the Phillies for three and Mets for three during next week.

3. Minnesota Twins (36-26) – The Minnesota Twins continue to sit in cruise control atop the American League Central division. The Twins are three games ahead of the Tigers for the top spot. Minnesota has out scored opponents 292 – 238 on the season. The offense has been keyed by first base men Justin Morneau. Morneau leads the team in batting average (.357), homeruns (13), runs batted in (43) and runs scored (40). Minnesota, as a team is 7^th in all of baseball with a .270 batting average, and sixth with a 3.68 earned run average. The Twins will look to win two of three over Atlanta on Sunday, and then spend Monday awaiting the arrival of the Colorado Rockies. The Twins and Rockies will play Tuesday – Thursday, and then Minnesota will head to Philadelphia for a weekend series.

4. San Diego Padres (37-25) - The Padres have won two straight games, and six out of their last ten overall. San Diego is looking for a three game sweep over Seattle on Sunday afternoon. The Padres, despite their .248 batting average, sit in first place in the National League West, and have the best record in all of the NL. The Padres have been winning games with their pitching. The pitching staff for the Padres has a 2.95 earned run average, which is best in all of baseball. On the offensive side, despite the struggles, Adrian Gonzalez continues to mash the baseball, leading the team in batting average, homeruns and runs batted in. The Padres will welcome the American League East’s Toronto Blue Jays on Monday through Wednesday, and then take Thursday off. On Friday, the Padres and Baltimore Orioles will start a weekend series at Petco Park.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (36-26) – The Dodgers, following their three game home sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, have lost their last two to city rivals – Angels. The Dodgers will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday afternoon to the Angels. Los Angeles ranks 9^th in baseball with their .265 batting average, led by Andre Ethier’s .351 mark. Either also leads the team in homeruns (11) and runs batted in (40). The Dodgers are just one game out of first place in the NL West, and a game and ½ ahead of third place San Francisco. The Dodgers will travel to Cincinnati for a three game road series through Thursday. Over the weekend, Los Angeles will play at Fenway Park in Boston, against the Red Sox.

6. Boston Red Sox (37-27) – The Red Sox have moved to within four games of the Rays at the top of the American League East. Boston has been successful with their high powered offense; leading first in baseball in runs batted in (336) and runs scored (619). The Red Sox have hit the second most homeruns, trailing only Toronto, with 83. Boston’s Adrian Beltre leads the team in offense with a .336 batting average, while Kevin Youkilis has hit 12 homeruns and scored 54 runs. The Red Sox will seek to sweep the Phillies on Sunday, and then take Monday off. Following the off day, Boston will head home to host the Diamondbacks and Dodgers for three game series’.

7. Atlanta Braves (36-27) – The Braves, with their 19-6 home record have a lead at the top of the National League East. Atlanta has split their last ten games, including a split with the Minnesota Twins over the weekend. The Braves will look to finish the series with the Twins on a high note on Sunday. Atlanta has seen Martin Prado bat .326 to lead the team, while Troy Glaus has hit 11 homeruns and drove in 46 runs. The Braves, after leaving Minneapolis, will host the Rays for three, and then the Royals over the weekend.

8. Cincinnati Reds (36-27) – Cincinnati holds a slim 1.5 game lead over St. Louis at the top of the National League Central. The Reds have been winning games due to their major league leading best .281 batting average, along with 77 homeruns and 314 runs batted in. The Reds have seen resurgence from third base men Scott Rolen, as he is batting .313 with 14 homeruns. Cincinnati will look to win the second of three from Kansas City on Sunday, and then use the off day Monday to prepare for the three game series at home with the Dodgers. When Los Angeles leaves town on Thursday, the Reds will head to Seattle for a three game weekend series.

9. St. Louis Cardinals (34-28) – The Cardinals have shown signs of concern with their team offense. St. Louis ranks 19^th in all of baseball with a .258 batting average. Even top offensively player Albert Pujols has slipped below .300, at .296. Pujols does lead the team in homeruns, with 14, and runs batted in (44). St. Louis has seen excellent pitching, ranking second with a 3.17 earned run average. Adam Wainwright leads the pitching staff with 8 wins, while rookie Jaime Garcia has an ERA of 1.49. The Cardinals will look to take two of three from Arizona on Sunday, then come home and host the Seattle Mariners Monday through Wednesday, before welcoming the Oakland Athletics for a weekend series.

10. San Francisco Giants (33-27) – The Giants have moved to just 2.5 games behind the Padres in the National League West. San Francisco has won two straight, over Oakland, and seven of ten overall.  The Giants boast the third best earned run average in all of baseball; 3.36. San Francisco’s offense ranks 8^th in batting average (.266), 20^th in homeruns (50) and 26^th in runs batted in (241). San Francisco, after playing Oakland on Sunday will welcome the lowly Baltimore Orioles to town on Monday, and then head north of the border to take on the Blue Jays over the weekend.

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11. Toronto Blue Jays (34-29) – The Blue Jays have struggled a bit of recent, to fall to fourth place in the American League East. Toronto will look to avoid a three game sweep in Denver on Sunday afternoon against the Rockies. Jose Bautista has provided the power for Toronto, hitting 18 homeruns and driving in 45 runs, and scored 41 runs. The Blue Jays are in fourth place in the AL East; 6.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. Toronto ranks first in baseball with 99 homeruns hit. After the Blue Jays and Rockies finish their series, the Blue Jays will play in San Diego Monday – Wednesday, and host the Giants over the weekend.

12. Texas Rangers (34-28) – The Rangers have won six of their last ten games overall and re-gained a slim ½ game lead of the Angels at the top of the American League West. Texas has been led offensively by Vladimir Guerrero and his .338 batting average, along with 14 homeruns and 54 runs batted in. The Rangers have out scored opponents 314 – 280 on the season. After playing the final game of a three game series in Milwaukee, the Rangers will take Monday off, before playing in Miami against the Marlins and then in Houston, against the Astros.

13. New York Mets (34-28) – The Mets have won three straight games, and seven of their last ten overall. New York has been treated to David Wright’s solid season, batting .286, along with 12 homeruns and 47 runs batted in. The Mets are just 1.5 games behind the Braves at the top of the National League East. The pitching for the Mets ranks 7^th in baseball with a 3.70 earned run average. New York will look to complete a three game sweep over Baltimore on Sunday, before taking Monday off. On Tuesday the Mets and Indians will play a three series in Cleveland, and then play a city rivalry series with the Yankees over the weekend.

14. Los Angeles Angels (35-30) – The Angels are just ½ game behind the Texas Rangers at the top of the American League West. Anaheim has beaten the Dodgers in the first two games of the series. The Angels have the 18^th best batting average (.259), along with the 21^st best earned run average (4.39). Los Angeles will finish the series with the Angels on Sunday, and then welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to town on Monday. Over the weekend, the Angels will play three games at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

15. Detroit Tigers (32-29) - Despite winning three straight games, the Tigers are still three games out of first place in the American League Central. Detroit is led by Miguel Cabrera and his .330 batting average, along with 19 homeruns and 56 runs batted in. The Tigers rank sixth in baseball with a .270 batting average. Detroit’s pitching has struggled through most of the season, with a 4.18 earned run average which is 18^th in baseball. The Tigers seek a three game sweep over the Pirates on Sunday, and then welcome the Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks to town for the next six games.

16. Philadelphia Phillies (31-29) – The Phillies’ struggles have continues, as they have dropped to just two games above .500. Philadelphia will look to avoid a sweep on Sunday, at the hands of the Boston Red Sox. The Phillies are in third place in the National League East, 4 games behind the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies offense has slowed down, dropping to 20^th in baseball, with a .258 batting average. Placido Polanco, the leading vote getting for the National League All Star game, at third base, leads the team with a .319 batting average. After the Phillies leave Boston, they will take Monday off, and then play three at Yankee Stadium, against the red-hot Yankees. On Friday, Philadelphia will host the American League Central leading Minnesota Twins.

17. Colorado Rockies (32-30) – Colorado continues to use the right arm of Ubaldo Jimenez to lead them to a 32-30 record. The Rockies come into Sunday’s action with the Blue Jays in fourth place in the National League West, but just four games behind the front running San Diego Padres. Colorado ranks 5^th in all of baseball with a 3.62 earned run average, as Jimenez remains under 1.00. The Rockies will take Monday off, then head to Minnesota for a three game series against the Twins during the mid-week. On Friday, the Rockies and Brewers will start a three game series in Milwaukee.

18. Oakland Athletics (32-31) – Oakland is looking to avoid a three game sweep at the hands of cross town rival – San Francisco Giants on Sunday. The Athletics have dropped to 32-31 overall, and 3.5 games out of first place in the American League West. Oakland’s top offensive player has been Ryan Sweeney, as he is hitting .314. The Athletics pitching ranks 11^th with a 3.97 earned run average, led by Gio Gonzalez and his 6 wins and 3.79 earned run average. After the Athletics leave San Francisco, they will take Monday off, then head to Wrigley Field, to take on the Chicago Cubs in a three game series. On Friday, the Athletics will head to Busch Stadium in St. Louis to take on the Cardinals.

19. Florida Marlins (30-32) – The Marlins are in the mix when it comes to the National League East division. Despite being in fourth place, the Marlins are just six games out of first place. Florida is led offensively by a slew of players, with Cody Ross hitting .291, and Dan Uggla blasting 14 homeruns. The Marlins are 10^th in baseball, with a .263 batting average, and 14^th in earned run average (4.07). Florida will host the Texas Rangers for a three game series starting Tuesday, then once again play the Tampa Bay Rays, this time in Miami.

20. Washington Nationals (30-33) – Washington will look to avoid a three game sweep in Cleveland, with their young pnenom Stephen Strasburg taking the mound. The Nationals have fallen to three games under .500, and six games out of first place in the National League East. Washington is 18-12 when playing at home, and 12-21 on the road. Ryan Zimmerman leads the team with a .306 batting average, while Adam Dunn has blasted a team high 14 homeruns. Washington ranks 14^th in baseball with a .261 batting average. Washington will head to Detroit on Tuesday to take on the Tigers, and then host the Chicago White Sox for a three game series over the weekend.

21. Chicago White Sox (28-33) – The White Sox have moved their season high winning streak to four, after beating their cross town rival – the Cubs two straight. The White Sox are led offensively by Alex Rios and Paul Konerko. Rios is batting .321, while Konerko has blasted 17 homeruns and 46 runs batted in. Chicago ranks sixth in all of baseball with 74 homeruns. After finishing the series with the Cubs, the White Sox will take Tuesday off, then head to Pittsburgh for a three game series with the Pirates. The White Sox will then head to Washington to take on the Nationals over the weekend.

22. Chicago Cubs (27-35) – After another Lou Pinella blowup, the Cubs have lost the first two games to city rival – the Chicago White Sox. The Cubs are eight games under .500, and 8 games behind first place in the National League Central. Marlon Byrd leads the Cubs in batting, with a .336 batting average. Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lowe both hit their 300^th career homeruns this week; Soriano now leads the team with 10. The Cubs and Sox will play the Sunday night game of the week, and then wait for the Athletics and Angels to come to town for three game series during the week.

23. Milwaukee Brewers (26-36) – After taking the first of a three game series against the Texas Rangers, the Brewers fell on Saturday behind Manny Parra. Milwaukee, who has been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball, comes into Sunday’s action 9.5 games out of first place in the National League Central. Ryan Braun, the Brewers left fielder leads the team in batting average (.297) and runs (41), while Corey Hart has popped 17 homeruns. Milwaukee, after Sunday’s action will head out west to take on the Angels Monday through Wednesday, and then on Friday play in Denver against the Rockies.

24. Kansas City Royals (26-37) – Kansas City will look to take two of three on Sunday afternoon against the Cincinnati Reds. The Royals will send Zack Greinke to the mound in the afternoon affair. Kansas City ranks 5^th in baseball with a .275 batting average, as well as 27^th in earned run average (4.89). The Royals started the game on Sunday 10 games behind the Twins at the top of the AL Central. The Royals will host the Houston Astros for three games Tuesday through Thursday, and then play three games in Atlanta over the weekend, against the Braves.

25. Cleveland Indians (25-36) – The Cleveland Indians will look to sweep the weekend series against the Nationals in a Sunday afternoon affair in Cleveland. The task could be tough, as the Indians will face Stephen Strasburg, the young phenom from Washington. Cleveland is led offensively by Shin-Soo Choo. Choo leads the team with 8 homeruns, along with 32 runs batted in, and 36 runs scored. Cleveland ranks 24^th in all of baseball with a .247 batting average as well as 28^th in homeruns with 43. The Indians come into the affair with Washington 11 games out of first place in the American League Central. Cleveland will host the New York Mets for a three game series Tuesday through Thursday, and then play three games in Pittsburgh, against the Pirates over the weekend.

26. Houston Astros (25-38) – Houston is having all sorts of problems offensively, ranking last in batting average, and 29^th in homeruns and hits. Jeff Keppinger has been the leading offensively player for the Astros, hitting .292 as a team. The Astros come into Sunday’s action 10.5 games out of first place, behind the Cincinnati Reds. Houston will look to avoid the sweep game sweep on Sunday, at the hands of the Yankees. After Houston leaves the Bronx, they will take Monday off, and then play three in Kansas City from Tuesday through Thursday. Over the weekend, Houston will then host the Texas Rangers for a three game series.

27. Pittsburgh Pirates (23-39) – The Pirates come into Sunday’s affair with the Tigers, losers of seven straight games. Pittsburgh will look to end the streak on Sunday. The team batting has struggled big time, ranking 29^th with a .237 batting average. Pittsburgh also ranks just 25^th in homeruns with 44 on the season. The Pirates offense is also 29^th in all of baseball, with a 5.24 earned run average, and 1.56 WHIP. Pittsburgh after finishing the series against the Tigers will take Monday off, and then head home to host the Chicago White Sox Tuesday -  Thursday, and then the Cleveland Indians Friday – Sunday.

28. Arizona Diamondbacks (25-38) – Arizona hit a season high four homeruns in a 7-2 win over the Cardinals on Saturday night. The Diamondbacks will look to win their second straight on Sunday behind Edwin Jackson. The Diamondbacks rank dead last in all of baseball with a 5.45 earned run average. The offense has struggled most of the season, leading baseball in strikeouts, all while batting just .250 as a team. Stephen Drew leads the team with a .279 batting average, while Mark Reynolds has pumped 15 homeruns and driven in 45. The Diamondbacks will take Monday off to travel to Boston, where they start a three game series on Tuesday against the Red Sox. On Friday, Arizona will play in Detroit against the Tigers.

29. Seattle Mariners (23-39) – Seattle is 23-39, and losers of five straight games. The Mariners have fallen to 11 games out of first place in the American League West. The Mariners offense ranks 27^th in baseball average (.243), and last in homeruns (33). The Mariners pitching has also struggled, with a 4.14 earned run average, which is 16^th in all of baseball. Ichiro Suzuki has been one of the lone bright spots for the Mariners, with his .343 batting average. Seattle will look to take the final game of the series in San Diego, before traveling to St. Louis for a three game series starting on Monday with the Cardinals. Seattle then will head back home to host the Cincinnati Reds.

30. Baltimore Orioles (17-45) - With the worst record in all of baseball, the Baltimore Orioles are trying everything they can to garner some success. Baltimore ranks last in all of baseball with 192 runs batted in. Their top RBI guy is Ty Wigginton with 35, along with 13 homeruns. Baltimore is trying to avoid another sweep on Sunday, at the hands of the New York Mets. After the Mets leave town, Baltimore will head out west and take on the San Francisco Giants on Monday through Wednesday. Following an off day Thursday, the Orioles will play in San Diego for a three game series.

After a third of the MLB betting campaign has been complete, RHP Stephen Strasburg is finally ready to make his much anticipated debut at the MLB level on Tuesday night as the Washington Nationals play host to the Pittsburgh Pirates. As the #1 pick in last year’s MLB Draft, Strasburg blew through Spring Training and had even some of the best hitters in the game baffled by his precision and power on the bump.

In the minor league level, no one was really able to touch this right hander. He went 7-2 with a 1.30 ERA at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. His K/9 of 10.57 in 55.1 innings of work has almost been comical. Many believe that the quality of players that he is about to be facing in the Pirates on Tuesday night is worse than what he was taking on in Double and Triple-A.

Though they’re probably right, a few things must be considered before immediately jumping on the Strasburg bandwagon.

Yes, Stephen Strasburg has had all sorts of success at both the collegiate and the minor league levels, but this will be the first time that he has had 50,000 peering eyes, national television cameras, and hundreds of media members hungry to see how he performs. The Pirates do have some scouting tape on him from minor league appearances against their affiliate teams, and unlike at the minor league level, where scouting tape isn’t handed out all over the place, at the MLB level, the second that Strasburg takes the mound, there is going to be a scout for every single team dissecting every last little thing that he does.

Strasburg Mania could only be worse if he were a Yankee. After all, the oddsmakers have lined the rookie as a -200 favorite in his first MLB betting outing this week. Granted, this is a home game, it will inevitably have a playoff type of atmosphere to it, and many expect to see Strasburg mow down a miserable lineup, but regardless of the situation, laying -200 is something that the oddsmakers consistently want you to do in baseball.

One must also remember that this is a Washington team with a bullpen that really hasn’t looked pristine 100% of the time. Closer Matt Capps looks like a human being on the mound again, and the wins have dried up just a tad for RHP Tyler Clippard as well. Manager Jim Riggleman’s main goal in this first start of Strasburg’s, and in all of his outings, isn’t necessarily to win games. Riggleman needs to take care of Strasburg’s right arm and assure that he doesn’t get worn out by throwing too many pitches or taking on too many innings of work.

That being said, five shutout innings would still only take up half of the game. Someone for the Nats is going to have to close the door. Plus, if the offense can’t get on course (and why should we feel comfortable with the 20th ranked offense in the bigs?), are you really going to want to be laying -200 with this team against anyone in baseball in any situation?

Strasburg might be the next big thing, and he might come out and totally dazzle us all on Tuesday night, but the bottom line is that he isn’t an arm that is worth backing at these types of prices that we are going to see on him on the MLB betting lines. Buyer beware, as the market on this kid simply isn’t going to be much more ridiculous than it is right now.

*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 5/29/2010
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 6/14/2010)

1. Tampa Bay Rays (34-16) – The Rays still hold the best record in baseball despite just winning five of their last ten games. Tampa Bay has a +92 run differential on the season, scoring 259 runs, which is the most in the American League. Tampa Bay is led offensively by Evan Longoria, with his .328 batting average, along with 10 homeruns and 41 runs batted in. David Price has been the staff ace with 7 wins, and also a robust earned run average of 2.57. The Rays will finish the series with the White Sox on Sunday, then head to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays for a three game series finishing up Wednesday. On Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays will start a series in Texas, against the Rangers.

2. Cincinnati Reds (30-20) – The hottest team in all of baseball has been the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati has won four straight games to take a two game lead in the NL Central. The Reds have hit a homerun in 17 straight games, which is a franchise record. The Reds lead the NL, and all of baseball with 264 runs scored. Cincinnati has made hay at home on the year, winning 19 of 29 games. Joey Votto has heated up to a .312 batting average and 33 runs batted in, as well as Scott Rolen – with 11 homeruns. Cincinnati will look to sweep the Astros on Sunday afternoon, then head to St. Louis for a three game series with the Cardinals. After taking Thursday off, Cincinnati will head to Washington, to take on the Nationals.

3. New York Yankees (29-20) – The Yankees, despite being 4.5 games out of first place have the second best record in the American League. New York has split the first two of a four game series with Cleveland over the weekend. The Yankees will send A.J. Burnett to the mound Sunday. New York has been pushed offensively by Robinson Cano and his .359 batting average, along with 10 homeruns and 37 runs batted in. The Yankees lead the American League with a .281 batting average. New York will finish their series with Cleveland Monday, then welcome Baltimore for three and start a three game series at Toronto on Friday.

4. Minnesota Twins (29-20) – The Twins hold a 3.5 game lead in the American League Central over the Detroit Tigers. Minnesota has won three straight, after losing the first two to the Yankees. The Twins will send Scott Baker to the mound on Sunday in an attempt to sweep the series over Texas. Minnesota has been led offensively by Justin Morneau. Morneau is batting .371, along with 11 homeruns and 36 runs batted in. As a team, the Twins are third in the AL with a .274 batting average. The Twins will finish their home series with Texas on Sunday, then head to Seattle for four and Oakland for three this week.

5. San Diego Padres (29-20) – The Padres, with the best earned run average in the National League hold a two game lead over the Dodgers. San Diego has split the first two games of a three game series at home with Washington. The Padres have a 2.98 earned run average,  but their offense, batting .242 are the 3^rd worst in the NL. John Garland leads the starting staff with 6 wins and an ERA of just over 2.00. The Padres will finish their series with Washington on Sunday, and then welcome the Mets to town for three. On Thursday the Padres will take a day off, before playing in Philadelphia over the weekend.

6. Philadelphia Phillies (28-20) – Coming off the perfect game from staff ace Roy Halladay, the Phillies enjoy a 1.5 game lead on the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. Philadelphia has struggled to score, scoring just 4 runs in their last 5 games, including none in a three game sweep to the Mets. The Phillies, as a team have scored 231 runs, which ranks 7^th in the NL. Left hander Jamie Moyer will look to help the Phillies sweep Florida on Sunday in Miami. Following that, the Phillies will head to Atlanta for three starting Monday. Philadelphia will take Thursday off, and then welcome the San Diego Padres for a four game series that extends until Monday.

7. Toronto Blue Jays (29-22) – The Toronto Blue Jays are hanging tough within the American League East. Trailing Tampa Bay and New York, Toronto holds a record of 7 game above .500. The Blue Jays have won two straight games, both over Baltimore. The Blue Jays will send J.C. Romero to the mound on Sunday, in an attempt to sweep the Orioles. Toronto is led offensively by Vernon Wells, and his .302 batting average, along with Jose Bautista and his 15 homeruns and 40 runs batted in. The Blue Jays, after Baltimore leaves town, will welcome the divisional leading Tampa Bay Rays for three games. The Blue Jays trail Tampa Bay by 5.5 games. After taking Thursday off, the Blue Jays will host second place New York Yankees.

8. St. Louis Cardinals (28-22) – The St. Louis Cardinals have some problems within their personnel. The Cardinals have two starting pitchers on the disabled list, and now have a rotation with three rookies in it. St. Louis also has fallen on hard times offensively, especially Saturday with the shut-out by Carlos Silva of the Cubs. The Cardinals are in second place in the NL Central, trailing Cincinnati by two games. The Cardinals will send Adam Wainwright, one of the two staff aces on the team to the mound against Ryan Dempster on Sunday in the rubber game of the three game series. St. Louis will welcome Cincinnati to town for three on Monday. Over the weekend, St. Louis will welcome the Milwaukee Brewers.

9. Los Angeles Dodgers (27-22) – The Dodgers, despite missing top offensive player Andre Ethier has moved to second place in the NL West, trailing San Diego by just two games. The Dodgers have the second best batting average in the NL, at .269. The Dodgers and Rockies have split the first two games in Denver, with the rubber match on Sunday afternoon. Los Angeles will send Clayton Kershaw and his 4-3 record to the mound. The Dodgers will start a seven game home stand on Monday, as they play the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three game series, followed by a weekend series for four with the Atlanta Braves.

10. San Francisco Giants (26-22) – The Giants struggles continue at the plate. San Francisco as a team is batting just .261 as a team, with ranks 7^th in the NL. Pablo Sandoval has been the top offensive player for the Giants, but is just batting .291. The Giants have won three straight games, and will look to sweep the Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon. Todd Wellemeyer, will look to even his record to 4-4 in the game. After Arizona leaves town, the Colorado Rockies come in on Monday for a three game series. After taking Thursday off, the Giants will head to Pittsburgh for a weekend series.

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11. Atlanta Braves (27-22) – After a very slow start to the 2010 season, Bobby Cox has his Braves in the mix within the NL East. The Braves have won eight of their last ten games, and are just 1.5 games behind Philadelphia. Atlanta has seen rookie Jason Heyward blast 10 homeruns and also knock in 36 runs to spark the offense. The Braves have scored 234 runs, which ranks sixth in the NL. The pitching for Atlanta has been average, as they have a team ERA of 3.89. The staff ace thus far has been Derek Lowe. He has won seven games, while Tim Hudson has an ERA of 2.24. The Braves will look to sweep the Pirates on Sunday, then welcome divisional leading Philadelphia to Turner Field on Monday. On Thursday, the Braves and Dodgers will start a four game series in Los Angeles.

12. Boston Red Sox (28-23) – Despite winning seven of their last ten games, the Red Sox still linger in fourth place in the AL East. The Red Sox will look to split the four game series with Kansas City on Sunday, after dropping the first two. Boston is led by Adrian Beltre and his .342 batting average, along with 34 runs batted in. The Red Sox as a team are batting .266, which ranks sixth in the American League. The problem for Boston has been their pitching. The Red Sox have a team ERA of 4.50, which ranks 9^th in the AL. Boston will take Monday off, after playing Kansas City on Sunday. On Tuesday, the Red Sox and Athletics will start a four game series at Fenway. Over the weekend, Boston will play in Baltimore.

13. Detroit Tigers (25-23) – The Detroit Tigers have lost four straight games to fall to 3.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. Detroit will look to snap the losing streak and beat Oakland on Sunday, against Dallas Braden. The Tigers are led offensively by Miguel Cabrera and his .339 batting average, along with 13 homeruns and 44 runs batted in. The Tigers, as a team are batting .266, which is fifth in the American League. The Tigers after finishing the series Monday with Oakland, will host Cleveland for a three, then head to Kansas City over the weekend, for a three game set against the Royals.

14. Texas Rangers (26-23) – Texas has lost three straight games to fall a ½ game back of Oakland at the top of the AL West. The Rangers hope to avoid the three game sweep on Sunday in Minneapolis, against the Twins. Texas has seen a solid first season from Vladimir Guerrero, as he is batting .335, along with 12 homeruns and 43 runs batted in. Texas is fourth in the National League in batting average; .267, along with 7^th in ERA with a 4.18. The Rangers, after they leave Minnesota will take Monday off, before starting a three game series at US Cellular Field in Chicago, against the White Sox. On Friday, Texas and Tampa Bay will start a three game series in Arlington.

15. Oakland Athletics (27-23) – The Athletics, despite being out scored 201 – 199 on the season have moved to first place in the AL West. The Athletics hold a slim ½ game lead on the Rangers. Oakland won the final two games in Baltimore, and has won the first two in Detroit. The Athletics and Tigers will play Sunday, and again on Monday to complete the four game series. Following that, the Athletics will head to Boston for games, Tuesday – Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Oakland will host the Minnesota Twins. Oakland has scored 199 runs this season, which is the fourth worst in the American League.

16. Colorado Rockies (26-23) – Behind Ubaldo Jimenez and his excellent start to the season, the Colorado Rockies are right in the mix within the NL West. Despite being in fourth place, Colorado only trails San Diego by three games. The Rockies have split the first two with the Dodgers, and will send Jhoulys Chacin to the mound on Sunday. Monday, the Rockies and Giants will start a three game series with Jimenez and Tim Lincecum mixing it up for Memorial Day. Colorado will take Thursday off, and stay on the road for a weekend series in Arizona. The Rockies have a team batting average of .263, which is the fifth best in the NL.

17. Washington Nationals (25-25) – Through 50 games, the Washington Nationals sit with a record right at .500. The Nationals are in the mix within the NL East, which may be baseball’s most competitive division. The Nationals trail Philadelphia by just four games in the division. The Nationals are led by Josh Willingham and his 10 homeruns, 34 runs batted in and 29 runs scored. Washington has scored 214 runs, which is 11^th in the NL. On the pitching side, Washington has a team ERA of 4.34, which is also 11^th in the National League. Livan Hernandez has been a god send for the Nationals rotation, with a 2.08 earned run average. After Washington and San Diego play their rubber game on Sunday, the Nationals will head to Houston for a four game series. Over the weekend, Washington will host the red-hot Cincinnati Reds.

18. New York Mets (25-25) – Also at .500 on the season, the New York Mets. Despite all their injuries, they trail the divisional leading Phillies by just four games. The Mets will look to avoid a three game sweep in Milwaukee on Sunday. In the first two games, the Mets were shut-out, and then allowed 8 runs on Saturday. New York has a .250 batting average, which ranks 13^th in the National League. The leading hitter for New York has been Jason Bay, who is batting .299, and leading the team with 33 runs scored. The Mets will head to San Diego on Monday, for a three game series against the Padres. After taking Thursday off, the Mets will host divisional foe Florida on Friday.

19. Florida Marlins (24-26) – The Marlins are scratching their heads, looking for what happened to their bats, after going all game Saturday without a runner on base. The Marlins have fallen to last place in the NL East, after losing four straight games. The Marlins have scored 224 runs, and allowed 211, but still sit with a sub .500 record. The Marlins are led offensively by Cody Ross, and his .301 batting average, along with Dan Uggla’s 12 homeruns and Jorge Cantu’s 36 runs batted in. The Marlins will look to avoid a three game sweep on Sunday against Philadelphia on Sunday, and then host the Milwaukee Brewers for four games starting Monday. On Friday, the Marlins and Mets will start a three game series at Citi Field.

20. Chicago Cubs (24-26) – The Chicago Cubs are counting their blessings for right handed starting pitcher Carlos Silva. Silva is 7-0 on the season, with a 3.12 earned run average. Silva struck out 11 Cardinals batters on Saturday in the 5-0 win. Chicago is 6.5 games behind Cincinnati, in third place in the NL Central. Chicago’s offense has been led by Alfonso Soriano, with his 9 homeruns and 27 runs batted in. Marlon Byrd is batting .303 for a team that is batting .262 as a team. The Cubs, after the rubber game against St. Louis will head to Pittsburgh for three games. After taking Thursday off, the Cubs will head to Houston on Friday for a three game series.

21. Los Angeles Angels (24-27) – After coming away with a huge win on Saturday night, the Angels offense took a huge hit. After slugger Kendry Morales hit a walk-off homerun to beat the Mariners on Saturday, he broke his leg jumping onto home plate in a crowd of Angels players. Morales leads the team with 11 homeruns and 39 runs batted in on the season. Los Angeles will also be missing Torii Hunter, who got hit in the hand with a pitch on Saturday. The Angels are in third place in the AL West, trailing Oakland by 3.5 games. Los Angeles will look to take two of three over Seattle on Sunday, and then head to Kansas City on Monday to take on the Royals. On Friday, the Angels and Mariners will mix it up in Seattle.

22. Chicago White Sox (21-28) – The Chicago White Sox, after the Ozzie Guillen/Mark Buehrle melt down, still have yet to find the groove to get them going. The White Sox are 21-28 overall and 8 games behind the Minnesota Twins. Chicago has seen solid offensive contributions from Alex Rios and Paul Konerko, but overall, the White Sox offense has been poor. Rios leads the team with a .304 batting average, while Konerko has blasted 14 homeruns and drove home 33 runs. The White Sox have the worst team batting average in the AL; at .235. After the White Sox and Rays play their final game on Sunday, Chicago will take Monday off, then host Texas and Cleveland for three games each.

23. Milwaukee Brewers (21-28) – One of the most disappointing teams in the National League have been the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers are seven games under .500, and 8.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. The Brewers have scored 248 runs, which ranks 2^nd, but also have allowed 272, which is the worst in the NL. The Brewers team earned run average is 5.12. Milwaukee and the Mets will play the final game of a three game series on Sunday. Following that, the Brewers will head to Miami for four games against the Marlins, then to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals in a weekend series.

24. Kansas City Royals (21-29) – The Royals appear to be heading for their seventh straight season below .500. The Royals, at 21-29 are 8.5 games out of first place, in fourth place in the AL Central. Kansas City won the first two in Boston, but fell on Saturday. The Royals and Red Sox will play the final game of the four game series on Sunday. The Royals will send Bruce Chen to the mound to slow down the Red Sox offense. Kansas City as a team is batting .280, which ranks second in the AL. The Royals have scored 223 runs, while allowing 248. The Royals will start another four game series on Monday, when the Los Angeles Angels come to town. On Friday, Kansas City and Detroit will start a three game series at Kaufman Stadium.

25. Cleveland Indians (18-29) – The Cleveland Indians have scored 188 runs on the season, which is the third worst in the American League. Cleveland scored 13 runs in a two run win over the Yankees yesterday. The Indians will send Justin Masterson to the mound for the third of four on Sunday. Cleveland has been led offensively by Shin-Soo Choo, who has hit 7 homeruns and drove home 25 runs. The Indians have the worst earned run average in the American League; at 4.69. Cleveland, after leaving New York Monday will head to Detroit for three games, and Chicago for three games against the White Sox.

26. Seattle Mariners (19-29) – Possibly the most disappointing team in the American League could be the Seattle Mariners. At ten games below .500, Seattle is 7 games out of first place. The Mariners have been real poor on the road, winning just 7 of 23. Seattle and the Angels will play the rubber game of the three game series on Sunday with Ian Snell taking the mound. Ichiro Suzuki is having yet another sensational season for the Mariners, leading the team with a .337 batting average. The Mariners will welcome the Minnesota Twins to town on Monday for a four game series. On Friday, the Mariners will start a three game week-end series with the Angels of Los Angeles.

27. Pittsburgh Pirates (20-30) – The Pirates have given up the second most runs in all of baseball; 291. The also have scored the second fewest, only above Houston in all of baseball as well. Those numbers combined to a season record of ten games below .500 through 50 games. Pittsburgh has lost four straight games, and eight of their last ten overall. The Pirates rank 15^th in the NL with a 5.45 earned run average, and opponents are hitting .283 against them. The Pirates will look to avoid a three game sweep on Sunday in Atlanta. Following that game, the Pirates will head back home and welcome the Chicago Cubs to town. After taking Thursday off, the Pirates will host the San Francisco Giants over the weekend.

28. Arizona Diamondbacks (20-30) – The only team with worst statistical pitching numbers than the Pirates – the Pittsburgh Pirates. Arizona has allowed 310 runs on the season, and has a team earned run average of 5.95. After getting swept by the Colorado Rockies in Denver, the Diamondbacks will look to avoid another sweep; this time at the hands of the Giants on Sunday afternoon. Arizona will send Ian Kennedy to the mound. Arizona has scored 248 runs as a team, which ranks third in the National League. The top offensive player for Arizona has been Mark Reynolds, with his 39 runs batted in. Arizona will continue their road trip on Monday in Los Angeles, against the Dodgers. Following a day off Thursday, the Diamondbacks will host the Colorado Rockies for three over the weekend.

29. Houston Astros (16-33) – With the worst record in the National League, the Houston Astros may look to ship several of their top players during the 2010 season. With talks about Roy Oswalt leaving Houston, names like Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee have also emerged. The Astros have lost the first two in a weekend series to Cincinnati, allowing 27 runs in two games. Hunter Pence leads the team in homeruns (8) and runs batted in (23). Houston is last in batting average (.230) and runs scored (149). The Astros will host the Washington Nationals for a four game series starting on Monday. On Friday, Houston will welcome divisional foe Chicago to town.

30. Baltimore Orioles (15-35) – With the worst record in all of baseball, the Baltimore Orioles come in as the 30^th ranked team in MLB. Baltimore has won just 6 of 27 games on the road this season, including the last two in Toronto. The Orioles rank 9^th in team batting average, with .250, while scoring just 174 runs, second worst in the AL. Baltimore’s Ty Wigginton has hit 13 homeruns, drove home 32 runs, and scored 23 times – all team leading. The Orioles will stat a three game series in New York on Tuesday, and then welcome the Boston Red Sox to town on Friday.

MLB betting action kicks off its first weekend of Interleague play beginning this weekend, and several of the best matchups of the entire year between the American and National Leagues will be underway. Here at Bankroll Sports, we’re taking a look at some of the teams that you need to keep an eye on as the two leagues collide with one another beginning on Friday!

New York Yankees: The Bronx Bombers not only have the second best record in baseball at 25-13 coming into Tuesday, but they also have the best all-time record in Interleague play as well at 133-95. They went just 10-8 in 18 Interleague clashes last season, but their record against their cross town rivals from Flushing was an impeccable 5-1. The Yanks outscored the Mets 18-3 in a three game sweep at the end of June last year, and outscored them by another 26-14 margin over Father’s Day weekend at Yankee Stadium. Who could forget closer Francisco Rodriguez throwing his arms in the air after inducing a pop up to 2B Luis Castillo for what should’ve ended the game? It did. Castillo dropped the ball, two runs scored, and the Yanks won 9-8.

Florida Marlins: It feels like we talk about the Marlins posting solid records every year in Interleague play. They have the best record amongst the National League squads all-time at 120-99 in 219 cross-league battles. Last season, no one in the NL had a better team batting average than the Fish did in Interleague play (.280), and their 78 runs scored was second in the NL. Florida finished a solid 10-8. This weekend, it will face off with the Chicago White Sox, a team that it has faced six times in team history. The Marlins took too out of three games from the Pale Hose both in 2007 at US Cellular Field and in 2004 in South Beach. Florida has won six of its L/10 games overall and is a game over .500 coming into Tuesday’s action, so expect to see the Fish try to make a move during their best time of year.

Colorado Rockies: The Rocks rolled to an 11-4 record in Interleague play last season as a part of their most improbable comeback from the depths of the NL West to the make the postseason. They’ve got a fantastic draw at the start of Interleague play this season, getting to travel to a Kansas City team that is a mess at this point after the firing of manager Trey Hillman. Colorado had won four of its previous five games before losing the first game of a series at Wrigley Field on Monday night, but it is still just four games back in the tightly contested NL West race. The only concern about the Rockies in this one is that they have actually never won a game at Kauffman Stadium, going 0-3 all-time there from a series sweep in 2008. The team may be five games under .500 all-time in cross-league play, but Colorado is still a team to watch to make a move over this summer.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Manager Mike Scioscia had better hope that his team can come back from the depths of obscurity in the AL West race with a strong Interleague season! The Halos are just 18-22 through 40 games and are in dire need of a winning streak to get back in contention in the divisional race. No one posted a better Interleague mark in the bigs last year than did the Angels, who went a whopping 14-4. This will be the third trip to Busch Stadium for Anaheim in team history (ironically, the Cardinals have never traveled to the Big A). The Halos have captured three of the L/4 meetings and are an even 3-3 in six games against the Redbirds all-time. With a .557 winning percentage all-time in Interleague play, Scoscia’s boys aren’t ones to mess around with.

*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 5/10/2010
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 5/24/2010)

1. Tampa Bay Rays (22-9) – Despite being no hit on Sunday, Tampa Bay still holds the best record in baseball. At 22-9, Tampa Bay leads the American League East, just slightly ahead of the Yankees. Tampa Bay has scored 174 runs, which ranks second in the AL. Their pitching has been solid as well, anchored by Matt Garza and his 5 wins, and David Price’s sub 2.00 earned run average. Evan Longoria is leading the team in batting average (.325), homeruns (7), runs batted in (23) and runs scored (28). The west coast trip will continue Monday for the Rays. The third city will be Los Angeles, where the Angels await the Rays. After taking Thursday, Tampa Bay will host the Seattle Mariners for a three game series.

2. New York Yankees (21-9) – The Yankees, after winning the first two over the Red Sox, fell on Sunday. New York, with a win, would have taken over the top spot in the American League East. New York leads in almost all offensive categories; batting average (.283), runs scored (175), OBS (.375), SLG (.468) and OPS (.840). They have also seen solid pitching, as the team has a combined ERA of 3.42. New York will continue their seven game road trip on Monday, for a four game series in Detroit against the Tigers. On Friday, the Yankees will come back home and host the Minnesota Twins. Robinson Cano is putting up MVP like numbers, with a .333 bating average, along with 9 homeruns and 22 runs batted in.

3. Minnesota Twins (21-11) – The Minnesota Twins continue their red-hot play, winning seven of their last ten games. After sweeping Detroit, the Twins beat the Baltimore Orioles two out of three over the weekend. Minnesota has enjoyed the third best pitching in the American League, anchored by Francisco Liriano and his 4 wins and 2.36 earned run average. Offensively, Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer are leading the team. Morneau leads with 7 homeruns, while Cuddyer has drove him 23 runners. The Twins will host the White Sox Tuesday and Wednesday, then play three in the Bronx against the Yankees over the weekend.

4. Philadelphia Phillies (19-12) – The Philadelphia Phillies won the battle of the “two best teams in the NL” when they took three of four from the St. Louis Cardinals earlier this week. Philadelphia holds a two game lead over the Mets and Nationals atop the NL East. The Phillies have the largest run differential in the NL, with +45. Their 160 runs scored is third best in the league, while they are hitting .271 as a team. Jayson Werth is batting .349 for the Phillies, while Chase Utley continues his power surge, with 8 homeruns. The Phillies will start a three game series in Colorado on Monday. After taking Thursday off, the Phillies will play three in Milwaukee over the weekend.

5. San Diego Padres (18-11) – The Padres hold a slim ½ game lead at the top of the NL West. San Diego and San Francisco will battle it out for first place this week, starting Tuesday in San Francisco. Following that trip, the Padres will host the Dodgers for three over the weekend. The Padres have enjoyed quality starting pitching, with the second best earned run average in the NL, 2.70. The San Diego bats need to find some awakening, as they are batting just .244, for 12^th place in the NL. Adrian Gonzalez leads the team with 6 homeruns and 17 runs batted. Chase Headley leads the team in batting average (.325) and runs scored (20).

6. St. Louis Cardinals (20-12) – After losing three of four in Philadelphia, the Cardinals were able to bounce back and win two of three in Pittsburgh, including scoring 11 runs on Sunday. St. Louis still sits with the best record in the National League, and the largest divisional lead; of 3.5. Adam Wainwright picked up his fifth win of the season, and his earned run average is just slightly over 2.00. The Cardinals pitching has been outstanding, leading the NL in ERA, with a 2.71. The offense has been inconsistent, but rookie third baseman David Freese has been sharp, hitting .320. The Cardinals are taking Monday off, then hosting divisional rival Houston for three games starting on Tuesday. On Friday, the Cardinals will play in Cincinnati, a team they have beat four out of six times so far this season.

7. San Francisco Giants (18-12) – At 18-12, the San Francisco Giants are in second place in the National Leagues West. The Giants trail San Diego by just ½ game. The Giants were able to manage one win away from the three game series in New York, by winning 6-5 on Sunday. The Giants have seen spectacular pitching, with a 2.97 earned run average. That mark ranks them third in the NL. The Giants have scored 134 runs on the season, which ranks 9^th. Barry Zito has had a fantastic season, leading the team with 5 wins, and sub 2.00 earned run average. The Giants will host the Padres for a three game series starting Tuesday, and then welcome Houston to town over the weekend.

8. Toronto Blue Jays (19-14) – Toronto continues to hold on near the top of the American League East. At 19-14, the Blue Jays are four games behind the Rays for the top spot. The Blue Jays have won eight of their last ten, including Sunday’s 9-7 win over the Chicago White Sox. The Blue Jays are led offensively by Alex Gonzalez and his 10 homeruns and 27 runs batted in. The Blue Jays will travel to divisional rival Boston for a three game series starting on Monday. After taking Thursday off, Toronto will host the Texas Rangers for a three game series.

9. Detroit Tigers (17-14) – The Tigers, at 17-14 have fallen 3.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central. Detroit, after getting swept by the Twins, split two in Cleveland over the weekend. The Tigers have seen great offensive production from Miguel Cabrera, who has hit 7 homeruns and drove home 33 runs this season. The Tigers are sixth in the AL with 149 runs scored, while they have given up 146. Detroit will start a rough week, hosting the Yankees for four on Monday and Red Sox for three on Friday.

10. Oakland Athletics (17-15) – Dallas Braden made history on Sunday, throwing a perfect game against the top hitting team in the Major Leagues. The win for the A’s was their second straight over the Rays. Oakland is just one game back of Texas at the top of the American League West. Braden leads the team with four wins and an earned run average of 3.33. Oakland has seen solid pitching, with a team ERA of 3.90 and opponents batting just .245 against them. Offensively, Oakland has struggled, with a .251 batting average. The Athletics will take Monday off, before head out for a six game road trip. The road trip will include stops in Texas and Los Angeles (Angels).

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11. Washington Nationals (17-14) – The Washington Nationals have continued their solid start to the 2010 season. At 17-14, the Nationals are just two games out of first place in the NL East. Washington took two of three over the weekend over the Marlins, and will now go to New York for a three game series. After the series ends, the Nationals will come home for a four game series at home with the Rockies. Washington has been led by Josh Willingham, with 6 homeruns, 20 runs batted in and 18 runs scored. Tyler Clippard, out of the bullpen has pitched in 16 games this season, and won 6, with 7 holds and a 0.76 earned run average.

12. New York Mets (17-14) – The Mets dropped the final game of a three game series with the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. New York, at 17-14 is tied in second place with Washington, two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies. New York has struggled offensive, hitting just .236 as a team, with 132 total runs scored, but the pitching has been solid. The Mets have a team ERA of 3.55, which ranks them fourth in the NL. Mike Pelfrey leads the team with four wins and an ERA of 2.65. New York will host Washington for three starting Monday, then head to Miami to take on the Marlins for four over the weekend.

13. Boston Red Sox (16-16) – The Red Sox were able to salvage the final game of a three game series with the Yankees to climb back to .500 on the season. Boston swept the Angels in four games at the start of the week to move above .500. The Red Sox are seven games behind the Rays in the AL East. Boston’s pitching has been horrid this season, ranking last in the AL with a 5.11 earned run average, along with opponents batting .269 against pitchers. The Red Sox have seen another solid season from second basemen Dustin Pedroia, as he leads the team in homeruns (7) and runs batted in (27). Boston will host the Blue Jays for a three game series, starting Monday. After taking Thursday off, the Red Sox will play three in Detroit, against the Tigers.

14. Texas Rangers (18-14) – Winners of four straight games, the Texas Rangers are atop the American League West. The Rangers are coming off a four game sweep at home, over the Kansas City Royals. Texas ranks fifth in the American League with a 3.74 team earned run average, and 8^th with a .253 batting average. The Rangers will welcome leading homerun hitter Nelson Cruz on Thursday, after a stint on the disabled list. Cruz leads Texas with 7 homeruns. The Rangers will take Monday off, and host Oakland for three starting Tuesday, before heading on the road for a weekend series in Toronto.

15. Colorado Rockies (15-16) – Ubaldo Jimenez picked up his first loss of the season on Sunday, as the Rockies offense was shutdown by Dodgers’ starter Clayton Kershaw. Colorado has been led offensively by Carlos Gonzalez and Ian Stewart. Gonzalez leads the team with a .318 batting average, while Stewart has knocked 6 homeruns on the season. The Rockies are in third place in the NL West, four games behind the leader – San Diego Padres. Colorado will start a seven game home stand on Monday, when they welcome the Philadelphia Phillies to town for a three game series. On Thursday, the Rockies will host Washington, for the start of a four game series spanning until Sunday.

16. Milwaukee Brewers (15-16) – The Brewers got healthy over the weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching. Milwaukee scored 26 runs in a three game sweep. The series moved the Brewers to 15-16 overall and third place in the NL Central. They currently trail St. Louis by 4.5 games. Ryan Braun has put up MVP type numbers; batting .365 with 6 homeruns and 28 runs batted in. The Brewers, with 173 runs have scored the most in the NL. Pitching has been where the Brewers have taken a hit, as they rank 12^th in the NL with a 4.88 ERA. Milwaukee will look to keep the win streak alive on Monday against the Atlanta Braves. On Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies will come into Milwaukee for a three game series.

17. Florida Marlins (14-17) – The Marlins won the first game of a three game series in Washington D.C, but then fell in the final two. Those two losses sent the Marlins to 14-17 overall and fourth place in the National League East. Florida trails the Philadelphia Phillies by five games in the division. Hanley Ramirez is leading the team in batting average (.308) and homeruns (7). Florida, as a team is batting .260, and have scored 142 runs. Florida will start a three game series at Wrigley Field in Chicago against the Cubs on Monday. On Thursday, Florida will host divisional rival New York for a four game series spanning until Sunday.

18. Arizona Diamondbacks (14-18) – Arizona, fresh off a three game sweep from the Milwaukee Brewers have fallen to 14-18 overall. The Diamondbacks with the sweep dropped to last place in the NL West, 5.5 games behind the Padres. The Diamondbacks have been horrible in the pitching department, with a 5.49 earned run average. Opponents are hitting .282 against the Arizona pitching, which is second worst in the NL. The Diamondbacks will host divisional foe Dodgers on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Following that series, the Diamondbacks will take Thursday off, and then play in Atlanta over the weekend.

19. Cincinnati Reds (16-15) – After losing the opening game of the series, Cincinnati took two of three from divisional rival Chicago. The Reds pushed above .500, and put them just 3.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central. The Reds are led by Joey Votto, with .315 batting average, 7 homeruns and 20 runs batted in. Cincinnati is batting .253 at homes, for 11^th in the NL. Reds pitching ranks 14^th in the NL with a 5.36 earned run average. Cincinnati will head to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates for three starting Monday. The Reds will take Thursday off, and then host the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend. The Reds have lost four of six from the Cardinals thus far in 2010.

20. Chicago Cubs (14-18) – The Chicago Cubs just lost five of six on a road trip to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. The lone bright spot was the call-up of shortstop Starlin Castro, who blasted a homerun and triple in his rookie debut. The Cubs are in fifth place in the NL Central, six games behind the front running Cardinals. Chicago has hit the ball, with a .275 batting average, which places them third in the NL, but have had problems on the mound, as their team ERA is 4.40 and opponents are hitting .263 against them. Both of those numbers rank the Cubs 10^th in the NL. Chicago will host the Florida Marlins, starting on Monday for three, before taking Thursday off. Over the weekend, the Cubs will look to get revenge on divisional for Pittsburgh.

21. Chicago White Sox (13-19) – The White Sox are coming off losing three of four to the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. That sends the White Sox to 13-19 overall, and in third place in the American League Central. Much of the White Sox problem has been offensively, where they are batting just .226 as team, 13^th in the AL. Alex Rios leads the team with a .324 batting average, while Paul Konerko has bombed 13 homeruns and drove in 27 runs. The White Sox also rank 11^th in team ERA, with a 4.61. Chicago will play a two game series Tuesday and Wednesday in Minnesota, before taking Thursday off, and play three more in Kansas City over the weekend.

22. Los Angeles Angels (14-17) – The Angels, after their rough series in Boston, beat the Mariners two in a row, before falling on Sunday. The Angels are 14-17 overall, and in third place in the American League West. They trail the Rangers by 4.5 games in the division. Kendry Morales leads the team in batting average (.287), homeruns (7) and runs batted in (22). The Angels have struggled pitching, with a 4.98 earned run average. The Angels are going to host the Tampa Bay Rays Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, before taking Thursday off. On Friday, the Angels will host the Oakland Athletics for a three game series.

23. Los Angeles Dodgers (12-16) – The Dodgers, in fourth place in the National League West picked up a big win Sunday over Colorado, to win two of three in the series. Los Angeles got great pitching from Clayton Kershaw, to give Ubaldo Jimenez his first loss of the season. The Dodgers need the pitching improvement, as they have a combined 5.04 earned run average. Surprisingly, the Dodgers are leading the NL in batting average, at .277. Andre Ethier is the early season MVP as he leads in batting average (.383), homeruns (10) and runs batted in (32). The Dodgers will head to Phoenix on Monday to take on the Diamondbacks in the first of a three game series. After taking Thursday off, Los Angeles will head to San Diego, to play the Padres over the weekend.

24. Pittsburgh Pirates (14-17) – In an effort to get above .500 for the first time in 20 years, the Pittsburgh Pirates have started 14-17. Pittsburgh, after sweeping the Cubs, lost two of three to the first place St. Louis Cardinals. Within the NL Central, Pittsburgh is in fourth place, 5.5 games out of first place. The Pirates have been good in low scoring, close games, as their -82 run differential shows that is proof positive. Youngster Andrew McCutchen is batting .333 with 4 homeruns to lead the Pirates offense, which is hitting just .243 as a team. The Pirates will host the Cincinnati Reds Monday – Wednesday, then take Thursday off and head to Wrigley Field in Chicago over the weekend.

25. Seattle Mariners (12-19) – Losers of eight of their last ten games, the Seattle Mariners have fallen to seven games below .500 through the first 1/6^th of the MLB season. The Mariners snapped their nasty losing streak on Sunday, knocking off the Angels 8-1. Seattle is led in hitting by Ichiro Suzuki, as he is batting .326, and has 15 runs scored. The Mariners as a team are hitting just .225, worst in the American League. The Mariners are 5.5 games behind Texas in the American League West.

26. Atlanta Braves (13-18) – Despite being out scored on the season by just 12 runs, the Atlanta Braves are five games below .500 to start 2010. In Bobby Cox’s last season as the manager of the Atlanta Braves, his team is batting just .231, which ranks them 15^th in the National League. Rookie Jason Heyward has been one of the lone bright spots offensively, blasting 8 homeruns and driving in 26 runs. Atlanta will start a three game series in Milwaukee on Monday, and then take Thursday off, before host the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend.

27. Cleveland Indians (11-18) – The Indians are coming off a split of two games with the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. At 11-18, Cleveland is 8.5 games behind the Tigers in the American League Central. The Indians have been carried offensively by Shin-Soo Choo, with a .315 batting average, four homeruns, 19 runs batted in and 16 runs scored. The Indians as a team are batting .241, which ranks them 11^th in the AL. The Indians will take Monday off, and then head to Kansas City on Tuesday and Baltimore on Friday.

28. Kansas City Royals (11-21) – The Kansas City Royals have lost five straight games, and seven of their last ten overall. The Royals have dropped to 10 games out of first in the American League Central Division. The Royals have hit the ball effectively, ranking third in the AL with a .274 batting average. The pitching has been horrid, compiling a team earned run average of 5.11, the second worst in the AL. Jose Guillen leads the team in homeruns (8) and runs batted in (21) and runs scored (18). The Royals will host divisional rival Cleveland on Tuesday – Thursday, and then another divisional team; the Chicago White Sox will come in over the weekend.

29. Houston Astros (10-21) – With the worst record in the National League, the Houston Astros are looking for ways to rebuild this season. There have been early talks of Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and possibly Roy Oswalt leaving town by August. The Astros are in last place in the NL Central, 9.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. Houston snapped their three game losing streak on Sunday, downing the San Diego Padres 4-3. The Astros rank last in the NL in batting average, with a .225 and runs scored, with just 81. The Astros will head to St. Louis on Tuesday and play a three game series against the Cardinals, before traveling out to San Francisco for the weekend.

30. Baltimore Orioles (9-23) – With the worst record in baseball,  the Baltimore Orioles are looking for as many positives as they can. Ty Wigginton is one of them, leading the team in homeruns and RBI’s, with 10 and 20 respectively. The Orioles have struggled both on the offensive side and on the mound. The Orioles are batting .246 and have a team ERA of 4.51. Both of those statistics rank the Orioles 10^th in the American League. Baltimore is 13.5 games out of first place in the American League East. The Orioles will host the Seattle Mariners Tuesday – Thursday, and then welcome the Cleveland Indians to town over the weekend.

As we enter another Sunday of MLB betting action, we’re taking a look at some of the best pitchers that baseball has to offer that have made us money over the course of the season. Be sure to keep your eye on these hurlers as the MLB wagering season continues!

1: Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees (6-0, +$630) – No one wants to mess with the Yankees with anyone on the mound right now, but Pettitte has been particularly lethal. The Bronx Bombers have won nine straight times that they’re southpaw has taken the hill dating back to the playoffs last year. Keep an eye on Pettitte though, as he is already scheduled to miss his next start with some elbow inflammation.

2: Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies (6-0, +$600) – Mr. No Hitter has been a hefty chalk every time that he has taken the baseball for Manager Jim Tracy, but so far, he is passing every test with flying colors. The righty has just been sick this year, giving up just four earned runs over 41.1 innings and striking out 44. Jimenez could be the best pitcher in baseball.

3: Scott Olsen, Washington Nationals (4-1, +$577) – It’s not often that you see a pitcher for the Nats on this list, but Olsen is one of the two that is very deserving of his spot as a top money maker. Not many expect to see Olsen as a favorite when he pitches, as he hasn’t be a chalk since 2008 when he was with the Florida Marlins (and ironically, was pitching against these Washington Nationals that day). However, after three straight great starts in which he allowed just one earned run in total, many are going to start considering Olsen as a threat to make some real money.

4: Livan Hernandez, Washington Nationals (4-1, +$533) – The ageless wonder that is Livan Hernandez continues to find ways to win games in spite of the fact that he has more walks (13) than strikeouts (11) on the season. However, with only one loss to his credit, and that coming to Jimenez and the Rockies, it’s hard to ignore than Hernandez has been a great option for MLB bettors this year. You have to go back to last September to find the last time that he allowed more than three earned runs in a game.

5: Kyle Davies, Kansas City Royals (4-2, +$523) – It’s not often that you see a pitcher go 4-2 and be on a list like this, especially after allowing nine earned runs in a start, but the oddsmakers have already made Davies a +150 or higher pup in four starts this year. The Royals’ righty was really clobbered at Texas this week, and his descent back to earth may be just beginning.

6: Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets (5-1, +$488) – Speaking of guys that are bound to come back to earth at some point, what about Mike Pelfrey? New York’s best right-handed starter is nothing more than a career 5.00 ERA type of guy, but he did toss 24 straight spotless frames this year and picked up three wins (and a save!) to show for it. Since then, though? Nine earned runs in 11.1 innings. Buyer beware.

7: Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants (5-1, +$465) – The very, very rich left arm of Barry Zito’s may finally be paying dividends for the Giants. The southpaw is 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA this year, and he hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a game. Remember when Zito was the laughing stock of baseball and pitching out of the bullpen? That’s not the case anymore, and MLB betting fans would be wise to hop on this bandwagon before it either careens into a ditch or the oddsmakers catch on.

8: Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals (6-1, +$463) – Save a start against Milwaukee back on April 11th, Carpenter looks just as unhittable now as he was last season when he was a candidate for the Cy Young Award. There’s nothing not to like here from one of the top righties in baseball, as he is 4-0 with a 2.80 ERA and has 47 strikeouts against 13 walks in 45.0 innings. Oh, and if anyone thinks that opposing batters are hitting .276 against him for the year, they’re crazy. Carpenter may just be getting revved up.

9: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies (6-1, +$455) – The problem with betting on Halladay is that the oddsmakers are just going to punish you to no end if he loses. That’s if he loses. At 6-1 with a 1.45 ERA, no one is touching Halladay this year, as he has to be the front-runner for the NL Cy Young Award this year through seven starts. Here’s something to watch, though. Halladay has thrown at least 100 pitches in all of his starts this year, including 118 and 119 respectively in his L/2 starts.

10: Carlos Silva, Chicago Cubs (5-1, +$423) – Not a bad consolation prize for getting rid of CF Milton Bradley, huh? Silva hasn’t been lights out this year, but his offense has produced just a slew of runs for him (7.5 per game). No one is going to complain about a 3.50 ERA from a guy who really is no better than a fifth starter on a regular basis. The price tags remain reasonable on Silva as well in spite of the fact that he is pitching for the Cubs, who are normally shaded by the oddsmakers.

The Major League Baseball season is roughly 25 games old for most teams, and here at Bankroll Sports, we take a look at the top ten teams that have made your bankroll fatter during the first part of the MLB betting season.

1: San Diego Padres (+$810) – The Pads are still living off of the success of that eight game winning streak that they had two weeks ago. No one really believes that they are going to be able to contend this season. The time is going to come in the very near future that this squad becomes an automatic fade almost every time out, especially on the road where they won’t finish anywhere near the .500 that they’re at right now.

2: Washington Nationals (+$805) – The Nats are just a game back of the Philadelphia Phillies for the top spot in the NL East standings, and they’ve surprisingly now won 21 of their L/33 games overall dating back to last year. The bullpen is making the difference, as the unit has a 4.05 ERA, while closer Matt Capps is 11/11 in save chances. Until the oddsmakers catch on, this could be a sneaky team to continue backing, especially at home where Washington is 8-6 on the season.

3: Tampa Bay Rays (+$785) – The team with the best record in baseball is also amongst the top money teams as well. Thank Tampa Bay’s road efforts for that, as the Rays are 10-1 and +$1,040 away from Tropicana Field, which is a drastic switch from the year that they went to the World Series when they were just mutilating teams on their home turf. Tampa Bay is for real, but this money making opportunity might be gone by now, as it seems as though the books have figured it out, making it hefty favorites, particularly at home.

4: New York Yankees (+$650) – It’s amazing that the Evil Empire seems to find a way to make money every single season for MLB betting fans, and this year will probably be no exception. At 18-8 through 26 games, the Bronx Bombers are on fire, and if they keep up their 9-2 start at Yankee Stadium, it’s going to be very difficult to line their games this year.

5: St. Louis Cardinals (+$595) – Manager Tony LaRussa’s team already has its playoff travel plans booked, as it is five games in front of Cincinnati and Chicago in the NL Central standings. However, that doesn’t mean that this will be a money making team on a regular basis this year. The Cards are frequently overrated by the oddsmakers, and the reason that they are in such great shape right now is thanks to a 10-3 home record.

6: Minnesota Twins (+$585) – The Twins have been the model of consistency this year for MLB betting fans, as they are +$315 in their new home, Target Field and +$270 on the road. Considering just how weak the rest of the AL Central is, there’s no reason to think that Minnesota won’t continue to rack in the bucks for its bettors, especially if that pitching staff can keep it together without a legitimate #1 ace to turn to.

7: Toronto Blue Jays (+$355) – Don’t fall into this trap! The Jays are consistently a hot team until the calendar turns to May, where they inevitably will fall off the face of the earth once again this year. Toronto just doesn’t have the talent to stick around with the rest of the teams in the division over 162 games, and what will probably end up happening is that the oddsmakers will start to believe in the Jays just in time for their annual swoon.

8: San Francisco Giants (+$350) – It’s amazing that the Giants continue to make money, especially considering the fact that RHP Tim Lincecum’s starts almost always have -250 price tags attached to them at home. Even yesterday on the road against a competent Florida team, the G-Men were laying -175. Lincecum didn’t pitch well enough to warrant those odds, but San Fran survived. Buy with caution.

9: Detroit Tigers (+$330) – The Tigers have sort of flown under the radar this season, and the oddsmakers may not totally be on to the them just yet. It feels like every season, Manager Jim Leyland has these boys competing at the highest level, and as long as they are viewed as nothing more than an average team, they’ll continue to make money for us.

10: New York Mets (+$220) – Except for when LHP Johan Santana is on the mound, it feels like the Mets are underdogs every time that they take the field. That’s a great sign for MLB betting aficionados though, as New York has proven to be a decent club, even without OF Carlos Beltran in the lineup. If the center fielder comes back healthy and ready to go, the boys from the Big Apple could be a very dangerous money making team until the books start to figure them out.

*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 4/25/2010
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 5/10/2010)

1. Tampa Bay Rays (13-5) – The Tampa Bay Rays come into Sunday’s action tied for the best record in baseball; 13-5. Tampa Bay has been successful via their offense that has slugged 107 runs; tops in the major leagues. The Rays offensively have been led by Carl Crawford and his .319 batting average. B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist have done their share to assault American League pitching thus far as well. Tampa Bay currently holds just a ½ game lead on the New York Yankees for the top spot in the American League East. The Rays, after finishing their series Sunday with the Jays, will take Monday off, then host Oakland and Kansas City to finish up the first month of the season.

2. New York Yankees (12-5) – The Yankees are in the midst of a nine game road trip; which is their longest this month. After winning two out of three in Oakland, the Yankees seek the rubber game of a three game series at Angel Stadium on Sunday. New York trails Tampa Bay by just a ½ game for the American League East lead. The Yankees have allowed just 59 runs on the season, led by their two left handed starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte. New York will take Monday off, and then play a three game series in Baltimore. Following the road trip, the Yankees will come back home and play a weekend series with the Chicago White Sox.

3. Philadelphia Phillies (11-6) – The best team in the National League appears to be the Philadelphia Phillies. Charlie Manuel’s team has the combination of pitching and powerful and timely hitting that defines champions. After winning the 2008 World Series, and falling in 2009 – Philadelphia looks to get back to the October Classic for the third straight season. The Phillies have seen their ace Roy Halladay win all four of his starts to begin the season. Halladay, in those starts, has accumulated 28 strikeouts and has an ERA of 0.82. Philadelphia will continue their nine game road trip, after leaving Arizona on Sunday, as they head to San Francisco for three to start the week. Following the trip, Philadelphia will come back home and host the New York Mets over the weekend.

4. Minnesota Twins (13-5) – Minnesota, along with Tampa Bay, has the best record in all of baseball. The Twins won their second straight over Kansas City on Saturday night; in 12 innings. The Twins have a three game lead over Detroit coming into play on Sunday. Justin Morneau is leading the team in homeruns, with 3, as catcher Joe Mauer is batting a team high .381. Minnesota has out scored their opponents 98-66 through the first 18 games of the season. The nine game road trip will continue for Minnesota, after leaving Kansas City they will make their second stop in Detroit on Tuesday, and Cleveland on Friday.

5. San Diego Padres (11-6) – The biggest surprise in all of baseball to this point has been the San Diego Padres. Winners of eight straight games, San Diego holds a one game lead over San Francisco for the top spot in the National League West. The Padres have enjoyed three straight games where slugger Adrian Gonzalez has knocked one over the boards. San Diego has the best pitching statistics in the national league, ranking 1^st in ERA and WHIP, and 2^nd in batting average against. San Diego will look to finish the three game sweep in Cincinnati on Sunday, before heading south to Miami, to take on the Marlins. On Thursday, San Diego will be back home, in time to face the Brewers in a four game series, finishing up on Sunday.

6. St. Louis Cardinals (10-7) – The St. Louis Cardinals won their first five series of the season, winning 2 out of 3 in them all. The streak was snapped Saturday when the Giants blanked St. Louis 2-0. The win was the Giants second straight over the Cardinals. Albert Pujols and the Cardinals will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday. St. Louis has shown inconsistency in scoring runs, as they rank 12^th in the National League. The pitching has been solid for the Cardinals, behind aces Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. The team’s 2.87 earned run average, ranks them second in the NL. After completing the series with the Giants on Sunday, St. Louis will start a seven game home stand on Monday, starting with four against the Atlanta Braves, followed by a visit for three by the Cincinnati Reds.

7. Oakland Athletics (11-8) – Oakland enjoys a 1.5 game lead in the American League West over the Seattle Mariners. The Athletics have enjoyed playing at home, winning 8 of 13 there, while going just 3-3 on the road. The Athletics will play the rubber match of a three game set with Cleveland on Sunday, and then hit the road. On Tuesday, Oakland will play in Tampa Bay, against the Rays, and then Friday the Athletics and Blue Jays meet north of the border. Oakland has seen a power surge from Kurt Suzuki, who already has four homeruns and 11 runs batted in.

8. Florida Marlins (10-8) – The Florida Marlins are getting a red-hot start out of second basemen Dan Uggla. Known more for his power, Uggla has kicked the season off with a .333 batting average, along with his four homeruns and 11 RBI’s. The Marlins offense ranks 5^th in the National League with 87 runs. Florida, after being postponed in Denver on Friday played a doubleheader Saturday, splitting the two games. The teams will play the final game of the three game series on Sunday. Following the trip to Denver, the Marlins will be home Monday to host the San Diego Padres. After taking Thursday off, Florida will welcome divisional rival Washington Nationals to town on Friday.

9. San Francisco Giants (10-7) – With possibly the best pitching in the National League, the San Francisco Giants are off to a 10-7 start. After getting swept by San Diego, the Giants have held the Cardinals to just 1 run in 2 games, winning the first two. They will attempt the three game sweep on Sunday behind Matt Cain. The Giants rank 1^st in the National League in batting average against (.219) and OPS (.617), along with 2^nd in ERA (2.82). San Francisco will continue their nine game home stand, starting Monday, when the National League East leading Philadelphia Phillies come to town. The final three games of the home stand will be over the weekend, against divisional foe Colorado.

10. Detroit Tigers (10-8) – In an attempt to keep pace with the Minnesota Twins atop the American League Central, Detroit is off to a 10-8 start. The Tigers have played 12 of their first 18 games on the road this season. They have two more games in Arlington, before coming home on Tuesday to host Minnesota and the Angels for the week. The Tigers rank first in the American League in on base percentage, with a 3.72. They are 2^nd in batting average, as they are hitting .278. Detroit’s main cog has been Miguel Cabrera. He leads the team with a .361 batting average, along with 4 homeruns, and 22 runs batted in. The Tigers, despite the 10-8 record, have been out scored by their opponents 85-84.

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11. Toronto Blue Jays (10-8) – The Toronto Blue Jays will look to win two of three in Tampa Bay on Sunday. The Blue Jays are making an effort to stay near the top with the two powers within the division; Yankees and Rays. Toronto has gotten solid offensive numbers from Vernon Wells, who is batting .306 with 7 homeruns and 13 runs batted in. The Blue Jays will head back home on Monday, to start a seven game home trip. Monday the Red Sox will come to town, and then on Thursday, a four game series with the Oakland Athletics will begin.

12. Boston Red Sox (8-10) – The Red Sox have struggled to start the season, with an 8-10 record. On Sunday, the Red Sox will look to pick up a three game sweep over the Baltimore Orioles. Boston has struggled both offensively and pitching, as the team is just 11^th in earned run average, with 4.61.  Their team batting average is .250, which is 7^th in the American League. Dustin Pedroia is leading the team with a .284 batting average, along with five homeruns and 13 runs batted in. The Red Sox will head north of the border on Monday to take on the Blue Jays. After taking Thursday off, the Red Sox will head to Baltimore to take on the Orioles.

13. Colorado Rockies (9-9) – The Colorado Rockies are hovering around .500 through the first 18 games of the season. Colorado split a doubleheader Saturday at home with the Florida Marlins. The Rockies and Marlins will finish up their series Sunday. On Monday, the Rockies will welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks to town, and then on Friday will head to San Francisco to take on divisional foe – the Giants. The Rockies are 5^th in earned run average, with a 3.54, led by Ubaldo Jimenez and his 0.95.

14. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (9-10) – The Angels, with their 9-10 record, are just two games behind the Oakland Athletics for the top spot in the American League West. They are hitting .257 as a team, as that ranks them 6^th in the National League. The pitching has not been up to the usual standards for Angels baseball, as they rank 12^th in the American League with a 4.63 earned run average. Joel Piniero, coming over from St. Louis has been decent for the Angels, with two wins and a 3.42 earned run average. The Angels, after finishing their series with the Yankees on Sunday will host the Cleveland Indians for three on Monday, and then play in Detroit for three over the weekend.

15. Los Angeles Dodgers (8-9) – The Dodgers, who come into Sunday ranked first in the National League in both batting average (.297) and runs (103) managed just 5 runs in the first two games of a series in Washington D.C., against the Nationals. The Dodgers will look to take two of three on Sunday. Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have been the main cogs in the Dodgers lineup, as Ethier is batting .356, while Kemp has 7 homeruns and 20 runs batted in. Los Angeles has struggled pitching, as they are 13^th in the NL with a 5.12 earned run average. The Dodgers will stay out east and play at Citi Field against the Mets, Monday through Wednesday. On Thursday, the Dodgers will host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first of a four game series.

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16. Chicago Cubs (8-10) – The Cubs are looking to get back on track, after winning just 6 of their first 16 games in 2010. Chicago beat Milwaukee on the road in the first two games of a three game series. The Cubs big news of the week was sending starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen. Ted Lilly came back to the starting rotation and pitched very well in the win over the Brewers. New comer Carlos Silva has been solid, compiling a 0.95 earned run average through the first three weeks of the season. The Cubs will host the Nationals for three and Diamondbacks for four this week at the friendly confines.

17. Milwaukee Brewers (8-10) – The Milwaukee Brewers will look to avoid a three game sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. The Brewers have been out scored 13-2 in the first two games of the series. This comes after the Brewers pounding the Pirates 36-1 in three games on the road. The Brewers rank second in the National League with a .281 batting average, along with 99 runs. Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun is batting .366, with 5 homeruns and 20 runs batted in. The Brewers will host the Pittsburgh Pirates starting on Monday, before they head to San Diego for a four game set on Thursday.

18. New York Mets (9-9) – The New York Mets are looking to improve upon their 70 win season in 2009.  They are off to a better start, but still hovered around .500. The Mets rank 14^th in the National League with a .230 batting average and 13^th with 74 runs scored. New York’s offense sees Jeff Francouer lead the team in many categories, including batting average (.279), homeruns (3) and runs batted in (10). New York will look to complete a three game sweep of the Atlanta Braves on Sunday night baseball. Following that game, New York will host the Los Angeles Dodgers for three games starting Monday. On Friday, the Mets will play in Philadelphia, against the Phillies.

19. Atlanta Braves (8-9) – The Braves have lost four straight games, and will look to snap that streak on Sunday Night Baseball. Atlanta has been out scored 75-70 in their first 17 games. The pitching has been average for the Braves, as they rank 4^th in the National League with a .237 batting average against. Rookie Jason Heyward has paced the offense, with 4 homeruns and 16 runs batted in. The team batting average for Atlanta is poor, at .227, ranks 15^th. The Braves will finish up their series Sunday night and then head to St. Louis for a four game series with the Cardinals. On Friday, Atlanta will host the Houston Astros for the start of a three game series.

20. Washington Nationals (9-9) – Washington was pleased to see rookie Luis Atilano earn his first professional winning, shutting down the Dodgers offense on Friday night. The future looks bring for the Nationals, and 2010 has been a decent start to the season. At .500 on the season, Washington is tied with the Mets for third place in the National League East. Ivan Rodriguez, in his first season with the Nationals is batting .411, while Josh Willingham has pounded 3 homeruns and drove home 11 runs. The Nationals will head to Chicago on Monday to take on the Cubs, and then on Friday, in Miami, against the Marlins.

21. Seattle Mariners (9-9) – The Mariners have climbed back to .500, despite losing the first two in Chicago. The Mariners have made hay at home this season, winning seven of nine. On Sunday, the Mariners will look to avoid the three game sweep from the White Sox. Following that game, Seattle will head to Kansas City to face-off with the Royals. On Friday, Seattle will be back home, to host the Texas Rangers. Seattle ranks third in the American League with a 3.41 earned run average, along with fourth in quality starts; with 11.

22. Cleveland Indians (8-9) – Following a slow start, the Cleveland Indians have climbed back towards .500 within the American League Central. The Indians are led offensively by Shin-Soo Choo, who leads the team in batting average (.300), homeruns (4), runs batted in (13) and runs scored (10). The Indians offense, as a team has struggled, ranking 14^th with a .223 batting average. Following the final game in Oakland on Sunday, the Indians will head to Anaheim to take on the Angels for three. On Friday, the Indians will host the American League Central leading Minnesota Twins.

23. Texas Rangers (7-10) – Despite a good start from Vladimir Guerrero, and his .371 batting average, the Texas Rangers have started the season 7-10. Texas is in last place in the American League West, trailing the front running Oakland Athletics by three games. Nelson Cruz has provided the power for Texas, bombing 7 homeruns and driving in 17 runs. The Rangers and Tigers are playing the third of a four game series on Sunday. On Monday, they will play the final game of the series in Arlington. On Tuesday, the Rangers will welcome the White Sox for a three game set. Over the weekend, Texas will head out West to Seattle to take on divisional foe – Mariners.

24. Arizona Diamondbacks (7-10) – Winners of just one of six games on the road this season are the Arizona Diamondbacks. After losing two of three at home to St. Louis, the Diamondbacks will look to win the 2^nd of 3 over Philadelphia on Sunday. The Diamondbacks are led by Kelly Johnson, and his .327 batting average, along with 6 homeruns. The offense ranks fifth in batting average (.267), fourth in runs (90) and fourth in OBP (.792). Arizona will head to Denver on Monday for a three game series; followed by a trip to Chicago for a four game- weekend set.

25. Houston Astros (7-10) – After such a bad start, the Astros are moving their way back to the .500 point in the season. The Astros took two of three from the Marlins at home, and will look to sweep their divisional foe Pittsburgh on Sunday. Houston has gotten solid offensive numbers from Jeff Keppinger. He is hitting .327, with 6 runs batted in. The Astros have scored a league worst 50 runs on the season. Houston will take Monday off, then welcome the Cincinnati Reds to town for a three game set on Tuesday. Over the weekend, Houston will head to Atlanta, to take on the Braves.

26. Pittsburgh Pirates (7-10) – After getting off to a quick start, the Pittsburgh Pirates have lost five straight games. The worst of those losses came on Thursday afternoon, when the Milwaukee Brewers pounded them 20-0. Pittsburgh will look to avoid a three game sweep in Houston on Sunday afternoon. The Pirates rank last in the National League with an earned run average of nearly 7. They also rank last in batting average against, as opponents are hitting .304 against Pirate pitchers. Pittsburgh will play in Milwaukee for three starting Monday, and then head out west to take on the Dodgers for four.

27. Chicago White Sox (7-11) – The White Sox, after a 5-11 start, have found some energy over the weekend, winning two straight games via the walk-off homerun. Friday night it was veteran Andruw Jones, while Alex Rios did the honors on Saturday. Rios is batting .281 with 3 homeruns and 9 runs batted in for Chicago. The White Sox will seek a three game sweep of the Mariners on Sunday afternoon. After taking Monday off, the White Sox will head to Texas for a three game set, then a trip to the Bronx, to take on the Yankees.

28. Cincinnati Reds (7-11) – The Reds, at 7-11, are towards the bottom of the National League Central Division. They will look to avoid a three game sweep at home, from the Padres on Sunday. Following the Padres, Cincinnati will take Monday off, before heading out to Houston and St. Louis. The Reds have struggled offensively, batting just .238, ranking 12^th in the National League. The pitching has also been poor, as they rank 15^th with a 6.19 earned run average.

29. Kansas City Royals (6-11) – At the bottom of the American League Central, are the Kansas City Royals. The offense has been sharp for Kansas City, as they rank first in the American League with a .296 batting average. The pitching has been just as bad, with a 5.55 earned run average, which ranks last in the American League. Jose Guillen has mashed six homeruns and drove home 15 runs batted in, along with scoring 13 runs. The Royals are looking to avoid the sweep at the hands of the first place Minnesota Twins on Sunday. Following that series, the Royals will host Seattle for three, and then head to Tampa Bay for a four game series.

30. Baltimore Orioles (2-16) – The Baltimore Orioles have won just 2 of 18 games to start the season. Baltimore will look to avoid a three game sweep over the weekend in Boston on Sunday. Ty Wigginton has been the lone bright spot for the Orioles offense, batting .333, with 6 homeruns and 12 runs batted in. The pitching has been awful for Baltimore, ranking 13^th in ERA, batting average against and OPS. After the road trip, the Orioles schedule will get no easier, as they host the Yankees for three and the Red Sox for three.