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*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 8/16/2009
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 8/29/2009)

1. New York Yankees (74-44) - The Yankees have extended their lead in the American League East to a robust 7.5 games. New York is a season high 30 games over .500 heading into Monday’s action. The Yankees failed to complete a four game sweep on the road in Seattle, but three out of four on the road will work for Girardi and the team. Derek Jeter has bumped his batting average to .323, as Mark Teixeira leads in power numbers with 30 homeruns and 86 runs batted in. Free agent pick-up C.C. Sabathia leads the pitching staff in wins (13), earned run average (3.64) and innings pitched (170.2). The Yankees continue their long road trip on Monday when they start a three game series in Oakland. After they finish out west, New York will come back home to take on the Red Sox in a huge late August four game set at Fenway Park.

2. Los Angeles Angels (70-45) - The Angels have won seven of their last ten games, and kept their lead in the American League West at 4.5 games over the Texas Rangers. Los Angeles is 36-22 when playing at home, while winning 34 of 57 on the road. The Angels got a big boost when outfielder Torii Hunter came back from the disabled list. He went 2-6 in his return, which was his first game since July 7^th. Juan Rivera has taken over as the teams batting leader, with a .312 batting average, while Kendry Morales has blasted 25 homeruns on the season. Jered Weaver has been the pitching staff for the Angels, winning 12 games, while pitching 153.0 innings. The Angels will finish their four game series at Baltimore on Monday. Los Angeles will look to finish the series winning the final three games. After they leave Baltimore, the Angels will head to Cleveland and Toronto for three game sets.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (70-48) - At 22 games over .500, the Dodgers are shaking off the ideas of their struggles. Despite going 4-6 in their last 10 games, Los Angeles continues to lead the NL West by 5 games over the Colorado Rockies. After losing two of three to Arizona, the worst news of the recent weeks has been the loss of starter Jason Schmidt and then the scary injury of Kuroda, after getting hit in the head with a line drive. Matt Kemp is leading the offense with a .311 batting average, while Andre Ethier has hit 24 homeruns, and drove in 80 runs. Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw are doing the job on the mound for LA, as Billingsley has picked up 11 wins, and Kershaw has an ERA under 3.00. The Dodgers will start a huge three game series with the Central leading St. Louis Cardinals starting on Monday. Following that series, the Cubs will come to Los Angeles for a four game weekend series.

4. Philadelphia Phillies (65-49) - The Phillies continue to have a strangle hold on the National League East. Philadelphia currently sits 4.5 games ahead of a surging Marlins team and 5.5 ahead of an Atlanta team that will not go away. The Phillies, mysteriously are 29-29 at home this year, but have won 37 of 57 road games. Philadelphia has feasted on NL Central teams winning 18 of 24 overall against the division. The Phillies are getting quality offensive performances from Shane Victorino (.313), Ryan Howard (30 homeruns, 91 runs batted in) and Chase Utley (82 runs scored). The Phillies, after finishing a two out of three series at Atlanta, will now come home and take on the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three game series, starting Tuesday. The Phillies will then play at New York for a weekend set.

5. Texas Rangers (66-50) - With a weekend series win over the Boston Red Sox, the Rangers took over the American League Wildcard. Currently, Texas leads Boston by just ½ game. Texas is trying to figure out what they are going to do at the catcher position, with Jarrod Saltalamacchia going on the disabled list. Ian Kinsler has continued his hot season, as he has hit 25 homeruns, and drove in 66 runs. Kevin Millwood has been solid on the bump for Texas, with 9 wins, a 3.31 earned run average, and leads the team in innings pitched with just under 150. The Rangers will look to continue their winning streak on Monday when they host the Minnesota Twins in the first of a four game series. Following Minnesota coming to town, the Rangers will head Southeast and take on the Tampa Bay Rays on the road.

6. St. Louis Cardinals (67-52) - The St. Louis Cardinals have been the hottest team in the Major Leagues as of late, as new comers Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa have keyed the offense, along with triple crown candidate Albert Pujols. Pujols is leading in homeruns and runs batted in, and third in batting average coming into Monday’s play. Along with the MVP candidate, St. Louis also has a shot at crowing a CY Young, with Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Carpenter is second in the NL in earned run average with a 2.27 and Wainwright leads the NL in wins with 13. The Cardinals lead the NL Central by a full five games, which is the high water mark of the season for St. Louis. The Cardinals will head west, starting on Monday as they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers, for a three game series. Over the weekend, the Cardinals will look to repeat the three game sweep of the San Diego Padres, this time for four, and on the road.

7. Boston Red Sox (66-51) - The Red Sox dropped the final two of the series at Texas to fall to half game behind Texas for the American League Wildcard lead. Boston is looking for more production from slugger David Ortiz, who has yet to get going in 2009. Jason Bay, after his quick start, continues to lead the team in homeruns, with 25, and runs batted in (83). Boston will begin a three game series on the road in Toronto on Tuesday, and then start a huge weekend series with the New York Yankees on Friday. Boston currently trails the Yankees by seven games in the American League East.

8. Colorado Rockies (65-53) - The Rockies remained in the lead in the wildcard standings, after picking up a win over the Florida Marlins on Sunday. Colorado leads the wildcard over San Francisco by one game, and the Marlins by two. Todd Helton leads the team in batting with a .318 average. Troy Tulowitzki and Brad Hawpe are also putting up solid numbers, with 23 homeruns and 70 runs batted in. Colorado is looking towards the NL West crown, as they come into Monday’s action just five games behind the Dodgers. The Rockies and Nationals will start a three game series in the nation’s capital on Tuesday, and then Colorado will come back home and play a huge three game weekend series with the Giants.

9. San Francisco Giants (63-54) - The Giants remain just six games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, but more importantly, just a game behind Colorado within the wildcard. San Francisco has two of the top five candidates for Cy Young in righthanders Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. Cain leads the team in wins with 12, while Lincecum leads all NL pitchers with a 2.19 earned run average. Rookie first base men Pablo Sandoval leads the team in hitting (.329), homeruns (18) and runs batted in (70). The Giants will finish their four game series on Monday at Citi Field in New York, before heading for three in Cincinnati, followed by a three game set at Colorado.

10. Tampa Bay Rays (63-54) - After losing in the first game of a three game series with Toronto, the Rays bounced back and won the final two. Tampa Bay is turning towards the wildcard, as they trail the New York Yankees by ten full games. Tampa Bay is led in hitting by Jason Bartlett and his .342 batting average, while Carlos Pena leads the team with 31 homeruns. Tampa Bay starts a six game home stand on Tuesday with three against Baltimore and three against Texas.

11. Florida Marlins (63-55) - The Marlins continue to make a run at the Phillies, and also the Rockies and Giants for a playoff spot. Florida has been sparked by all star shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who is leading all NL batters with a .356 batting average. Ramirez also leads the team with 82 runs batted in, 76 runs scored and 22 stolen bases. Dan Uggla leads the Marlins with 21 homeruns. Josh Johnson is putting up near Cy Young numbers, with 12 wins and an earned run average under 3.00. Florida will start a road trip on Tuesday, at Houston, followed by a three game, weekend series at Atlanta.

12. Atlanta Braves (61-55) - Atlanta continues to hang around within the National League East, trailing both the Philadelphia Phillies and the Florida Marlins. The Braves are coming off losing two out of three to the Phillies over the weekend. Atlanta has been sparked offensively by Yunel Escobar, with a .298 batting average, and Chipper Jones, who leads the team with 15 homeruns. The Braves play a single game against Arizona on Monday, and then start a three game series at New York, followed by a home weekend series with the Florida Marlins.

13. Detroit Tigers (62-55) - The Detroit Tigers, at 7 games over .500, have a 2.5 game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central. The Tigers are coming off a two out of three series win at Kansas City, including a 1-0 shut-out, followed by a 10-3 thrashing. Miguel Cabrera leads the Tigers in all three of the top offensive categories, with a .330 batting average, 24 homeruns and 70 runs batted in. Justin Verlander has bounced back with a solid 2009 season, leading the team with 13 wins, and an earned run average of 3.28. The Tigers will start a home series with the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, and then head out on the road in Oakland over the weekend.

14. Chicago Cubs (60-55) - The Chicago Cubs were rained out of Sunday’s action with the Pittsburgh Pirates. That was a game the Cubs wanted to play, as Chicago had won the first two of the series and were poised for a third. The Cubs have fallen five back of the St. Louis Cardinals within the National League Central. The Cubs look to have a few of their starting pitchers back, including Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano. Chicago will start a West Coast road trip on Monday, starting with three against the San Diego Padres, and then four over the weekend at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

15. Seattle Mariners (61-57) - The Mariners, at four games over .500, have fallen to 11 full games behind the AL West leading Los Angeles Angels. Seattle avoided a four game on Sunday with a 10-3 win over the Yankees. Ichiro Suzuki leads the team with a .360 batting average, while power hitter Russell Branyan leads in power numbers with 27 homeruns. Felix Hernandez leads the starting pitching staff with 12 wins, and leads the team in innings pitched, with 165.1. The Mariners will start a road trip on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers , and then a weekend series at Cleveland.

16. Chicago White Sox (60-58) - The White Sox remain three games behind the Detroit Tigers at the top of the American League Central. The White Sox failed to sweep the series at Oakland, falling on Sunday 3-2. Alex Rios coming over from Toronto was supposed to spark plug the offensive unit for Chicago,  but two games after being shut-out, the White Sox scored just two runs. Mark Buerhle has been outstanding for Chicago, leading the team with 11 wins, an earned run average at 3.78, all while leading the team in innings pitched, with 166.2. The White Sox will start a series with the Kansas City Royals on Monday, then take Thursday off before hosting the Baltimore Orioles at home over the weekend.

17. Milwaukee Brewers (58-59) - The Brewers were on the verge of climbing over .500, and sweeping divisional rival Houston, until the bullpen faltered and they dropped an 8-5 decision. The Brewers are in third place in the NL Central, eight games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. Ryan Braun is having another outstanding season with a .316 batting average, while Prince Fielder is challenging Albert Pujols at the top of the NL runs batted in category with 105, along with 30 homeruns. The Brewers and Pirates will hook up for a three game set in Pittsburgh, starting on Monday, and following an off day on Thursday, the Brewers and Nationals will meet in the nation’s capital.

18. Houston Astros (57-61) - The Astros have fallen to fourth place, and 9.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. Houston avoided a sweep, and snapped a three game losing streak on Sunday, banging around the Milwaukee bullpen to win 8-5. Houston is getting quality performances from aging veterans such as Miguel Tejada (.313 batting average) and Carlos Lee (19 homeruns, 74 runs batted in). Michael Bourn leads all national league players in stolen bases with 44. Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez have both been solid of late in the front end of the rotation, as Oswalt leads in innings pitched with 148 and Rodriguez leads in wins (11) and earned run average (3.05). The Astros will start a home stand  this week, as they host the Florida Marlins for three and the Atlanta Braves for three.

19. Minnesota Twins (56-61) -  The Twins, despite the fact that they are 5 games under .500, continue to sit within striking distance of the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central. The Twins have struggled of late, losing two straight, and seven of their last ten. The latest rash of losses came in the final two games of a three game series with the Cleveland Indians. Joe Mauer is leading all of baseball with a .377 batting average, and Justin Morneau continues to put up impressive numbers with 28 homeruns, 94 runs batted in, and 79 runs scored. The Twins and Texas Rangers start a four game series in Arlington on Monday, followed by a trip to Kansas City over the weekend.

20. Toronto Blue Jays (55-61) - The Blue Jays continue to hover just below .500, at 55-61. The Blue Jays have lost two straight games, and six of their last ten overall. Toronto traded their top offensive star, Scott Rolen to Cincinnati at the trading deadline, and recently traded outfielder Alex Rios to the White Sox. Aaron Hill leads the team in homeruns with 28 and runs batted in with 80. Roy Halladay continues to lead the starting pitching staff, with 13 wins, an earned run average of 2.65 in 173 innings pitched. The Blue Jays and Red Sox will meet up in Toronto for a three game series spanning from Tuesday – Thursday, and then welcome to Angels to town for a weekend set.

21. New York Mets (55-62) - The Mets simply cannot wait for the 2009 season to end. After the rash of injuries struck New York throughout most of the season, the biggest blow came this weekend when David Wright was struck on the head by a Matt Cain fast ball. Manager Jerry Manuel says Wright may be out for the season, which would probably be a wise choice at this point. Wright was leading the team in batting average, with a .324 batting average, along with runs batted in (55), runs scored (74), and stolen bases(24). New York is eight games under .500 and 12.5 games behind the front running Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets are 5 games over .500 at home, but have really struggled, to the tune of 23-35 on the road. The Mets will finish a four game series with the Giants at home on Monday, and then welcome the Braves and Phillies to down for the rest of the week.

22. Arizona Diamondbacks (54-64) - The Diamondbacks are trying to make a push near the .500 mark in the final month and half of the season. Arizona sits at ten games under .500, and 16.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Arizona is 28-35 when playing at home this season, and 26-30 on the road. The Diamondbacks failed to complete a three game sweep at home over the Dodgers on Sunday, but taking two out of three is a quality series. Arizona will play a single game on Monday at Atlanta, before heading to Philadelphia for three games and Houston for three more over the weekend.

23. Oakland Athletics (52-65) - The Athletics took the final game of a three game series with the White Sox, to salvage one in the three game series. Now the Athletics will host the AL leading New York Yankees for a three game series. Oakland is getting quality production from Adam Kennedy, as he is batting .287. Jack Cust leads the team in homeruns with 16 and runs scored (63). Dallas Braden leads the team in wins, with 8, but is under .500, with 9 losses. The Athletics lost Braden with a rash on his left foot on August 8^th, but appear to have Justin Duchscherer on his way back on Tuesday.

24. Cleveland Indians (51-66) - The best of a poor state of Ohio baseball, the Cleveland Indians are 15 games under .500, and 11  games out of first place. The Indians trail third place Minnesota by 5 games, and 8.5 behind second place Chicago. The Indians are 25-36 when playing at home, and 21-35 on the road. After getting drubbed 11-0 by the Minnesota Twins in the first of a series, the Indians knocked off the Twins in the final two games. The Indians will host the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then host the Seattle Mariners on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

25. Cincinnati Reds (50-67) - After competing until early July, the Reds have fallen completely flat on their face. Cincinnati has dropped to 17 games below .500, and just 3.5 games ahead of divisional doormat Pittsburgh. The Reds have lost starting pitchers Micah Owings and Edinson Volquez to injury, and also offensive stars Jay Bruce and Scott Rolen. The Reds have continued to be puzzled by the poor performances of starting pitcher Aaron Harang. Harang leads the team with 155.1 innings, and also an earned run average of 4.35, but is 6-14 on the season. Brandon Phillips has become the offensive star for the Reds, leading in batting average (.262), runs batted in (75) and runs scored (58). After losing three of four to Washington, the Reds will host the San Francisco Giants for a three game series, starting Tuesday. After the Reds host San Francisco, they will head on the road for a three game set in Pittsburgh.

26. Baltimore Orioles (48-69) - The Orioles once again look to finish at the bottom of the rugged American League East. Baltimore trails the leading Yankees by 25.5 games, but more importantly for Baltimore, they trail fourth place Toronto by 7.5 games. On Monday, the Orioles traded first basemen Aubrey Huff to the Detroit Tigers. Baltimore will finish a four game series with the Angels on Monday, and then start a road trip that begins Tuesday at Tampa Bay and extends to a weekend series at Chicago.

27. San Diego Padres (49-70) - The Padres dropped their fourth straight game on Sunday, this time in walk-off fashion. After leading 5-4 heading into the ninth inning, Heath Bell surrendered a fifth run, and then allowed a two run homerun to Cardinals rookie Colby Rasmus. The win for the Cardinals completed a three game sweep of the Padres. San Diego has fallen to 21.5 games behind  the Dodgers, and five games back of Arizona, for fourth place in the NL West. The lone bright spot for the Padres has been first base men Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez leads the team in batting average (.279), homeruns (32), runs batted in (72) and runs scored (70). San Diego will host the Chicago Cubs for three starting on Monday, and then a re-match with the Cardinals, for four, over the weekend.

28. Kansas City Royals (46-71) - The Royals look to just play the role of the spoiler in the American League Central. Kansas City will see an array of games with the Central Division leader Detroit, and teams chasing them, Chicago and Minnesota. Kansas City just came off a Sunday win against Detroit. Now the Royals will start a three game series in Chicago with the White Sox. After taking Thursday off, the Royals will host the Minnesota Twins over the weekend.

29. Pittsburgh Pirates (46-70) - The Pirates have fallen to 24 games under .500, and dropped 19.5 games back of the Cardinals, in last place in the NL Central. Pittsburgh is just 18-43 when playing on the road this season. Pittsburgh was saved by the rain, in what separated them from what looked like a three game sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates will start a three game series at home with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, and then after taking Thursday off, the Pirates will host the Reds for a three game series over the weekend.

30. Washington Nationals (43-75) - The Nationals are approaching coming out of the bottom, as they are just three wins behind Pittsburgh. Washington has won three in a row, and seven of their last ten, coming off three wins in a row over the Reds. The Nationals main problem has been winning on the road, as they are a lowly 17-42 overall on the road. The big news for Washington is the questionable nature of if they can sign first overall pick Stephen Strasburg, as Monday evening is the deadline. The Nationals are getting solid numbers from power hitting outfielder Adam Dunn. Dunn has proven his ability this season, hitting 31 homeruns and driving in 86 runs. The Nationals are 24.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. Washington will start a three game series on Tuesday with the Colorado Rockies. Following that series, Washington will host the Milwaukee Brewers for three games over the weekend.

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The NASCAR version of the regular season is winding down as only 5 races remain before the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. A lot of well known faces find themselves on the border of the top 12 in the point’s standings who will qualify for NASCAR’s version of the playoffs. Names like Kyle Busch are on the outside looking in while drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya are sitting nicely inside the top 12. However, everything can change over the next few weeks of racing. We take a look at the hottest drivers in NASCAR and rank the best to bet on for the 2009 Sprint Cup Championship.

#1 Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson became only the 2nd person in NASCAR history last season to win 3 consecutive championships. Johnson could become the first person to win 4 straight this season and has looked very strong thus far this season. Johnson has won 3 races this season including a big victory at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis just two weeks ago. However, Johnson impressiveness comes with his consistency. Crew chief Chad Knaus is the best in the business and many wonder how good the #48 team would be without his presence. With Johnson at the wheel and Knaus calling the shots, the team will again be the favorite to win the championship. It is quite impressive to see any type of dominance as competitive as the sport is today. However, Johnson has proven that he is the best and will be chasing an historic 4th consecutive title.

Odds to Win Championship = +300

#2. Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart surprised most the racing world last year when he announced his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing where he had won 2 Championships. The decision to take over as owner of an unproven franchise raised even more questions. However, Stewart has flourished since taken over at Stewart-Haas Racing. The driver of the #14 Old Spice Chevrolet has captured wins on the biggest stages this season including making a big statement by capturing checkers at the All-Star Race in May. Stewart leads all drivers with 12 top 5 finishes on the season and also leads the points. Stewart is destined to make some noise in the race for the championship in his first season as owner giving a scary omen of what could come over the next few years.

Odds to Win Championship = +350

#3. Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon has really turned things around after struggling most of 2008. Gordon got off to a great start earlier this season earning 5 different top 5 finishes in his first 7 races. The driver of the #24 Dupont machine also led the points for a good portion of the early season before surrendering the lead to Tony Stewart. Gordon’s strong finishes tapered off during the beginning of the summer months. However, in the last few weeks Gordon has posted top 10 finishes in 7 of the last 8 races. Gordon dominated NASCAR in the late 90’s resulting in 4 championships even though he has not had equal success over the past few years. However, given notice to the way the savvy veteran has been running this season it makes the possibility for a 5th title more tangible.

Odds to Win Championship = +600

#4. Mark Martin

Mark Martin was a retired 50 year old at this time last year. However, when Martin was given the opportunity to drive the #5 Chevy for the best team in racing at Hendrick Motorsports the offer was too good to pass up. Martin entered this season with hopes of winning races, but most never imagined that he would lead all drivers with 4 victories at this point in the season. If the success were to continue, Martin may finally be able to capture the elusive championship that has avoided him his entire career. Without a doubt, Martin is the best driver to never win a Cup Championship. Martin is only ranked 10th in the standings despite the 4 wins. However, most of the trouble came early in the year from mechanical failures. Not only should Martin be one of the drivers in the Chase, but he would lead the points when the Chase begin due to his number of victories meaning he would be a big threat for his much younger competitors.

Odds to Win Championship = +400

#5. Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch is another driver who has really turned things around this season. Busch who is a former champion found himself 18th in the point standings at the end of last year well outside the top 12 fighting for the championship. However, Busch and the Penske Racing Team have fought back in 2009 recording 11 top 10 finishes and a win at Atlanta. Busch has been very consistent all year and has had very little trouble besides a few run ins with Jimmie Johnson. However, the big question is if anyone will be able to challenge the Hendrick Cars who have been so strong this year and rank 1-4 if you include Tony Stewart who is running Hendrick engines. The most coincidental headline of 2009 is if you were to guess that one of the Busch brothers would be in the hunt for a championship it definitely would not have been Kurt.

Odds to Win Championship = +1500

#6. Carl Edwards

Carl Edwards posted the most wins in the Sprint Cup Series in 2008 with an extremely impressive 9 victories. However, Edwards has yet to find victory lane this season despite running up front for most of the season. Edwards has consistently run around edge of the top 10 this season which is a big drop from where he was last year when the #99 Aflac Ford machine was contending for wins every week. In fact, the entire Rousch Racing stable has been down in terms of performance as the Chevrolet manufactured cars continue to shine. However even with the cars that may not be the strongest in the field, Edwards is one of the most talented young drivers in the sports and gets the most out of his race car. Edwards may not be in the position to legitimately make a run at the championship, but he will likely find a way to finish towards the top of the standings.

Odds to Win Championship = +800

#7. Juan Pablo Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya is definitely the biggest surprise of the drivers who are currently in the top 12 in points. There were many who doubted the former open wheel driver would be able to continue his strong runs of the past few races. However, Monday’s rain postponed showing at Pocono likely locked him into the Chase despite any major collapse. Montoya has really shined over the last few weeks on some of the flat race tracks. If he can continue to show that kind of strength at the high banks, lookout for an underdog story in the making.

Odds to Win Championship = +3500

#8. Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin pulled of an emotional win at Pocono this past Monday. Hamlin who had stated he should not be racing at is at home with family after the passing of his grandmother, drove the best race of the season to win the Pennsylvania 500. The showing displayed Hamlin picking up a ton of spots in the final laps of the race including coming from 6th to 1st in the final restart to capture the victory. If you follow racing, it may have surprised you to see Hamlin drive the car so aggressively to the front. While it was possibly one of the best performances behind the wheel of his career, it should be little surprise as Hamlin is a very gifted driver. Hopefully, the win could spark the fire to get the #11 FedEx Toyota rolling. If Hamlin gives similar type of effort in the Chase, more wins are to come.

Odds to Win Championship = +1200

#9. Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne has perhaps made the least noise of any driver in the top 12 in the standings this season. However, Kahne comfortably sits in the number 7 position in the points. The driver of the #9 Budweiser Dodge captured his only victory on the road course in Sonoma, California back in June. Kahne could build on his recent momentum this coming week as the NASCAR circuit takes on another road course at Watkins Glenn. Despite capturing top 10 finishes in 5 of the last 6 races, Kahne must find a way to capture more wins in the final 10 races to make a run at a championship. However, Kahne is known for performing better in the hotter summer months of the season and that has definitely been the case over the past few weeks.

Odds to Win Championship = +1200

#10. Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman was the lone ranger to travel over and team up with Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing this season. However, the change in teams for Newman has worked out for the best just like it has for Tony Stewart. Newman has failed to compete over the past few seasons with Penske Racing. However, Newman has been able to run up front for the majority of the season. Despite a few poor finishes, the #39 team is definitely on the upswing. Even though the team maybe a year or two away from being their best, Newman and company still have all the resources to capture a few wins before the season ends.

Odds to Win Championship = +1800

Complete NASCAR odds to win the 2009 Sprint Cup From BetUS (as of 8/6/09)
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*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 7/26/2009
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 8/10/2009)

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (62-35) – The Dodgers continue to play red-hot baseball, leading their division by a full week of games. Los Angeles has used the right arm of Chad Billingsley to lead the way. Billingsley is 10-5 with a 3.72 earned run average for Los Angeles. Offensively Andre Either, Matt Kemp, Orlando Hudson and Juan Pierre are aiding Manny Ramirez in the middle of the lineup. The Dodgers had won seven of ten games, before Sunday’s affair with Florida. The Dodgers will head west, and play a ESPN game Monday evening in St. Louis, in part of a four game set with the Cardinals, and then travel to Atlanta for three games over the weekend with the Braves. The Dodgers could really put a damper on both Colorado and San Francisco in August, as they travel to both cities for three game sets during the month.

2. New York Yankees (60-38) – The Yankees defeated the Athletics on Sunday and finished a 3-1 set, and have now won 9 of their last 10 games overall. Derek Jeter has led the way offensively, upping his team leading batting average to .319.  Mark Teixeria is making a run for the AL MVP with his 25 homeruns and 71 runs batted in. Off-season acquisition C.C. Sabathia leads the team in wins, with 10, and also earned run average with a 3.67. New York currently leads second place Boston by 2.5 games, while the Rays lurk at 6.5 back. New York is an AL best 35-17 at the new Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will start a road trip on Monday, at Tampa Bay, and then head to Chicago for three games, starting Friday with the White Sox.

3. Anaheim Angels (58-38) – Sunday’s blowout loss to the Minnesota Twins snapped Anaheim’s eight game winning streak. After sweeping a road series at Kansas City, the Angels had won the first two against Minnesota. Hard throwing Jered Weaver has led the pitching staff with 10 wins, to just 3 losses, also compiling a 3.57 earned run average. Chone Figgins has been a spark plug for the offense, leading the team in runs scored (78) and stolen bases (31). Anaheim will continue their home stand on Monday, as the Cleveland Indians visit. After the series with Cleveland, the Angels will fly to Minnesota to play a three game series with the Twins.

4. Philadelphia Phillies (56-40) – After the red hot streak, the Phillies were stopped Friday night by the new look St. Louis Cardinals. Philadelphia rebounded well, picking up 23 runs in two games, to beat the Cardinals in both games. J.A. Happ took his first loss of the season, but the rookie sits at 7-1 on the season. Shane Victorino leads the high powered Phily offense with a .318 batting average, as slugger Ryan Howard has pounded in 72 runs. The Phillies lead the second place Atlanta Braves by 6.5 games in the National League East. The Phillies will now take the road, starting Monday with a three game series at the Arizona Diamondbacks. Following the trip to Arizona, Philadelphia will play four with the Giants, in San Francisco. The Phillies are still in talks with the Blue Jays for their ace Roy Halladay.

5. Boston Red Sox (57-40) – The Red Sox could not finish a three game sweep on Sunday over Baltimore, and fell to 2.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East standings. Boston has got 11 wins from ace Josh Beckett, as he has also compiled a 3.42 earned run average. Dustin Pedroia the 2008 AL MVP is batting .304 for Boston, which leads the team. New comer Jason Bay leads the team in both homeruns and runs batted in, with 20 and 72 respectively. Boston traded disgruntled former shortstop Julio Lugo to St. Louis earlier in the week, also picking up Adam LaRoche from Pittsburgh.  Boston will continue their seven game home stand on Monday, when the Oakland Athletics visit Fenway. After the series with Oakland, Boston will make the trip to Baltimore for a three game weekend set with the Baltimore Orioles.

6. Tampa Bay Rays (54-45) – Toronto used a Scott Rolen three run homerun to avoid the sweep of the Rays on Sunday. Tampa Bay has climbed to within 6.5 games of the front running Yankees. It was an adventurous week for the Rays, who were held to no base runners in the Mark Buerhle perfect game, they next night they turned around and beat Roy Halladay, and then down eight runs to Toronto, Tampa bounced back and beat the Jays 10-9. Jason Bartlett leads the team in batting with a .341 mark, while Carlos Pena leads in homeruns (25) and runs scored (65). Tampa Bay will begin a very important three game set with the first place Yankees on Monday at home. Following the Yankees, the Kansas City Royals will visit Tampa for a three game set over the weekend.

7. Texas Rangers (54-42) – Texas took advantage of a weak Kansas City bullpen on Sunday to gain a little ground on first place Anaheim. The Rangers picked up the 7-2 win, which led to a 2-1 series win. The Rangers got bad news when starting pitcher Kevin Millwood left the game with tightness in his left gluteus.  This came a few days after right hander Vicente Padilla was scratched with flu like symptoms, which was later diagnosed as the Swine Flu. Texas has got great offense from Michael Young, with a .313 batting average, and also Ian Kinsler, who leads the team with 23 homeruns, 59 runs batted in, and 68 runs scored. The Rangers start a seven game home stand on Monday with Detroit and Seattle coming to town for three and four respectively.

8. Colorado Rockies (54-44) – The Rockies got seven sharp innings from Aaron Cook to win the final game of a three game series over the Giants. The win for Colorado pushed their wildcard lead to two games over San Francisco. Colorado is getting excellent production from Brad Hawpe (.322 batting average, and 61 runs batted in), Troy Tulowitzki (18 homeruns, and 56 runs scored) and Dexter Fowler, who has stolen 23 bases. Staff ace Jason Marquis leads the National League with 12 wins. The Rockies start a seven game series on Monday with the New York Mets, for four and then Colorado will travel to Cincinnati for a three game set over the weekend.

9. San Francisco Giants (52-46) – The Giants have struggled of late, losing seven of their last ten, falling to third in the NL West, and two games behind second place, and wildcard leading Colorado. Colorado, after falling in the first game of the series, came back with two straight wins, allowing the Giants just two runs in both games. Pablo Sandoval leads the team in most offensive categories including batting average (.324), homeruns (15) and runs batted in (58). Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain have been an excellent 1-2 punch at the start of the rotation, Lincecum with a 10-3, and 2.45 earned run average, and Cain leading the team with 12 wins. The Giants will start a home stand on Monday when the Pittsburgh Pirates come in for three. Following Pittsburgh, the Giants will then face the NL East leading Philadelphia Phillies for a four game set.

10. Seattle Mariners (51-46) – Seattle fell to 7.5 games behind Anaheim after being swept on Sunday by the Cleveland Indians. Seattle was outscored 31-6 in the three games at home. Ichiro Suzuki is the leading hitter for the Mariners with a .358 batting average, while the resurging Russell Branyan has hit 24 homeruns and knocked in 55 runs. Seattle will play a three game home series starting on Monday with the Toronto Blue Jays, before heading to Texas for a four game series with the Rangers.

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11. Detroit Tigers (52-44) – The Detroit Tigers came into Sunday Nights game winners of three straight over second place Chicago. The Tigers won both games of a doubleheader on Friday 5-1 and 4-3, and repeated the 4-3 game on Saturday to move to three games ahead. Miguel Cabrera is making a strong case for AL MVP with a .328 batting average, while Brandon Inge has hit 21 homeruns and knocked in 58 runs. Justin Verlander leads the team with 11 wins, while Fernando Rodney has converted 21 saves on the year. Detroit will start a three game series at Texas on Monday, take Thursday off, and battle the Cleveland Indians on the road on Friday.

12. St. Louis Cardinals (53-48) – After acquiring Julio Lugo and Matt Holliday, the Cardinals picked up a 8-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The win was the first time Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ lost a game. After that, the Cardinals pitching could not get anyone out, allowing 23 runs in two games. The losses for St. Louis dropped them to second place, ½ game behind divisional rival Chicago. Albert Pujols continues to lead the team in all offensive categories, including a .325 batting average, 34 homeruns, 91 runs batted in, 79 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases. Adam Wainwright leads the staff in wins with 10. St. Louis will start a four game series Monday night at home with the West leading Dodgers. Following Los Angeles, the Cardinals will host the Houston Astros, who just swept the Cardinals in Houston last week.

13. Chicago Cubs (51-45) – The Cubs picked up their fourth straight win to place them into first place in the NL Central for the first time since April 21^st. Ryan Theriot leads the team in batting, despite hitting just under .300 for the season. Derrick Lee leads the team in homeruns and runs batted in, with 19 and 63 respectively. Ted Lilly leads the starting staff with 9 wins, but was placed on the disabled list recently with left shoulder inflammation. Ryan Dempster is also on the disabled list with a fractured big toe. The Cubs and Astros will start a four game set at Wrigley on Monday, before Chicago heads to Miami for a weekend set with the Marlins.

14. Chicago White Sox (50-48) – After the historic win for the White Sox and left hander Mark Buerhle, the White Sox fell in three straight games to the Tigers. Chicago will look to snap the losing streak, and salvage a game Sunday night on ESPN. The White Sox are three games behind the Tigers, in the division. Chicago is 27-23 when playing at home, and 23-25 on the road. After finishing Sunday’s game at Detroit, the White Sox will head north to Minneapolis to take on the third place Twins. On Thursday, the White Sox and the Yankees will begin a four game set at US Cellular Field.

15. Houston Astros (50-48) – After sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals at the start of the week, and knocking Johan Santana off on Friday, the Astros were not able to complete the huge week, by dropping two straight against the Mets. The Astros are in the running in the NL Central, just two games behind the Cubs at the top. Houston has won 28 of 53 at home this season, and 22 of 45 on the road.  The Astros placed outfielder Lance Berkman on the disabled list on July 24^th with a strained left calf muscle. Miguel Tejada continues to hit well, batting .326 to lead the team. Carlos Lee continues to make a move towards 100 runs batted in, as he leads the team with 59. Wandy Rodriguez leads the team in wins with 10, and also has a solid earned run average of 2.72. The Astros will face a huge week ahead of them, as they start a four game series at Chicago against the Cubs on Monday, and in St. Louis against the Cardinals over the weekend.

16. Florida Marlins (51-48) – The Marlins continue to remain within striking distance in both the NL East (6.5 games back) and the NL Wildcard (3.5 games back). Florida is 25-24 at home this season, and 26-24 when playing on the road. Hanley Ramirez leads the team, and the entire National League in batting, with a .346 mark, and also runs batted in (62) and runs scored (58). The Marlins are confident following two out of three wins over the NL leading Los Angeles Dodgers on the road. Florida’s closer Matt Lindstrom has been on the disabled list since June 24^th with a right elbow strain, but that has not seemed to dimmer the Marlins hopes’. Florida will host the Atlanta Braves, starting on Tuesday, and then host the Chicago Cubs over the weekend.

17. Atlanta Braves (51-48) – Atlanta is another team that continues to remain within striking distance. Atlanta, at 51-48, remains in a second place tie with the Florida Marlins, 6.5 games behind Philadelphia. The Braves just completed a two of three weekend at Milwaukee in which they were blanked in the middle game, but scored 19 in the other two. Yunel Escobar leads the Braves in batting average, with a .309 batting average, and also runs batted in, with 57, while Chipper Jones leads in homeruns (12) and runs scored (52). Atlanta and Florida will start a three game series in Miami on Tuesday, and then the Braves will host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

18. Milwaukee Brewers (49-49) – The Brewers fell back to .500 on Sunday with a loss to the Atlanta Braves. Milwaukee is continuing to attempt to find ways to become a more consistent team, as they continue to hang around. Milwaukee is just three games behind the front running Chicago Cubs. Ryan Braun leads the team with a .310 batting average, and 67 runs scored, while homerun derby winner Prince Fielder leads in homeruns (24) and runs batted in (86). Seth McClung was the latest Brewer to find the disabled list with a right elbow strain. Milwaukee will hope to get back on track on Monday, as they start a four game series with the Washington Nationals. After the series with Washington, Milwaukee will head west and take on the San Diego Padres for a weekend series.

19. Minnesota Twins (49-50) – The Twins have moved to within one game of .500, despite winning just four of their last ten games. Minnesota sits just 4.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers at the top of the American League Central. Minnesota has won 28 of 48 at home, while losing 30 of 51 on the road. Joe Mauer leads the entire American League in batting with a .366 mark, while Justin Morneau is providing the power, with 24 homeruns, 79 runs batted in, and 67 runs scored. Kevin Slowey, the Twins leader in wins with 10, continues to be sidelined with  a strained right wrist. Minnesota will host second place Chicago on Monday for a three game set, followed by three at home over the weekend with Anaheim.

20. Toronto Blue Jays (48-51) – Have the Blue Jays seen the last of Roy Halladay in their uniform? Halladay pitched Friday against Tampa Bay, and have been rumored as being traded for some time now. As the trade deadline approaches, Philadelphia has made the most noise, in an effort to grab one of the best pitchers in the game. Toronto is in fourth place in the AL East, 12.5  games behind the front running New York Yankees. Scott Rolen leads the team in batting with a .316 batting average, while Aaron Hill is putting up excellent numbers, with 24 homeruns and 67 runs batted in. Toronto will start a road trip on Monday at Seattle, take Thursday off, and play three at Oakland, starting on Friday.

21. New York Mets (46-51) – The Mets are at a break point, with just over 60 games to play, they trail the Phillies by 10.5 games, and the wildcard leading Rockies by 7.5 games. New York bounced back from losing the opener to Houston, by winning the final two games at Minute Maid Park. David Wright has been the lone bright spot offensively for the Mets, leading the team in batting average (.317), runs batted in (46), runs scored (60), and stolen bases (21). Gary Sheffield leads the team in homeruns, with just 10. Johan Santana is 11-8 with a 3.12 earned run average to lead the Mets starting pitching staff. The Mets will look  to keep their winning streak going, and make up some ground on Colorado on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at home. After Colorado leaves town, the Mets will host the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three game set.

22. Cincinnati Reds (44-53) – The Reds lost their sixth straight game on Sunday, and fell to 7.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs. Cincinnati scored just 10 runs in the three games, allowing 18. Brandon Phillips leads the anemic Reds offense, with just a .271 batting average, along with 63 runs batted in and 47 runs scored. Bronson Arroyo leads the pitching staff in wins, with 10. The Reds and San Diego Padres will hook up on Monday to start a four game series. On Friday, Cincinnati will host the wildcard leading Colorado Rockies for a three game series.

23. Pittsburgh Pirates (43-55) – The Pirates were blanked for the second straight day by the Arizona Diamondbacks. This came after chasing Arizona ace Dan Haren on Friday evening. Pittsburgh with the loss, dropped to nine games behind the NL Central leading Chicago Cubs. The Pirates are 26-19 at home, but just 17-36 on the road. Pittsburgh traded their top power hitter Andy LaRoche this week to the Boston Red Sox. LaRoche had led the team in homeruns (12), runs batted in (40), and runs scored (46). The Pirates will continue their west coast road trip on Monday at San Francisco, before taking Thursday off, and then coming back home to host the Washington Nationals.

24. Baltimore Orioles (42-55) – The Orioles avoided a three game sweep, and snapped their losing streak with a 6-2 win over the Red Sox on Sunday. Baltimore used three runs batted in from Nick Markakis, and an excellent start from pitcher David Hernandez. The win for the Orioles broke an 11 game losing streak at Fenway Park. Adam Jones leads Baltimore in batting with a .302 mark, while Markakis leads in runs batted in, with 63. Baltimore will head home, starting on Monday and host the Kansas City Royals for four games. After that series, the Orioles will seek revenge against the Boston Red Sox Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

25. Cleveland Indians (40-58) – The Indians have won four straight games, to move ahead of the Kansas City Royals. Cleveland is 12.5 games behind the division leading Detroit Tigers. After finishing the final game of the series with a win over Toronto, the Indians swept the Seattle Mariners in a road series, in which saw them out score the Mariners 31-6. Victor Martinez, who is subject to recent trade rumors leads the team in homeruns, with 14, runs batted in, with 64, and runs scored (55). Cliff Lee, the Indians top starting pitcher is also being discussed in trades, he leads the team in earned run average (3.17) and innings pitched (145). The Indians start a three game series in Anaheim on Monday, and then come home and take on the Detroit Tigers Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

26. Oakland Athletics (41-56) – The Athletics made the move that had been discussed for months, by dealing outfielder Matt Holliday. Holliday was sent to St. Louis for three prospects, including Brett Wallace. The Athletics are in fourth place in the AL West, and trail the Angels by 17 games. Oakland just finished half of their eight game road trip, winning just one of four at the new Yankee Stadium. The second half of their road trip is at historic Fenway Park, where the Athletics and the Red Sox will play four games. Following the trip to Boston, Oakland will fly back home and host the Toronto Blue Jays starting on Friday.

27. Arizona Diamondbacks (42-56) – Arizona just completed a three out of four series win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the final two games, Arizona shut out the Pirates, 7-0 and 9-0. Dan Haren leads the team with 10 wins, and also in earned run average, with a 2.14. Mark Reynolds has been the Diamondbacks top offensive star, with 25 homeruns, 63 runs batted in, and 63 runs scored. The Diamondbacks are in fourth place in the NL West, 20.5 games behind the Dodgers. Arizona will start a three game series with the Phillies on Monday, then take Thursday off, before traveling to New York for a weekend series with the Mets.

28. San Diego Padres (38-61) – The Padres have fallen in eight of their last ten games, and slid below the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. San Diego trails the front running Dodgers by 25 games, which ranks second worst in all of baseball, just ahead of Washington. The Padres have struggled on the road, winning just 14 of 49 games. San Diego’s leading homerun hitter and run producer Adrian Gonzalez has been rumored in trade requests, but it appears no team will give up what San Diego wants for his services. Gonzalez has hit 25 homeruns and drove in 55 runs. The Padres will continue their eight game road trip on Monday at Cincinnati, and then come home on Friday, and start a weekend series with the Milwaukee Brewers.

29. Kansas City Royals (38-59) – The Royals snapped their nine game losing streak on Saturday with a 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers. Kansas City was not able to win two in a row, as the Rangers downed Kansas City 7-2. The Royals have fallen to last place in the American League Central, and now trail Detroit by 14.5 games. While struggling as of late, Zack Greinke is still a bright spot for Kansas City with a 10-6 record and a 2.04 earned run average. The Royals will head out to the East and take on the Baltimore Orioles for a four game series starting Monday. After the trip to Baltimore, Kansas City will travel to Tampa Bay for a three game weekend set.

30. Washington Nationals (30-68) – Despite having the worst record in all of baseball, the Nationals are beginning to at least make head way towards Kansas City and San Diego. Washington just completed a two of out three series win over the Padres. Despite their recent wins, the Nationals find themselves 27 games out of first place, the largest margin in of all baseball. Adam Dunn has led the Nationals in power numbers with 25 homeruns and 70 runs batted in, while Nick Johnson leads in batting, with a 3.02 mark. John Lannan has been the best thing towards a staff ace, with just a 7-7 mark on the season. Washington will start a four game series in Milwaukee on Monday, and then travel to Pittsburgh over the weekend.

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Tradition, pageantry, and all out excitement will fill the air when the 2009 college football season kicks off in just a few short weeks. The anticipation has been building all summer for college football enthusiast around the nation. After such an exciting and competitive year in 2008, the 2009 season expects to be even better considering the circumstances. All 3 Heisman Trophy Finalist are back including previous winners Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford not to mention the Florida Gators will be seeking their 3rd National Title in the last 4 years. Also, the South Eastern Conference will seek their 4 straight National Championship and look to continue their dominance among the nation’s most elite football conferences. Like many others you probably can not wait to see how your favorite team and players will fair in the upcoming season. We go a step further by trying to bring you predictions of the top teams in America heading in to 2009. We bring you an in-depth preview by predicting this year’s Top 10 teams before the rankings are released.

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#1 Florida Gators -

How can you not bet on the Florida Gators? Two National Titles in 3 years and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow is back for his senior campaign. The offense was nearly untouchable in the SEC last season averaging a lucrative 43 points per game ranking 4th in the nation. The Gators may not have the explosive talent of Percy Harvin back, but Tebow will have plenty of talented targets in his sights. Expect wide receiver Riley Cooper to have a breakout year on the outside. The Gators have so many talented players just ready to explode on offense. However, the strength of this team will definitely be on the defensive side of the ball. Whether you are tired of hearing about it or simply not accepted it, the SEC is the premier defensive conference in America. The Gators defense nearly has everyone back from the unit that held the so called “unstoppable” Oklahoma offense to just 14 points in the National Championship Game a year ago. Linebacker Brandon Spikes may very well be the best defensive player in the country and he will be on of the key figures in what appears to be an even better defense in 2009.

#2 Texas Longhorns -

The Longhorns should still be bitter about last season’s outcome considering they likely should have been playing for a national championship. However, Texas will be a force to be dealt with again in 2009 and they may be out for some payback. QB Colt McCoy posted great numbers with 3,849 yards and 34 scores. McCoy will also get the pleasure of taking aim towards his favorite target Jordan Shipley. Shipley who is the Longhorns most prominent receiver was granted an NCAA medical hardship waiver at the end of last season giving him an extra year of eligibility. The extra year of eligibility is huge in a year where the Longhorns would have lost all of their big time receivers. However, Texas now will not only have Shipley but a number of talented receivers ready to get in on the action. Defensively, you can not replace defensive end Brian Orakpo. The Longhorns defense will not be bad, but we do question the front four and how effective they will be getting to the quarterback. Also, it would be nice to see someone step up in the back field on offense considering McCoy led the team in rushing with only 561 yards last season.

#3 Oklahoma Sooners -

The Sooners return another outstanding group of players heading into 2009. The Oklahoma offense was one of the best in recent memory last year averaging an insane 51 points per game. Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford is back along with some other very big names. Bradford who is coming off a ridiculous 4,720 yard and 50 touchdowns junior campaign will also get tight end Jermaine Gresham back in the mix. Gresham caught a team high 14 touchdown passes last season and appears to have a very bright future with Bradford back under center. However, surprisingly the running game is just as important as their dangerous air assault. Running backs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark in 2008 and will have a chance to do the same again this season. Both tailbacks provide Oklahoma with as much danger on the ground as Bradford does with his arm equaling a lethal combination. However, the offense may lack a down the field threat with the young receivers who will step in and must overcome losing a ton of talent on the offensive line.

#4 USC Trojans –

If the Trojans could slightly mirror last year’s defensive unit, then they would have nothing to worry about. However, the defense that ranked #1 in the nation will only return 3 starters on that side of the ball. Usually that would throw up all types of red flag, but there is perhaps no team in the nation that can reload talent like USC. The big hurt that the Trojans will feel is losing quarterback Mark Sanchez. The reason is not necessarily because Sanchez was irreplaceable, but rather of the lack of experience that USC is left with. The offense will return an impressive 9 starters giving opposing defenses a lot to worry about. However, to be a great football team you got to have reliability behind center and the Trojans will be searching for either Aaron Corp or Mitch Mustain to step up big in 2009.

#5 Oklahoma State Cowboys -

Could this be the upset team of the year? Well if you are familiar with the Oklahoma State offense it would not be much of an upset. This may sound crazy, but the Cowboys could have the best offense in the Big 12 this season. Quarterback Zac Robinson, running back Kendal Hunter, and wide out Dez Bryant provide the most dangerous trio of explosion in the country. Oklahoma State ranked 6th in the nation last year in total offense averaging 469 yards per game and there is no reason to think they can not be better in 2009 with the big 3 returning. The Cowboys offense will give them the opportunity to beat any team in the land. Unfortunately Texas and Oklahoma reside in the same division meaning the idea of winning the Big 12 outright is trimmed. However, the Cowboys could likely decide who does win the Big 12 if in fact they do not win it themselves.

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#6 – Alabama Crimson Tide -

The Crimson Tide were actually suppose to be a young talented team with their best years ahead in 2008. Instead, they were the only team to go through the SEC regular season undefeated. Alabama may have stumbled at the end of the season losing to Florida in the SEC Championship and Utah in the Sugar Bowl. The early out pouring of wins has left Tuscaloosa with unlimited amount of expectations. Julio Jones remains probably the best young receiver in the country. However, who will be throwing Jones the football? The likely candidate will be Greg McElroy. McElroy has very little experience, but he will inherit one of the best receiving groups in the country. The ability for the offensive line to rebuild and McElroy to establish ball control will determine the amount of success for the Tide. Crimson Tide fans should not worry much about the defensive side of the ball. The SEC’s best defense returns 9 starters and will be primed again for another fantastic season.

#7 – Ohio State Buckeyes -

The Buckeyes lost a good deal of talent at the end of last season that will be hard to replace. However, watching how the team progressed throughout the 2008 season should cause a bit of concern for the rest of the Big Ten. The Buckeyes offense really spread their wings during the latter part of the season behind freshman sensation Terrelle Pryor. Pryor legs add a big threat to the Buckeyes offensive attack and if his passing skills can continue to develop he could be a nightmare for any defense. However, Pryor lost some very talented receivers last year and it will be interesting to see who will step up. The defense lost some key players as well like Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis, but will likely reload confidently. The Buckeyes success will all be in the hands of the offense. Remember this is the team that was 36 seconds away from upsetting Texas in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of last season. If they can get the offense clicking early in the year, then they will be a team to watch out for.

#8 – Ole Miss Rebels -

We picked the Rebels to be a surprise story in the SEC last season and we forebode similar types of warning again this year. Ole Miss strived under new coach Houston Nutt turning the program from a 3-9 into a 9-4 season that was capped off by a thrashing over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. The offense that the Rebels displayed at the end of last year may be an eerie tale of what is to come in 2009. Ole Miss averaged 45 points per game in their final 4 games of the season. Quarterback Jevan Snead is on the verge of a breakout year and he may just be the best pure passer in the conference. Dexter McCluster will be used in all types of situations and is a guy you must contain. The defense looks to be very strong as well especially up front. The Rebels rush defense ranked 4th in the nation last year holding opponents to just 85 yards per game and that does not look to change in 2009.

#9 – Penn State Nittany Lions -

The Nittany Lions were one single game away from playing for last year’s National Championship. In fact, they were a single point away from their devastating defeat from Iowa late in the season. Penn State could have one of the better offenses in the Big Ten with the return of QB Daryll Clark and tailback Evan Royster. Royster rushed for over 1,200 yards last season while Clark threw for over 2,500 through the air. Look for Stephfon Green to be a bigger help with the offense as well. The Nittany Lions will have the most complete offense in the Big Ten, but they must be able to execute accordingly. The defensive front lost a load of talent that will be hard to replace. The losses of Aaron Maybin, Josh Gaines, and Maurice Evans cause a lot of concern on the defensive side of the ball. The rush defense which was the Nittany Lions biggest strength a season ago may be their biggest weakness in 2009.

#10 – LSU Tigers -

The Tigers downfall toward the end of last year was very surprising to college football fans. LSU lost 3 of the last 4 games of the regular season which included a heroic comeback to salvage a win over Troy. The problem was obviously the play behind center which kept the Tigers offense in neutral for the majority of the season. Freshman quarterback Jarrett Lee recorded 16 interceptions on the year before losing his job to another freshman by the name of Jordan Jefferson. Jefferson was not overly impressive, but did manage to hold on to the ball and will likely be the best back by the team the season starts. The return of Brandon Lafell at wide out gives the offense many reasons for excitement. Also, running back Charles Scott had a big junior season and will prime for another big year as a senior this season. The defense will have to replace a lot of guys up front including Tyson Jackson who was selected as the number 3 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. However the Tigers look to be back on the right path, but the question is will they get back to the top of the SEC West this season?

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*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 7/6/2009
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 7/13/2009)

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (51-30) – Midway through the 2009 season, the Dodgers look to be head and shoulders ahead of everyone else in the National League. Manny Ramirez came back on Friday, going 0-fer in his first game, but hitting a homerun in his second game back. The Dodgers lead the Giants by 6.5 games in the National League West. Andre Either leads the team in homeruns and runs batted in with 15 and 53, and also leads in walk-off hits (4). The Dodgers will finish up their weekend series at San Diego on Sunday, and then head east, taking on the Mets, Tuesday through Thursday and then visit Milwaukee over the weekend before the All Star Break.

2. Boston Red Sox (48-32) – Losers of two straight games, the Boston Red Sox sit just one full game ahead of the Yankees for first place in the American League East. The Mariners have beat the Red Sox late in the game for both the wins. Kevin Youkilis leads the team with a .306 batting average, while Jason Bay leads in homeruns (19) and runs batted in (70). Boston will finish their series with the Mariners at home on Sunday, and then welcome to Athletics and Royals into town before the All Star break.

3. New York Yankees (47-33) – The Yankees have won two straight games and nine of their last ten to sneak within one game of the Red Sox for first place in the American League East. The Yankees are 25-15 at home and 22-18 on the road this season, while feasting on teams not in the Central Division; 23-9. Derek Jeter leads the team in batting with his .308 batting average, while Mark Teixeira leads in homeruns and runs batted in with 20 and 61. Left hander Andy Pettitte leads the pitching staff with eight wins, while closer Mariano Rivera continues to shine, with 21 saves. The Yankees and Blue Jays will finish their series up on Monday, before heading to Minneapolis to take on the Twins – Tuesday, Wednesday and  Thursday. After leaving Minnesota, the Yankees will head west and finish the first half of the season in Anaheim, taking on the Angels.

4. Los Angeles Angels (44-35) – The American League West has developed into an extremely tight race, as the Angels and Rangers are deadlocked at nine games over .500, and the Mariners sit just 2.5 games back. The Angels have won two of three over the weekend over the Baltimore Orioles. Saturday’s game saw Vladimir Guerrero hit just his third homerun of the season to lead the Angels to a 11-4 win. Chone Figgins leads the Angels in batting with a .316 mark, while Torii Hunter continues to provide the power numbers (17 homeruns), (62 runs batted in). Brian Fuentes, the teams first year closer, has saved 23 of 26 saves on the season. The Angels and Orioles will close their four game series on Sunday, and then the Angels will welcome the Rangers and Yankees to town before taking the All Star break.

5. Texas Rangers (44-35) – The Rangers got a homerun and three runs batted in from Andruw Jones Saturday night to assist in a 12-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rangers are tied in first place with the Angels, both with records at nine games over .500. Centerfielder Josh Hamilton is on his way back from an injury. He is scheduled to start his rehab back, but his return to Arlington is not known at this time. Nelson Cruz continues to have a great breakout season, leading the team in homeruns with 20. Texas and Tampa Bay will play their Sunday Night game, before the Rangers head on the road to Anaheim for three games, and Seattle for four to finish the first half of the season.

6. San Francisco Giants (44-36) – The Giants have emerged into one of the hottest teams in baseball, and have jumped to within 6.5 games of the Dodgers, and more importantly are the current leaders for the National League Wildcard. The Giants are a sizzling 26-12 when playing at home. Tim Lincecum picked up another win Saturday evening, throwing seven more scoreless innings. Lincecum, along with Matt Cain, Randy Johnson and Barry Zito are the majors best starting rotation. Lincecum on the season is 9-2 with a 2.23 earned run average. Young offensive stud Pablo Sandoval leads the team in batting average with a .333 mark. Sandoval also leads in homeruns with 12. The Giants will look to finish a three game sweep over the Astros on Sunday, and then welcome the Florida Marlins for three and the San Diego Padres for four leading up to the All Star break.

7. Detroit Tigers (44-36) – The Tigers sit 2.5 games ahead of the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League Central. Detroit fell on Saturday to divisional rival Minnesota 4-3, but picked up an 11-9 win on Friday. Miguel Cabrera leads the Tigers with a .324 batting average, while Brandon Inge has popped 18 homeruns and drove in 52 runs. Justin Verlander leads the starting rotation with a 8-4 record, and a 3.54 earned run average. Verlander has struck out 130 batters, while just walking 35 on the season. Detroit and Minnesota will finish up their three game series on Sunday, and then the Tigers will host the Royals and Indians for three game sets.

8. Tampa Bay Rays (44-38) – The Tampa Bay Rays, after winning seven straight games, have lost three straight. Tampa could not finish the three game sweep of Toronto, and have now fallen in the first two to the Texas Rangers. Carl Crawford leads the team in batting with a .318 mark, while Carlos Pena has knocked out 23 homeruns. Evan Longoria leads the team in runs batted in with 63. Jeff Niemann leads the starting pitching staff with a 7-4 record, and 4.14 earned run average. The Rays and Rangers will finish their series on Sunday, before Tampa takes Monday off and then host the Toronto Blue Jays for three games, starting on  Tuesday, and then welcoming the Oakland Athletics over the weekend.

9. Milwaukee Brewers (43-38) – The Brewers, tied with St. Louis, are currently on top of a division with no clear cut favorite. Milwaukee failed to sweep the three game series with the Mets on Wednesday, falling 1-0, and then dropped the first two to divisional rival Chicago. The Brewers snapped the three game losing streak on Saturday, blasting the Cubs 11-2. Prince Fielder is having a MVP type season for the Brewers, hitting .310 with 21 homeruns and 75 runs batted in. Yovani Gallardo leads the starting pitching rotation in wins with 8, also with a 2.75 earned run average. The Brewers and Cubs will conclude their four game set on Sunday, and then the Brewers will take Monday off. St. Louis and Los Angeles will come to Miller Park this week to finish the  first half of the season.

10. St. Louis Cardinals (44-39) – On Saturday, the Cardinals modest three game winning streak was snapped by Micah Owings and the Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals, at 44-39 are tied with Milwaukee at the top of the competitive National League Central. The Cardinals are 24-20 at home and 20-19 when playing on the road this season. On Friday, Albert Pujols hit his fourth grand slam of the 2009 season, and tenth in his career. Pujols is 6-7 with 20 runs batted in, when hitting with the bases loaded this season. Pujols’ .336 batting average is .010 from keeping him from leading all three triple crown categories. His 31 homeruns and 82 runs batted in lead the NL. The Cardinals and Reds will play the rubber match of the three game series on Sunday, and then St. Louis will take Monday off. A three game series with Milwaukee will start on  Tuesday, and then the Cardinals and Cubs will play four games in three days over the weekend.

11. Philadelphia Phillies (41-37) – The Phillies, one year after winning the World Series have not found any consistency within their offense, or their starting pitching. Despite their woes, Philadelphia still sits in first place in the National League East, as the halfway mark looms. The Phillies are seven games under .500 on the road at 15-22, while they are 26-15 when playing away from Philadelphia. The Phillies have won two straight, both over the Mets. Raul Ibanez continues to lead the team in batting, and homeruns, but is on the disabled list still with a strained left groin. The Phillies will look to sweep the Mets on Sunday, and then host the Cincinnati Reds for four straight games, followed by hosting the Pirates for three over the weekend.

12. Colorado Rockies (42-38) – After coming off possibly the best month of June in franchise history, the Rockies find themselves in contention for 2009 postseason. Colorado, at 42-38, is just 8.5 games out of first place in the NL West, but more importantly just two games behind NL Wildcard leader- San Francisco. The Rockies have slowed down their pace as of late, winning just five of their last ten games. On Saturday, Colorado fell 11-7 to the Diamondbacks. The Rockies are led in hitting by right-hander Brad Hawpe, who is hitting .331. Ian Stewart leads the team in homeruns with 15. Colorado, after finishing the three game home series with Arizona, will welcome both the Nationals and Braves into town this week to finish the first half of the season.

13. Seattle Mariners (42-38) – The Mariners felt the most recent road trip could be a make/break time for the ball club, and after going 5-3 against the Dodgers, Yankees and Red Sox, the Mariners find themselves in contention in the American League West. The Mariners have a chance to sweep the Red Sox, on the road, on Sunday. Seattle, in third place, is just 2.5 games behind both Texas and Los Angeles in the AL West. The Mariners are 21-15 at home, and 21-23 on the road. Ichiro Suzuki is making a case for AL MVP, with his .365 batting average. Power hitting Russell Branyan has done his job hitting 20 homeruns in the first 80 games of the season. Felix Hernandez has been the staff ace thus far, winning eight games, and compiling an earned run average of 2.62 on the season. Seattle, after finishing the series at Boston on Sunday, will head back home, and host the Baltimore Orioles for three and Texas Rangers for four.

14. Chicago White Sox (42-39) – The White Sox seven game winning streak was snapped on Saturday night by the Kansas City Royals. Chicago’s seven game winning streak sparked them into second place in the American League Central Division, just 2.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers. Chicago has won 20 of 40 games at home, and 22 of 41 when playing on the road. The White Sox are led in batting by outfielder Scott Podsednik, with his .312 batting average. Mark Buehrle has been the staff ace thus far in 2009 with a 8-2 record, and a 3.09 earned run average. The White Sox and Royals will play the final game of the three game series on Sunday. After taking on the Royals, the White Sox will take Monday off, host Cleveland for a three game series, and then head to Minnesota for a weekend series.

15. Toronto Blue Jays (42-40) – The Blue Jays have fallen to fourth place in the American League East, despite being two games above .500. Toronto has lost two straight games and seven of their last ten games overall. Toronto has been led in hitting by a resurging third base men Scott Rolen. Rolen leads the team in batting with a .331 batting average. Aaron Hill leads in power numbers, popping 19 homeruns, and driving in 56 runs batted in. Roy Halladay, despite missing a few starts with an injury continues to be a front runner for AL Cy Young, with a 10-2 mark, and a 2.79 earned run average. Toronto and New York will play both Sunday and Monday, before the Blue Jays head to Tampa Bay, for a Tuesday-Thursday series. The final games before the All Star Break for Toronto will be on the road at Baltimore, over the weekend.

16. Minnesota Twins (42-40) – The Twins, at 42-40, are in third place, three games behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central. Minnesota, has won six of their last ten games coming into Sunday’s game. The Twins are 25-16 at home, and just 17-24 when playing on the road. Saturday’s win was a comeback win, in which Justin Morneau led the comeback. Francisco Liriano did not pick up the win, but pitched well again, in his third straight start. The Twins and Tigers will finish their three game series on Sunday, and then the Twins will host the New York Yankees (Tuesday-Thursday) and the Chicago White Sox over the weekend.

17. Florida Marlins (42-40) – The Florida Marlins are taking full advantage of the struggles of the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. As half the season has come to an end, the Marlins find themselves at 42-40, two games above .500. Florida is also just one game behind first place Philadelphia. Hanley Ramirez is making a case for runner up in the MVP voting (behind Albert Pujols) with his .346 batting average, and 60 runs batted in. Dan Uggla leads Florida in homeruns with 15. Josh Johnson leads the starting rotation in wins (7) and earned run average (2.76).  The Marlins and Pirates have split the first two games of a four game series, and will play the final game on Sunday, before Florida heads west to take on the Giants and Diamondbacks.

18. Cincinnati Reds (40-39) – The Reds, are another team that sits just above .500, and still in contention in the divisional race. Cincinnati is just two games out, behind Milwaukee and St. Louis in the NL Central. The Reds picked up a 5-2 win behind Micah Owings on Saturday, a day after blowing a 3-0 lead to the Cardinals on Friday. The Reds starting pitching staff has been excellent, with Johnny Cueto, Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Edison Volquez, and Micah Owings, as of late. Jay Bruce leads the team in homeruns with 18, while Brandon Phillips is the leading RBI guy, with 53. The Reds and Cardinals will play the rubber game of the three game series on Sunday, before Cincinnati heads to Philadelphia for four and New York for three to conclude the first half of the season.

19. Chicago Cubs (39-39) – The Chicago Cubs, at .500, are still alive in the NL Central. Chicago sits just 2.5 games behind the Brewers and Cardinals, in fourth place in the NL Central. The Cubs have not found any consistency from their offense, but have seen a surge from first basemen Derrick Lee as of late. Lee leads the team in homeruns (14) and runs batted in (48). Ryan Theriot leads the team in batting with a .287 batting average. The Cubs’ three game winning streak came to an end on Saturday, as the Milwaukee Brewers blasted them 11-2. The Brewers and Cubs will finish their four game series on Sunday, before the Cubs host the Braves for three and then the Cardinals for four, including a Sunday doubleheader to end the first half of the season.

20. Atlanta Braves (39-41) – The Braves, despite being two games under .500 are just three games out of first place in the National League East. The Braves have not had excellent offensive numbers, but have had solid pitching from Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, and Javier Vazquez at the top of their rotation. The Braves and Nationals will play the rubber match of their three game series on Sunday, and then Atlanta will head to Chicago for a three game series and then to Colorado for four to end the first half of the season.

21. New York Mets (39-41) – The Mets, with all their injuries have continued to plummet in the National League East standings. New York has dropped to two games below .500, but are just three games out of first place. The Mets have lost two straight games, and seven of their last ten games. Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, John Maine and J.J. Putz lead a long list of injuries for New York. The Mets are led in homeruns by aging veteran Gary Sheffield, with 10, while third basemen David Wright leads in runs batted in (42) and runs scored (51). The Mets will look to avoid a three game sweep at Philadelphia on Sunday, and then head back to Citi Field and take on the Los Angeles Dodgers for three, starting on Tuesday. Over the weekend, the Cincinnati Reds will come to town.

22. Houston Astros (38-41) – After creeping to just one game under .500, the Houston Astros have suddenly lost their bats. Houston has been outscored 22-0 in their first two games in a series in San Francisco. Miguel Tejada leads the team in batting with a .325 batting average, while Lance Berkman has hit 17 homeruns and drove in 48 runs. Wandy Rodriguez has been the staff ace, with a 7-6 record, and a 3.21 earned run average. After Houston finishes in San Francisco on Sunday, they will come back home, four seven straight against Pittsburgh(3) and Washington(4).

23. Baltimore Orioles (36-45) – The Baltimore Orioles are the lone American League East team that is out of contention. The Orioles are in fifth place, and 12.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox. Baltimore is 24-20 when playing at home, but a dismal 12-25 on the road. The Orioles are pleased with their production from outfielder Adam Jones, who leads the team in batting average, at .307. Luke Scott leads the team in homeruns with 16, while Aubrey Huff has drove in 55 runs, and Brian Roberts has scored 60 runs. The Orioles will look to split the four game series with the Angels on Sunday, and then head to Seattle to take on the Mariners in a three game set. Over the weekend, the Orioles will host the Toronto Blue Jays to finish the 2009 first half of the season.

24. Pittsburgh Pirates (37-44) – The Pirates, are seven games below .500, but are just six games out of first place in the National League Central. Pittsburgh are 22-17 at home this season, while they have struggled on the road, winning just 15 of 42 games. Zach Duke or Freddy Sanchez look to be the choices for the National League All Star team, Pittsburgh representative. Duke is 8-6 on the season with a 3.13 earned run average, while Sanchez is batting .316 on the season. The Pirates will look to win the rubber match of a three game set in Miami on Sunday, and then continue the road trip Monday-Wednesday at Houston, before playing three at Philadelphia over the weekend.

25. San Diego Padres (35-45) – The Padres picked up their fourth win in twelve tries over the first place Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego has got to find a way to win more games on the road, as they are just 12-26 on the season. The win for the Padres snapped a three game losing streak for San Diego. The Padres are led in homeruns and runs batted in by Adrian Gonzalez with 24 and 51. San Diego and Los Angeles will finish their three game series on Sunday, before the Padres will finish the first half of the season on the road, at Arizona and San Francisco (for four).

26. Kansas City Royals (34-46) – After the hot start, the Royals have fallen to twelve games below .500, but are just 10 games out of first in the American League Central. Kansas City is 21-24 at home, while 13-22 on the road. The bright spot for the Royals has been staff ace Zack Greinke, and his 10 wins. Greinke is 10-4 with a 2.00 earned run average on the season. Kansas City and the White Sox will finish their four game series on Sunday, with the Royals looking to split the series. After the Royals finish up the series, they will head to Detroit and Boston, finishing up their first half season with series against first place squads.

27. Oakland Athletics (33-46) – The Athletics are marred in the middle of a two game losing streak, and have won just two of their last ten games. Oakland is in last place in the American League West, sitting 11 games behind the Angels and Rangers. Kurt Suzuki leads the team in batting, but is only hitting .282 on the year. Jack Cust leads in power numbers with 14 homeruns and 42 runs batted in, also adding 42 runs scored. Oakland will look to avoid the sweep in Cleveland on Sunday, and then head east and take on the Red Sox for three, and the Rays for four games.

28. Cleveland Indians (33-49) – The Indians cannot seem to find consistency, and are 33-49 barring down on the end of the first half. Cleveland sits 12 games back of the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central Division. The Indians are 19-24 at home, and 14-25 on the road. The Indians snapped a five game losing streak on Friday, led  by Shin-Soo Choo’s four hits and seven runs batted in.  Victor Martinez leads the tribe in power numbers of (14 homeruns) and (57 runs batted in). Carl Pavano has led the starting pitching staff, with seven wins, but also seven losses and an earned run average of over 5.30. The Indians look to sweep the Athletics on Sunday, and then head on the road to face fellow divisional foes Chicago and Detroit.

29. Arizona Diamondbacks (32-49) – At 32-49, the Arizona Diamondbacks have been the most disappointing team in 2009. Arizona is a MLB worst 19 games out of first place in the National League West, and have won just 15 of 33 games at home. Arizona is 2-8 in their last ten games, but did pick up a Saturday win over the Rockies. Felipe Lopez is the lone Arizona hitter batting over .300, with a .301 mark. Mark Reynolds may be on the trading block, despite leading the team in homeruns (23), runs batted in (58), runs scored (52) and stolen bases (13). Dan Haren leads the team in wins (7), innings pitched (115), and earned run average (2.19). Arizona and Colorado will finish their series on Sunday in Denver, before Arizona comes home and hosts the Padres and Marlins to conclude the first half of the season.

30. Washington Nationals (23-55) – The Washington Nationals are 18 games out of first place in the National League East. Washington will be one of the very few sellers as the trade deadline looms. Washington has won just 9 games on the road this season, losing 29. The Nationals have struggled against divisional foes winning just 7 of 38 games this season. Christian Guzman leads the team in batting with a .316 batting average, while Adam Dunn has hit 22 homeruns and drove in 59 runs. The Nationals will look to win the series on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, before heading out west to Colorado and Houston to finish the first half of the season.

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*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 6/14/2009
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 6/21/2009)

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (41-22) – The Dodgers avoided their first three game losing streak of the season with a 3-1 win over Texas on Sunday. Los Angeles continues to lead the National League West, by seven games over second place San Francisco. The Dodgers remain at the # 1 position, a spot they have held the entire season. Chad Billingsley continues to shine, coming through at the front of the starting rotation, with a 8-3 record, and a 2.73 earned run average. Juan Pierre leads the team in batting, getting starts every day since Manny Ramirez has been out. Pierre is batting .348 on the season. After Los Angeles finishes their three game series with Texas on Sunday, they will head home for a brief three game series with the Oakland Athletics, before heading across town to take on the Los Angeles(Anaheim) Angels.

2. Boston Red Sox (38-24) – The Red Sox have surged to three games ahead of their rivals, the New York Yankees, at the delight of a five game winning streak. Boston moves up four spots from # 6 to # 2 with their recent surge. The Red Sox have won 21 of 29 games at Fenway Park, and have also beaten the Yankees all eight times they have met this season. Jason Bay is continuing to power the Boston offense with his 17 homeruns and 60 runs batted in. Tim Wakefield, the knuckleball leads the team in wins with 8 on the season, but has a high earned run average of 4.50. After finishing the series with the Phillies on Sunday, the Red Sox head back home to host six straight games. The Florida Marlines start a series on Tuesday, followed by a weekend set with the Atlanta Braves.

 3. Philadelphia Phillies (35-25) – The Phillies stick at ten games over .500, and continue to falter to make a move at separating themselves from the rest of the Eastern Division of the National League. Philadelphia drops one position from # 2 to # 3 within the power rankings.  The Red Sox have gotten the best of the defending champions winning the first two games of a three game series. The teams will finish the series on Sunday. The Phillies are a little banged up with injuries to bullpens guys Scott Eyre, and Brad Lidge, along with starting pitcher Brett Myers. Raul Ibanez continues to carry the load offensive, batting .322, with 22 homeruns, 59 runs batted in, and 51 runs scored. After Boston leaves town the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles will come to town for consecutive three game series’.

4. Texas Rangers (35-26) – The Rangers have used a 13-3 mark against divisional foes to move to a 3.5 game lead in the American League West. Texas remains # 4 overall in the power ranking, after splitting the first two with the Dodgers. Kevin Millwood continues to provide excellent starting pitching for the Rangers. On the season, Millwood is 6-4 with a low 2.72 earned run average. Millwood has struck out 49 batters, walking just 27 on the year. Offensively Michael Young and Ian Kinsler are making up for the absence of Josh Hamilton. Young leads the team in batting with a .315 mark, while Kinsler leads in runs batted in(44), runs scored (42) and stolen bases (11). Texas will finish their home series with the Dodgers on Sunday, before welcoming their state rival Houston Astros into town on Tuesday. Over the weekend, the Rangers will travel to San Francisco for a three game set with the Giants.

5. New York Yankees (35-27) – The Yankees picked up a gift win on Friday, as Mets second baseman Jose Castillo dropped a fly ball to allow two runners to score for the win in the bottom of the ninth inning. The win for the Yankees came at a great time, as they just came off a three game sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees have dropped all eight games they have played against the Red Sox in 2009. The Yankees drop two spots from # 3  to # 5 after their struggles during the week. New York is 19-12 at home, and above .500 on the road as well, but still three games behind Boston. If the postseason started today, the Yankees would advance as the American League’s representative for the Wild Card. New York holds a two game lead over Toronto for that spot. Derek Jeter continues to be the Yankees top batter, but holding a batting average of under .300, at .299. After the Yankees complete the Subway Series with the Mets, they will remain in New York to host the Washington Nationals for three, before heading to Miami over the weekend.

6. Detroit Tigers (34-28) – The Tigers make a two team jump, sliding from the # 8 spot, up to # 6. The Tigers have split the weekend series with Pittsburgh, with the third game coming on Sunday. Detroit leads Minnesota by three games in the AL Central with their 34-28 record. Miguel Cabrera leads Detroit in batting with a .326 batting average, while Curtis Granderson powers the team with 14 homeruns, and Brandon Inge leads with 41 runs batted in. Youngster Rick Porcello leads the Tigers in wins, with 7 on the season, with a 3.71 earned run average. The Tigers, after finishing the series with Pittsburgh will head to St. Louis for a three game set, followed by a three game home series with the Brewers.

7. Milwaukee Brewers (34-28) – The Brewers were swept at home over the week by the red hot Colorado Rockies. Currently, the Brewers have split with the Chicago White Sox in a home series. The Brewers drop from # 5 to # 7. Coming into Sunday’s action, the Brewers lead the St. Louis Cardinals by a ½ game in the National League Central. Ryan Braun leads the team with a .314 batting average, Prince Fielder is providing the power in the middle of the lineup with 15 homeruns and 55 runs batted in. Trevor Hoffman is a perfect 15-15 converting save opportunities on the season, at the age of 41. After the Brewers finish the series with the White Sox on Sunday, they will take  to the road for two straight series against AL Central foes. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Milwaukee will play at Cleveland, and then over the weekend, the Brewers and  Tigers will get together.

8. St. Louis Cardinals (34-29) -  Albert Pujols is absolutely ripping the baseball right now for the Cardinals. Homering in his third straight game, Pujols hit a second homerun, followed by a double in Saturday’s game. Pujols leads the team in batting average (.329), homeruns (22), runs batted in (57), runs scored (50) and stolen bases (9). Adam Wainwright leads the pitching staff with six wins,  to just four losses, and a 3.49 earned run average. Wainwright has struck out 71 batters, walking just 34 on the year. The Cardinals made a two team jump from # 10 to # 8. St. Louis will finish their series at Cleveland on Sunday Night, and then come home to host the Detroit Tigers for a three game set, followed by a trip to Kansas City over the weekend.

9. Toronto Blue Jays (34-30) – The Blue Jays will look to avoid a three game sweep on Sunday to the Florida Marlins. Toronto fell in the final game of a three game series with the Texas Rangers, followed by the first two with Florida. Toronto is five games back of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. Scott Rolen leads the team with a .311 batting average, while Aaron Hill has 14 homeruns. The Blue Jays remain at # 9, after their recent struggles. The Blue Jays will now start a road trip with a mid-week series at Philadelphia, and then a weekend trip at Washington.

10. New York Mets (32-28) – After the devastating loss on Friday night to the Yankees, the Mets picked it up with a Saturday win. Now, New York will look to take the rubber match of a three game set with rivals, the Yankees on Sunday. The Mets drop from # 7 to # 10, after their struggles with the Phillies earlier in the week. The Mets come into Sunday’s action three games back of the Phillies in the National League East. The Mets have been riddled with injuries, including shortstop Jose Reyes, set-up man J.J. Putz, first basemen Carlos Delgado, and starting pitcher John Maine. The Mets will look to get things going on the road on Tuesday when they travel to Baltimore to take on the Orioles in a three game set. Over the weekend the Mets will take on the Tampa Bay Rays in a three game home set.

11. Tampa Bay Rays (33-31) – The Tampa Bay Rays have won four straight games coming into Sunday’s finale against Washington. With the current win streak, the Rays move up four spots from # 15 to just on the outside looking in of top ten, at # 11. Carl Crawford leads the team in batting with a .316 batting average, while Carlos Pena leads the squad in homeruns with 20. Tampa Bay comes into Sunday’s affair with the Nationals just five games out of first place, one game back of Toronto for third place. The Rays will head out on the road after the Nationals leave town. Tampa Bay and Colorado will square off on Tuesday, in a battle of the two hottest teams in the league. The Rockies have won 11 straight games. On Friday, Tampa Bay will start a three game set at the new Citi Field against the Mets.  

12. San Francisco Giants (33-28) – The Giants continue to play quality baseball, as they creep up in the National League Wildcard race. The Giants are five games over .500, at 33-28, seven games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. San Francisco remains # 12 in the power rankings, coming in just ahead of the Angels and the Reds. Matt Cain will look to win his seventh straight game on Sunday, when the  Giants attempt to sweep the Oakland Athletics. The  Giants will continue playing at home this week, as the Angels come to town on Monday for a three game set. Over the weekend, the Giants and Rangers will tangle for a three game series.

13. Los Angeles Angels (31-29) – The Angels will look to complete a three game sweep over San Diego on Sunday. In the first two games against the Padres, the Angels have outscored them 20-7. Los Angeles moves up one position from # 14 to # 13. The Angels sit in second place, still within shouting distance of the first place Texas Rangers. Torri Hunter hit three homeruns for the Angels on Saturday, and continues to be red hot with 16 homeruns and 49 runs batted in; both team leading. The Angels and Giants will hook up in San Francisco on Monday, followed by a home series with the Dodgers Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

14. Minnesota Twins (32-33) – The Twins continue to hang around Detroit at the top of the American League Central Division. Coming into Sunday’s game, the Twins 32-33 record put them at three games back. The Twins have won the first two games of a three game set with the Chicago Cubs, moving up four spots from # 18 to # 14. Kevin Slowey leads the team with a 9-2 record, and a 4.23 earned run average. Closer Joe Nathan has saved 15 of 17 games on the year. Offensively, Justin Morneau is putting up numbers that resemble another MVP type season. Morneau is leading the team with a .336 batting average, 16 homeruns, 54 runs batted in and 48 runs scored. The Twins head home after their final game at Wrigley and host the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros in back to back series’

15. Cincinnati Reds (31-30) – The Reds are looking to pick up one win on Sunday, and avoid being swept at the hands of the Kansas City Royals. Losers of six of their last ten games, Cincinnati falls two spots from # 13 to # 15. The Reds, despite their poor play as of late have stayed in the National League Central race, just 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Brandon Phillips is leading the team in batting with his .273 batting average, but got into some hot water recently with manager Dusty Baker after ignoring Baker’s sign to take on a 3-0 pitch. The Reds continue to play without Joey Votto, who is on the disabled list with stress related issues. Edison Volquez is still on the disabled list as well with right elbow tendonitis. The Reds will begin a three game series at home with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, and then welcome the AL Central’s Chicago White Sox to town on Friday.

16. Chicago Cubs (29-30) – Hitting coach Gerald Perry took the grunt of the blame for the Cubs lack of hitting recently. He was fired and AAA hitting coach Von Joshua being promoted. The Cubs have struggled to score in the last four games, all losses, to the Astros and Twins. The Cubs will look to salvage one game in the four game set with the Twins on Sunday. Chicago drops five spots from # 11 to # 16. Despite the disappointing play thus far in 2009, the Cubs still remain just 3.5 games behind the Central leading Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs will remain at home and host the White Sox in the cross town rivalry between two struggling Windy City squads. Over the weekend, the Cubs and Indians will square off in a three game set at Wrigley Field.

17. Colorado Rockies (30-32) – The Rockies make a six team jump, from # 23 to # 17 and have crawled closer to the .500 mark. Colorado has won 10 in a row, the highest streak in MLB this season. The Rockies will look to add to the streak on Sunday, and finish off a three game sweep of the Seattle Mariners. Colorado is still just 11 games back, but have moved to third place in the NL West, and more importantly, snuck up within the wild card race in the NL. Colorado is led by a hot hitting Brad Hawpe, along with eight game winner Jason Marquis. The Rockies will have to continue playing well on Tuesday when the Tampa Bay Rays, winners of five straight games come to town for a three game series. Over the weekend, the Rockies will host the Pittsburgh Pirates.

18. Seattle Mariners (30-32) – The Mariners, like many other MLB teams have not been able to figure out the Colorado Rockies. Seattle has been the victim of two straight defeats at the hands of the Rockies. Seattle drops just one spot, as the Rockies over take them, at # 17. Ichiro Suzuki continues to get on base at a torrid pace, leading the team with a .357 batting average. Russell Branyan has carried the offensive power load for the Mariners, belting 15 homeruns thus far in 2009. Seattle is in third place in the AL West, five games back of the Texas Rangers. The Mariners will play a three game series at San Diego, starting on Tuesday, before the Arizona Diamondbacks come to Seattle for a three game set on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

19. Atlanta Braves (30-31) – After getting back to the .500 mark with a Friday win over the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta fell on Saturday to fall one game under. The Braves and Orioles will play the rubber match of the three game series on Sunday. Atlanta makes a three team drop from # 19 to # 16 after their series with Pittsburgh earlier in the week. The Braves come into Sunday’s action in third place in the NL East, 5.5 games behind the Phillies, but just ½ game ahead of Florida. The Braves will head to Ohio on Tuesday to take on the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds are coming off a three game sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals. After leaving Cincinnati, Atlanta will travel out east and visit the big monster, as the Braves and Red Sox will square off in Fenway Park.

20. Florida Marlins (31-33) – Florida got a big day from outfielder Cody Ross, where he homered and doubled twice to lead them to a win on Saturday. The Marlins have won the first two games of a weekend series North of the border against the Blue Jays. Florida is just 5.5 games out of first place in the National League East, trying to find their way back to .500. Florida comes in at # 20, just below divisional foe Atlanta. The Marlins star Hanley Ramirez leads the team in batting with a .328 batting average, while Dan Uggla has provided 11 homeruns for the Fish. Josh Johnson leads the starting pitching staff with 5 wins and a 2.73 earned run average. Closer Matt Lindstrom has saved 12 of 14 games for Florida this season. The Marlins will continue their road trip on Tuesday when they take on the Boston Red Sox. After the three game series, the Marlins schedule does not get any easier as they come back to Miami and take on the New York Yankees.

21. San Diego Padres (28-33) – The Padres will look to avoid a three game sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. San Diego slides on spot from # 20 to # 21 over the week. The Padres are 13 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West, fourth place. San Diego is getting little or no offense behind slugger Adrian  Gonzalez, who leads the team in batting average (.268), homeruns (22), runs batted in (43) and runs scored (43). The Padres found out this past week that staff ace Jake Peavy would be sidelined until at least the All Star Break with a strained tendon in his right ankle. San Diego will come home to start two consecutive series against AL West foes. The Seattle Mariners come to town for games Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, followed by the Oakland Athletics on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

22. Pittsburgh Pirates (29-32) – After losing 3-1 on Friday night, the young Pittsburgh Pirates were able to pick up a win over Detroit to even the series. Sunday will be the final game of the three game series against the AL Central leading Tigers. Pittsburgh remains # 22 in the power rankings. The Pirates are just  five games behind division leading Milwaukee coming into Sunday’s action. Pittsburgh is led in hitting by Freddie Sanchez and his .311 batting average. The Pirates traded their top power hitting, Nate McLouth, who led the team with 9 homeruns and 34 runs batted in. Zach Duke has done an excellent job becoming a staff ace for the Pirates with his 7-4 record and 3.14 earned run average. The Pirates will head out on the road, starting Tuesday in Minnesota, and then head west to take on the Colorado Rockies over the weekend.

23. Chicago White Sox (29-34) – The White Sox picked up a big 7-1 win on Saturday, after falling in the series opener to Milwaukee. Chicago is still playing without Carlos Quentin, who is on the disabled list with a left foot injury. Chicago moves down two spots from # 21 to # 23 to make room for Colorado and Pittsburgh.  The White Sox will continue their long road trip on Tuesday, playing in the Windy City Classic, against the Chicago Cubs. Over the weekend, the White Sox will head to Ohio to play the Reds in a three game series.

24. Houston Astros (28-32) – The Astros will look to take two of three against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, after winning two of three at home from the Chicago Cubs. The Astros, with their recent stretch of hot play have moved to 28-32 overall, and just 4.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Houston slides up one spot from # 25 to # 24. The Astros got two milestones on Saturday as Lance Berkman picked up his 300^th career homerun and Miguel Tejada garnered his 2,000^th career hit. The Astros will face a stiff test on Tuesday when they play in Arlington against the Texas Rangers, for a three game series. Over the weekend, Houston will play a three game series at Minnesota.

25. Oakland Athletics (27-34) – The Athletics are looking to avoid a three game sweep at the hands of Bay Area rival San Francisco on Sunday. Oakland falls one spot from last weeks’ # 24 to this weeks’ # 25. Oakland has fallen to eight games back of the Texas Rangers in the American League West. Oakland’s schedule will not get easier this week as they head to Los Angeles on Tuesday to face the Dodgers, who have the best record in all of baseball. Over the weekend, the Athletics will play at San Diego.

26. Cleveland Indians (28-36) – As winners of six of their last ten games, the Cleveland Indians made a one team jump from # 27 to # 26. Cleveland, at 28-36 comes into Sunday’s action just 7 games back of the divisional leading Detroit Tigers. The Indians will look to get better production from staff ace Cliff Lee. Lee is 3-6 with a 3.17 earned run average on the season. Lee will get an opportunity to improve on those numbers Sunday night when he takes on Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals. Cleveland and St. Louis have both won one of the first two games in the series. After the Cardinals leave town the Indians will welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to town for games Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. After taking Thursday off, the Indians will play a weekend series at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.

27. Arizona Diamondbacks (27-36) – After losing two of three to the San Francisco Giants, the Diamondbacks will look to win two of three with Houston on Sunday. Arizona slides in at # 27, after coming in at # 29 last week. The Diamondbacks are 14 games behind the front running Los Angeles Dodgers, with San Francisco, Colorado and San Diego in between. The Diamondbacks have gotten five wins out of the bullpen from Tony Pena, along with 2 losses, and a 2.86 earned run average. Justin Upton leads the team in batting average with a .310 clip, while Mark Reynolds leads in homeruns (16), runs batted in (44), runs scored (41) and stolen bases (13). The Diamondbacks will head on the road Monday, during their off day with stops in Kansas City on Tuesday, and Seattle on Friday.

28. Kansas City Royals (27-34) – The Royals will look to complete a three game sweep over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Before the Reds came to town, the Royals had lost seven of their last night games. With that play, Kansas City drops two spots from # 26 to # 28. The Royals lost centerfielder Coco Crisp to the disabled list recently with a sore right shoulder. Crisp was leading the team in runs scored and stolen bases. After playing the final game with the Reds on Sunday, Kansas City will stay at home and play consecutive series’ with Arizona and St. Louis, after taking Monday off.

29. Baltimore Orioles (26-36) – Baltimore, trying to stay afloat in the rugged American League East will look to take two of three from Atlanta on Sunday. The Orioles fall one spot from # 28 to # 29, as the Arizona Diamonbacks jump ahead. Baltimore is 11 games back in the AL East, trailing the Red Sox. New York is just eight games ahead of the Orioles, while Toronto and Tampa Bay are six games ahead. Brian Bass leads the pitching staff in wins with 4, and has a nice 3.51 earned run average. Bass, pitching out of the bullpen picked up Saturday’s win, pitching 3 scoreless innings. The Orioles, after finishing the series with Atlanta will welcome the Mets to town on Tuesday, and then travel to Philadelphia over the weekend.

30. Washington Nationals (16-44) - The Nationals made the front pages by selecting Stephen Strasburg as the first pick in the 2009 MLB draft. Now the Nationals are looking to sign Strasburg, which may not be an easy feat. Now the reports are that the Nationals will fire manager Manny Acta, and go with long time MLB man Jim Riggleman. Washington continues to remain at the bottom of the 30 team power rankings, with their 16-44 record. That record puts the Nationals in fifth place in the National League East, 19 games behind front running Philadelphia. Washington will finish their three game series at Tampa Bay on Sunday, before heading to New York to take on the Yankees Tuesday, Wednesday and  Thursday. Over the weekend, Washington will host the Toronto Blue Jays for a three game series.

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*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 6/8/2009
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 6/15/2009)

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (39-20) – The Dodgers continue to sit comfortably atop the power rankings with their 39-20 record, and 8.5 game cushion over the Giants. Los Angeles just finished a four game week-end split with the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies. Los Angeles has gotten quality offense from Manny Ramirez’ replacement Juan Pierre. Pierre is leading the team in batting with a .360 mark. Chad Billingsley is one game behind Jason Marquis for the top spot in the NL in wins, with 7. The Dodgers will host the San Diego Padres for a brief two game set, before taking Thursday off, and playing a weekend set in the Lone Star state against the AL West leading Texas Rangers.

2. Philadelphia Phillies (33-22) – The Phillies make a five team climb to the # 2 position, despite just winning two of four in Los Angeles. Closer Brad Lidge continued to struggle in Dodger Stadium, the place has been a nightmare for the closer, as he is 0-3 with a 7.27 earned run average, blowing 6 saves in 19 tries. The Phillies enjoy a three game lead of the pesky and banged up New York Mets. The Phillies will have the chance to add some more cushion between them and the Mets this week, as they head to the new Citi Field for a three game set. After the Phillies leave Flushing, they will head back home and face the Boston Red Sox in a three game week-end set.

3. New York Yankees (33-23) – After getting postponed on Friday night, the Yankees split two games with the Tampa Bay Rays, with the final game set for Monday evening. The Yankees remain at # 3 in the power rankings, despite their American League best 33-23 record. The Yankees hold a slim one game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East. New York and Boston will play a three game set, starting on Tuesday in Boston. The Red Sox have beaten the Yankees five straight to start the 2009 rivalry. After the Yankees leave Boston, things will not get easier, as they come home to take on their city rival, the Mets in a three game set.

4. Texas Rangers (33-23) – The Rangers took two of three in Boston, and still fell two spots from # 2 to # 4. It was more about the play of Philadelphia and New York then it was about the Rangers. Texas leads the American League West with their 33-23 record,  by 4.5  games of the Los Angeles Angels. Texas confirmed bad news on Sunday, finding out outfielder Josh Hamilton will not return until most likely after the All Star break with the right abdominal injury. Scott Feldman and Kevin Millwood continue to pitch well for the Rangers, both with five wins, while Millwood has a team best earned run average of 2.96. Texas will start a four game series at home on Monday with the Toronto Blue Jays, and then stay home and take on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend.

5. Milwaukee Brewers (33-24) – The Brewers used a nice weekend, winning two of three over Atlanta to surge to a 2.5 game lead in the National League Central. The Brewers remain at # 5 this week, the same spot they residing in last week. Milwaukee has used a 21-10 record against Central Division foes to assist in the first place lead. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder continue to make their case for the All Star Game, as Braun leads the team with a .310 batting average, and Fielder has hit 15 homeruns and drove in 54 runs. Yovani Gallardo leads the team with six wins, and a 2.84 earned run average. The Brewers will start a home stand on Tuesday in which they will host the red hot Colorado Rockies for three, followed by the Chicago White Sox over the weekend.

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6. Boston Red Sox (33-24) – The Red Sox continue to keep pace with the front running New York Yankees. Boston trails by just a game in the American League East race. If the playoffs started today, the Red Sox would play at Texas, as the wildcard representative. Kevin Youkilis is tearing the cover off the baseball for Boston, hitting a team best .349, while Jason Bay is proving his worth with 16 homeruns and 55 runs batted in. The Red Sox will host their rival New York Yankees, starting on Tuesday. The Red Sox have won the first five games they have played against New York this season. Over the weekend, Boston will take on the Philadelphia Phillies, in Philadelphia. Boston remains # 6 in the power rankings.

7. New York Mets (30-25) – The Mets have jumped one position from last weeks # 8 to # 7 this week. New York has survived a plethora of injuries, with the most damage from shortstop Jose Reyes and set up man J.J. Putz. Putz is expected to miss action until possibly August. The Mets trail the Phillies by three games in the National League East. New York will get their chance to gain ground this week, as they host the Phillies for a three game set starting on Tuesday. The Mets will then travel across town for the Subway Series against the Yankees starting on Friday.

8. Detroit Tigers (30-25) – The Tigers struggles against the American League East continued, falling to 4-14 on the season. Luckily for Detroit, their 14-4 record against the West has spurred them to their 3.5 game lead in the AL Central. Minnesota is 3.5 games back, followed by Chicago (4.5), Kansas City (6.5), and Cleveland (7). Miguel Cabrera continues to swing a hot bat for Detroit, with his team leading .352 batting average. The Tigers move up one spot from # 9 last week, to # 8 this week. Detroit will play a five game series at Chicago, starting Monday, with a doubleheader, and continuing through Thursday. After leaving Chicago, the Tigers will head east to Pittsburgh and take on the Pirates.

9. Toronto Blue Jays (32-27) – After a stretch of their worst play of the season, the Blue Jays have regained form and won six of their last ten games. The Blue Jays were able to move up one spot from last week, jumping from # 10 to # 9. The Blue Jays ace pitcher Roy Halladay became the first to win 10 games, improving his earned run average to 2.52 on Sunday.  The Blue Jays are in third place in the American League East, trailing both the Yankees and the Red Sox. The difference between New York and Toronto is currently just 2.5 games. The Blue Jays will head to Arlington on Tuesday and take on the West leading Texas Rangers. Following that series, Toronto will head back north of the border and take on the Florida Marlins for a weekend series.

10. St. Louis Cardinals (31-26) – The Cardinals took a nose dive this week, falling six spots, all the way down to # 10, from last weeks post at # 4. With their four game sweep at the hands of the Colorado Rockies, and their 2-6 home stand, St. Louis drops to 2.5 games out of first place, just one full game ahead of third place Chicago. The Cardinals bats have fallen silent, scoring just 12 runs in their last five games. Chris Carpenter, along with Albert Pujols have seemingly been the teams lone bright spots. Carpenter is 4-0 on the season with a robust 0.71 earned run average. Carpenter will look for win # 5 Tuesday in Miami. Pujols continues to lead the offense, with his .333 batting average, his 18 homeruns and 51 runs batted in. Albert also leads the team in runs scored with 44 and stolen bases with 7. The Cardinals will play a three game set in Miami, starting on Tuesday, and then travel to Cleveland over the weekend.

11. Chicago Cubs (28-26) – The Chicago Cubs have surged to 3.5 games back, now in third place in the National League Central. Chicago needed extra innings in both their two wins over the Reds on the weekend. Chicago also got good news from their minor leagues as Rich Harden pitched four plus innings in Triple A Iowa. Harden was placed on the disabled list on May 18^th with a mid back strain. Chicago does not have a regular batting over .300, as Ryan Theriot leads the team with a .291 batting average. The Cubs move up one position from # 12 to # 11 this week. Chicago will travel to Houston on Tuesday, and then host the American League Central’s Minnesota Twins over the weekend.

12. San Francisco Giants (29-26) – The Giants move up two spots from # 14 to # 12, aided by their 18-9 record at home. San Francisco is still 8.5 games behind division leading Los Angeles, but are making a case to be considered for the wildcard. Tim Lincecum picked up his fifth straight win on Sunday, and  youngster Pablo Sandoval continues to hit well. Bengie Molina leads the team in both homeruns (8) and runs batted in (34). The Giants start a three game series in Phoenix on Tuesday, and then will come home to play their bay rival, the Oakland Athletics on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

13. Cincinnati Reds (29-27) – The Reds have won just three of their last ten games, and with that mark, have dropped two positions, down from # 11 to # 13. The Reds, despite recent struggles are just 3.5 games out of first, tied with Chicago in third place in the National League Central. Joey Votto continues to reside on the disabled list with stress related issue, while starting pitcher Edison Volquez is out with right elbow tendonitis. Jay Bruce is struggling for the Reds, just three hits in his last 34 at bats. The Reds hope to get back on track on Tuesday, when they play at Washington in the start of a three game set. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the Reds will be playing at Kansas City.

14. Los Angeles Angels (28-27) – After starting the series with Detroit out right; winning 2-1, the Angels fell in the next two games. Los Angeles is now 4.5 games out of first place in the American League West, just a game ahead of third place Seattle. The Angels drop one position from # 13 to # 14 in the power rankings. Los Angeles will start a three game series in Tampa Bay on Tuesday, followed by a home series with the San Diego Padres, starting on Friday.

15. Tampa Bay Rays (29-29) – Tampa makes a two team jump, from # 17 to # 15. The Rays were postponed in their first game with the New York Yankees, and split the next two. The final game of the four game set is scheduled for Monday at the new Yankee Stadium. Tampa Bay, right at .500 is in fourth place in the American League East, five games behind the Yankees for first place. Jason Bartlett leads the team in batting, but is currently on the disabled list with a sprained left ankle. He is set to return by the weekend. After finishing the series in New York on Monday, the Rays will head home to host the Angels and Nationals in back to back series’.

16. Atlanta Braves (27-28) – At 27-28, the Atlanta Braves continue to reside in the middle of the pack. The current on the field play has not been the discussion for Braves fans lately. Atlanta elected to release Tom Glavine this week, and also traded for All Star outfielder Nate McLouth. The Braves trail the Phillies by just six games in the NL East, good enough for third place. Atlanta will start a four game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, at home, and then head out on the road to Baltimore for the weekend.

17. Seattle Mariners (28-29) – The Mariners made a surge this week, jumping three spots from # 20 to # 17, sweeping Baltimore, and taking two of three from Minnesota. The Mariners are now just one game under .500, and five games back, in third place in the American League West. Seattle has continued to get solid offensive numbers from Ichiro Suzuki, who leads the team with his .356 batting average. Russell Branyan leads in homeruns with 13, and also in runs scored with 33. Seattle will take on Baltimore again this week, this time on the road Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Mariners will then head to Colorado and take on the Rockies over the weekend.

18. Minnesota Twins (28-30) – The Twins took the first of a three game set with Seattle over the weekend, but dropped the next two. The Twins are two games under .500, but just 3.5 games out of first place. Minnesota moves up one spot from # 19 to # 18 this week. Justin Morneau continues to pace the team in all offensive numbers with a .329 batting average, 15 homeruns, 52 runs batted in, and 44 runs scored. Kevin Slowey continues to lead the pitching staff, as he has won eight games already this series. Minnesota will remain out west and start a four game set in Oakland on Monday, before heading to Wrigley Field for the weekend to take on the Cubs.

19. Florida Marlins (27-31) – Florida improves two spots, despite losing two of the first three to the San Francisco Giants. Florida and San Francisco will conclude their four game set Monday. Last week the Marlins were # 21, this week they have improved to # 19. Hanley Ramirez leads the team in batting, with a .330 clip, and 36 runs scored. Jorge Cantu leads with 42 runs batted in, while Dan Uggla has pounded 11 balls over the wall. The Marlins are 7.5 games behind the division leading Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. Florida will host the St. Louis Cardinals for a three game set starting Tuesday, and then head north of the border to take on the Toronto Blue Jays for a three game weekend set.

20. San Diego Padres (26-30) – The Padres have cooled off after their major league leading win streak earlier in the season. San Diego has dropped two of the first three to Arizona, with the wrap around game set for Monday. The Padres have not only dropped five spots from # 15 to # 20, they have also fell to 11.5 games behind the Dodgers, third place in the National League West. Adrian Gonzalez continues to make his case for an appearance in St. Louis for the All Star Game, leading the team with 22 homeruns and 43 runs batted in.  The Padres will start a brief two game series in Los Angeles on Tuesday with the Dodgers, take a day off Thursday, before playing the Angels in LA over the weekend.

21. Chicago White Sox (26-30) – The White Sox took a nose dive, losing two of three to Cleveland over the weekend to drop to four games under .500. The White Sox are in third place in the American League Central, trailing Detroit by 4.5 games. Chicago fell three spots from # 18 to # 21. Paul Konerko leads the team in batting, albeit under .300, with a a .296 mark. The White Sox will start a five game series at home on Monday, including a doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers. This series will give Chicago an opportunity to climb back into the AL Central race. After the Tigers leave town the Sox will head north to take on the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

22. Pittsburgh Pirates (26-30) – After trading outfielder Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh ownership has been under the gun, and questioned on their desire to win. Pittsburgh has had 16 straight losing seasons, and the trade of the 27 year old All Star and Gold Glove winner was unexpected. Pittsburgh are in fifth place  National League Central with the Houston Astros, 6.5 behind front running Milwaukee. The Pirates were able to move up two spots from # 24 to # 22. Pittsburgh and the Atlanta Braves will play a four game series, starting Monday in Atlanta. After leaving Atlanta, the Pirates will host the Detroit Tigers for three games over the weekend.

23.  Colorado Rockies (24-32) – Colorado has won five straight games, including four in a row in St. Louis. Rockies pitching was dynamite in the sweep over the Cardinals, allowing just 9 runs in four games. The Rockies are now 7-3 under new manager Jim Tracy, which allows them to move up four spots from # 27 to # 23. Colorado’s Brad Hawpe is batting .337 on the season with 43 runs batted in; both team leading. Ian Stewart is providing the power in the offense with 11 homeruns, and Jason Marquis leads the entire National League in wins; with 8. The Rockies will continue on the road on Tuesday, when they visit Miller Park, and take on the Brewers. Colorado will be home over the weekend, and host the Seattle Mariners.

24. Oakland Athletics (25-30) – The Oakland Athletics have suddenly become one of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball. Oakland picked up their sixth straight win on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Baltimore. Vin Mazzaro made his second major league start on Sunday allowing just five hits in 7.1 innings of work. Oakland, with their hot play move up five spots from # 29 to # 24. Oakland has moved to within 7 games of front running Texas, just two games behind third place Seattle and 2.5 behind second place Los Angeles. The Athletics will look to move their streak to six Monday when they host the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota will play three more on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, before the Athletics head across the bay to San Francisco for a three game series.

25. Houston Astros (25-30) – The Astros, one day before the 2009 MLB draft have some important decisions to make. It appears they will not be able to compete for a divisional title in 2009, as they trail the Brewers by seven games, in sixth place in the National League Central. Now Houston has to figure out who will remain in future plans. Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Miguel Tejada and Carlos Lee are all aging veterans that could be shipped off before the July trade deadline. Houston was almost to make a three team jump this week, sliding up from # 28 to # 25. The Astros will host the Chicago Cubs for a three game series starting on Tuesday, and then head on the road for the only non inter league series over the weekend, with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

26. Kansas City Royals (24-32) – The Royals have continued to struggle, after their impressive month of May. Kansas City falls four more spots from # 22 last week, to # 26 this week. Even starting pitcher Zack Greinke was banged up over the week, lasting just five innings in a  9-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Greinke is 8-2 with a 1.55 earned run average on the season. The Royals are just ½ game ahead of Cleveland for fourth place in the American League Central, trailing the front running Detroit Tigers by 6.5 games. The Royals and Indians will meet up for a three game series starting Tuesday, and then Kansas City will host the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend.

27. Cleveland Indians (25-34) – The Indians took two of three over the weekend in Chicago, but fell one position from # 26 to # 27. Cleveland continues to reside at the bottom of the American League Central standings, but now only ½ game behind the Kansas City Royals, and 2.5 behind Chicago. The Indians are still seeing great productivity from catcher Victor Martinez. Martinez is leading the team in batting average (.344), homeruns (10) and runs batted in (41). The Indians will host the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, before welcoming the St. Louis Cardinals into town on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

28. Baltimore Orioles (24-33) – Baltimore makes the biggest fall of the week, dropping seven spots from # 21 to # 28. The Orioles have lost five straight and seven out of their last ten. The Oakland Athletics pulled off a three game sweep over Baltimore over the weekend. Baltimore is a divisional worst 8-20 on the road in 2009. Highly touted rookie Matt Wieters has gotten off to a slow start, hitting just .143 on the season, with just two extra base hits. Jeremy Guthrie continues to lead the pitching staff in wins, with four on the season. Baltimore trails the New York Yankees by ten full games in the American League East standings. The Orioles will enjoy a home stand starting on Tuesday when the Seattle Mariners come to town. After Seattle leaves town the Orioles will welcome the Atlanta Braves to town for a three game series.

29. Arizona Diamondbacks (25-32) – Despite winning two of the first three games at San Diego, the Diamondbacks dropped four spots from # 25 to # 29. Arizona and San Diego will complete their four game series on Monday. Justin Upton leads the team in hitting with a .320 average, while Mark Reynolds is providing the power, with 14 homeruns, 36 runs batted in and 37 runs scored. The Diamondbacks are just ahead of Colorado, in fourth place in the National League West. Arizona trails Los Angeles by 13 games. The Diamondbacks will start a home stand on Tuesday when the San Francisco Giants come to town. Following the Giants will be the Houston Astros for games Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

30. Washington Nationals (15-40) – As the Major League Baseball draft approaches, the Washington Nationals continue to make their case to sign top prospect Stephen Strasburg. The conversation over Strasburg is dominating headlines in the nation’s capital, as the 15-40 Nationals continue to fall further and further back in the standings. Washington trails first place Philadelphia by a MLB high 18 games, just 55 games into the season. The Nationals salvaged a 7-1 win over the Mets on Saturday behind a Nick Johnson homerun. The Nationals will host the Cincinnati Reds for a three game series, starting on Tuesday, before heading South the take on the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend.

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*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 6/1/2009
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 6/8/2009)

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (34-17) – The Dodgers remain the top team, despite falling in two straight games to the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers lead the National League West by 8.5 games over the Giants and 9.0 over the Padres. This is the fourth straight week the Dodgers have been in the #1 position. Orlando Hudson continues to spark the Dodger lineup, with his .335 batting average. Despite losing in a 2-1 ball game on Friday, Chad Billingsley continues to lead the pitching staff with 6 wins, and a 2.80 era. The Dodgers will finish their series in Chicago on Sunday night, before heading back home to take on the Diamondbacks for three and the Phillies for four.

2. Texas Rangers (30-19) – The Rangers have made a six team jump and became the second team to 30 wins. Texas moves up from # 8 last week, to # 2 this week. Texas has won three straight, and four of their last five. The Rangers sit with a 5.5 game lead over the Angels within the American League West. Texas is once again without top hitting star Josh Hamilton, with a reoccurring groin problem. The Rangers have been led offensively by Michael Young, and his .332 batting average. The Rangers hope to continue getting excellent pitching from veteran Kevin Millwood. Millwood leads the team in innings pitched, with 72, with a 4-4 record and a 3.25 era. The Rangers will take Monday off, and then play back to back series in New York and Boston.

3. New York Yankees (29-20) – The Yankees have found their way to the top of the American League East Division. New York makes a six team jump from # 9 to # 3. After beating the Rangers two out of three, New York has won the first two against the Cleveland Indians. On Saturday C.C. Sabathia picked up his fifth win of the season, first against his former team – Cleveland Indians. Robinson Cano has continued his hot start, leading the team in batting with a .320 average. The Indians will finish the four game series with Cleveland on Monday, and then come home to host the Texas Rangers and divisional rival Tampa Bay Rays. 

4. St. Louis Cardinals (29-20) – The Cardinals took two of three on the road at Miller Park to put themselves back at the top of the National League Central. The Cardinals are currently tied with the Brewers, with identical 29-20 records. The lone loss in the series was a 1-0 defeat in 10 innings, in which staff ace Chris Carpenter went eight innings, allowing just one hit. St. Louis drops one spot from # 3 to # 4. Albert Pujols hit two homeruns on Saturday night for # 14 and # 15 on the season. The Cardinals offense got good news when Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick both came back from the disabled list. St. Louis will finish the road trip in San Francisco on Sunday, and then come home for eight straight against Cincinnati and Colorado.

5. Milwaukee Brewers (29-20) – The Brewers fall three spots from #2 to #5 after losing two of three at home to St. Louis. Since then, Milwaukee has won two straight over Cincinnati and will look for the sweep Sunday. Milwaukee will be without shortstop Rickie Weeks for the rest of the season with a left wrist injury. Ryan Braun leads Milwaukee in batting average (.318), runs scored (33), and stolen bases (8). Prince Fielder has hit 12 homeruns and drove in 48 runs for the Brewers. Milwaukee will start a seven game road trip on Monday with four at Florida, followed by three over the weekend at Atlanta.

6. Boston Red Sox (28-22) – The Red Sox look to avoid a three game sweep at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Losers of two straight games, the Red Sox are 4-6 in their last ten games. Boston is 17-6 when playing at home, and 11-16 when playing on the road. Kevin Youkilis leads the Red Sox in batting with a .362 mark, while Jason Bay is providing the power with 14 homeruns and 48 rbi’s. Tim Wakefield is 6-3 with a 4.55 era, leading the team in wins. After finishing the series with Toronto on Sunday, the Red Sox will play three at Detroit, starting Tuesday, and then host the Texas Rangers over the weekend.

7. Philadelphia Phillies (27-20) – The Phillies have won two straight games, both over Washington. On Sunday, the Phillies and Nationals will finish their three game set. Raul Ibanez continues to spray the baseball all over the field, with his team leading .333 batting average, along with 17 homeruns, 49 runs batted in, and 39 runs scored. Brett Myers will miss the remainder of the season with a torn labrum in his right hip. The Phillies will start a road trip on Monday at San Diego, followed by a four game set on Thursday at the Dodgers.

8. New York Mets (27-21) – The Mets, despite not being able to remain health continue to win games. The Mets have won three of their last four, despite falling on Saturday night to Florida. The Mets move up two spots from # 10 to # 8. New York currently lists Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Ryan Church and Alex Cora on the disabled list, while Carlos Beltran has missed recent action with a stomach virus. The Mets will start a four game series at Pittsburgh on Monday, before taking on the Nationals again, this time at home over the weekend.

9. Detroit Tigers (27-21) – Detroit has feasted off  the American League West, winning 12 of 15 games against teams from the West. The Tigers lead the American League Central by four games over the Chicago White Sox, and 4.5 over Minnesota and Kansas City. Detroit is 15-7 when playing at home in 2009, while winning just 12 of 26 on the road. The Tigers are led by Miguel Cabrera with his .355 batting average, and 37 runs batted in. The pitching has been led by 20 year old Rick Porcello, who is 6-3 with a 3.48 era. Porcello has won five straight games, allowing just five runs in five games. The Tigers will finish their weekend series on Sunday against Baltimore, and then come home and host the Red Sox and the Angels.

10. Toronto Blue Jays (29-23) – Toronto snapped their nine game losing streak on Friday picking up a win over divisional foe Boston. They repeated that on Saturday with yet another win, placing them back into a second place tie with the Red Sox. Despite a couple wins, the nine game losing streak caused Toronto to fall five spots from # 5 to # 10. Aaron Hill leads Toronto in batting average, with a .338 average, and also homeruns, with 12. Roy Halladay continues to shine, leading the starting pitching staff. Halladay is 8-1 with a 2.63 era. Toronto will continue their home stand on  Tuesday when the Los Angeles Angels come to town for a three game series, followed by a weekend set with the Kansas City Royals.

11. Cincinnati Reds (26-22) – The Reds were able to climb within 1.5 games of both St. Louis and Milwaukee, but have fallen back after losing two straight to Milwaukee. The Reds will attempt to avoid a three game sweep at the hands of the Brewers Sunday. Following the series with the Brewers, the Reds will travel to St. Louis and take on the Cardinals. Cincinnati makes a one team jump, up from # 12 to # 11. The Reds are led in batting by Ramon Hernandez, with a .291 batting average, while Jay Bruce leads the team with 14 homeruns, and Brandon Phillips has drove in 35 runs. Bronson Arroyo leads the Reds starting staff with 7 wins, while Johnny Cueto has a miniscule 2.53 earned run average.

12. Chicago Cubs (25-23) – After the rough stretch, that saw the Cubs fall under .500, the Cubs have now won two straight over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs will look to win their third straight over LA on Sunday night. Chicago has moved up four positions from # 16 to # 12. With their recent good play the Cubs have moved to within 3.5 games of both the Brewers and the Cardinals in the National League Central. Chicago has had a rough time offensively, Kosuke Fukudome leads the Cubs in batting with a .311 mark, while Alfonso Soriano leads in homeruns (12), runs batted in (25) and runs scored (36). The Cubs will start a three game series at Atlanta on Tuesday, followed by a series at Cincinnati on Friday.

13. Los Angeles Angels (24-24) – The Angels have lost two straight, and won just five of their last ten. Los Angeles has lost ground on the front running Rangers, falling to 5.5 games behind, still in second place. The Angels have fallen from # 11 to # 13. The Angels are 13-12 at home, and 11-12 on the road. Torii Hunter leads the Angels in most offensive categories with a .314 batting average, 11 homeruns, 40 runs batted in and 36 runs scored. Joe Saunders leads the Angels in wins with 6, as he has lost 3 games, and has a 3.26 earned run average. The Angels will start a road trip on Tuesday at Toronto, and then head to Detroit for a three game series.

14. San Francisco Giants (24-24) – At 24-24, the Giants have moved up six spots from # 20 to # 14. The Giants have not found a lot of offense, but with Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Randy Johnson leading the starting staff, defense has been the name of the game. Pablo Sandoval has been a pleasant surprise for San Francisco, batting .303 to this point in the season. At .500, the Giants sit in second place in the National League West, just ½ game ahead of the San Diego Padres, but trail the Dodgers by 8.5 games. After finishing the three game series with St. Louis on Sunday, the Giants will head east and start a three game series at Washington, followed by weekend series at Florida.

15. San Diego Padres (24-25) – The Padres remain at #15, after losing the first two games at Colorado. San Diego is in third place in the National League West, nine games behind Los Angeles. Adrian Gonzalez has carried the load offensively for the Padres, batting .282 with 19 homeruns, 37 runs batted in, and 36 runs scored. Jake Peavy leads the team in wins with five, but also has five losses. Heath Bell has been as close to a lights out closer as you can find during the first two months of the season, saving 14 of 15 games. The Padres will close out their series with the Rockies on Sunday, and then head home to take on the Phillies and Diamondbacks for three game series’, with Thursday as an off-day.

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16. Atlanta Braves (24-25) – The Braves have lost two of the first three in Arizona, and will look to split the series on Sunday. Atlanta falls three positions from # 13 to # 16, after getting beat around on the road to the Giants. The Braves are in third place in the National League East, trailing Philadelphia by 4.5 games. Chipper Jones has climbed back to above .300, and leads the team with a .303 batting average. Power has been a problem for the Braves, as Yunel Escobar leads the Braves with just five homeruns on the season. After finishing the four game series with Arizona on Sunday, the Braves will host the Chicago Cubs, on Tuesday, and then the Milwaukee Brewers for a three game home series on Friday.

17. Tampa Bay Rays (25-27) – The Rays move down three positions from # 14 to # 17, losing six of their last ten games. The Rays are in fourth place in the American League East, trailing the Yankees by 5.5 games. Tampa’s top offensive player thus far was placed on the disabled list this week, in Jason Bartlett. Bartlett leads the team with a .373 batting average, and now has a sprained left ankle. Carlos Pena leads the team in homeruns with 16, while Evan Longoria leads the American League with 55 runs batted in. The Rays, after finishing their series with the Twins on Sunday, will host the Royals for three, followed by a trip to New York over the weekend.

18. Chicago White Sox (23-25) -The White Sox have remained in the American League Central race with their 23-25 mark. Chicago picked up two straight wins this weekend at Kansas City, and will look for the three game sweep on Sunday. The White Sox moved up three positions from # 21 to # 18 with their recent good play. Paul Konerko leads the White Sox in batting with a .316 batting average, while Jermaine Dye leads in homeruns (13), runs batted in (33) and runs scored (32). Mark Buehrle leads the starting staff with six wins, to go along with just one loss, and a 2.71 earned run average. The White Sox will host the Oakland Athletics for a four game series starting on Monday, followed by welcoming the Cleveland Indians to town for a weekend series.

19. Minnesota Twins (24-27) – The Minnesota Twins have got to find a way to win on the road, losing 16 of 21 games. Luckily for Minnesota their 19-11 home record has allowed them to stay in the American League Central race. The Twins are tied with Kansas City for third place, trailing the Tigers by 4.5 games. Minnesota fell one spot from #18 to # 19. The Twins announced this week that Francisco Liriano will remain in the starting rotation, despite his 2-7 start. Kevin Slowey has been the ace of the pitching staff, with a 7-1 record and 4.11 earned run average. Slowey has struck out 44 batters and walked just 5 on the season. The Twins will finish their three game series at Tampa Bay on Sunday, and then come home to start a three game home stand on Tuesday with Cleveland. The Twins will invade Seattle for a three game series over the weekend.

20. Seattle Mariners (24-26) – The Mariners have won three games in a row, with the final two coming over divisional opponent Los Angeles. The Mariners will look to sweep the three game series on Sunday, and then come home to host the Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Twins, with Thursday as an off-day. The Mariners, despite winning three straight moved down one spot from # 20 to # 19. Ichiro Suzuki has heated up and leads the team with a .342 batting average, while Russell Branyan provides the power in the middle of the lineup with 11 homeruns. Felix Hernandez leads the team with five wins, and a 3.41 earned run average.

21. Baltimore Orioles (23-27) – The Orioles picked up the first game in a three game set against the Detroit Tigers, falling on Saturday. Baltimore with their recent hot play have moved up five positions from # 26 to # 21. The Orioles have creeped to within one game of fourth place Tampa Bay, now just 6.5 games behind first place New York. Adam Jones leads Baltimore in batting with a .350 mark, while Luke Scott and Adam Markakis have provided the power with 11 homeruns for Scott and 40 runs batted in for Markakis. Baltimore will now head west for six straight, starting with a three game set at Seattle on Monday, followed by a weekend series at Oakland on Friday.

22. Kansas City Royals (23-26) – After the red-hot start, the Kansas City Royals have fallen to three games under .500, at 23-26. With their recent poor play, the Royals drop five spots from # 17 to # 22. The Royals are in fourth place, tied with Minnesota, 4.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers. Alberto Callaspo leads the team in batting with a .307 mark, while Mike Jacobs is providing the power, with nine homeruns and 25 runs batted in. Zack Greinke’s numbers continue to provide headlines for Kansas City, as he is 8-1 with a 0.84 era, striking out 81 batters, while walking just 12 on the season. Greinke’s lone loss was on May 9^th, where he pitched 8 innings and lost 1-0 to the Angels. The Royals and White Sox will conclude their series on Sunday, and then will head to Tampa Bay for a series starting on Tuesday, and at Toronto on Friday. 

23. Florida Marlins (23-27) – At 23-27, the Florida Marlins come in 23^rd in the power rankings, which is one spot below where they sat last week – # 22. The Marlins are led by Hanley Ramirez, and his .320 batting average. Dan Uggla leads in homeruns with 9, while Jorge Cantu has driven in 37 runs. Josh Johnson leads the team in wins, with four, 4-1 on the season. Johnson has struck out 64 batters, while walking just 18 on the season. Florida is in fourth place in the National League East, trailing the Phillies by 5.5 games. The Marlins will start a seven game home stand on Monday when the Milwaukee Brewers come to town for a four game series. Over the weekend, the Marlins will host the San Francisco Giants.

25. Arizona Diamondbacks (22-28) – Eric Byrnes picked up a game winning hit on Saturday to lead the Diamondbacks to a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. Arizona will attempt to win the series on Sunday. The Diamondbacks are in fourth place in the National League West, trailing the Dodgers by 11.5 games. Justin Upton leads the Diamondbacks in batting with a .329 mark. Arizona will start a road trip on Monday, with three against the front running Los Angeles Dodgers. While in California, the Diamondbacks will then play a weekend three game series at the San Diego Padres. Arizona moved down one spot from # 24 to # 25.

26. Cleveland Indians (21-30) – Despite losing two straight games, the Cleveland Indians are 6-4 in their last 10 games. Cleveland has climbed to within 7.5 games of division leading Detroit, despite being in last place. The Indians have made a three team improvement, moving up from # 29 to # 26. Cleveland’s Victor Martinez has cooled down as of late, but he still leads the squad with a .350 batting average. Carl Pavano leads the starting pitching staff with five wins, but he also has four losses and a 5.50 era. The Indians will finish their four game series with the Yankees on Sunday and Monday, and then travel to Minnesota for a three game set, followed by  three at Chicago.

27. Colorado Rockies (20-28) – Colorado fired manager Clint Hurdle and replaced him with former Dodgers and Pirates manager Jim Tracy. Colorado sits in fifth place in the National League West, and 12.5 games behind divisional leader – Los Angeles. Colorado remains at # 27 in the power rankings. Clean-up hitter Garrett Atkins has struggled all season for Colorado, coming into Saturday’s game with a .193 batting average. Brad Hawpe leads the team with a .343 batting average. The Rockies will travel to Houston on Monday to battle the Astros in a four game set, and then play four straight with the St. Louis Cardinals.

28. Houston Astros (19-28) – Houston has struggled as of late, losing eight of their last ten. With that streak, Houston has dropped three spots from # 25 to # 28. The Astros have not found a way to beat Central Division opponents, as they are just 10-21 against divisional opponents. The Astros are 9-15 at home, while 10-13 on the road. Houston is in last place in the National League Central, two games back of fifth place Pittsburgh, and nine games behind Milwaukee and St. Louis. The Astros will host the Colorado Rockies for a four game series starting on Monday, and then host the Pirates over the weekend.

29. Oakland Athletics (18-29) – The Athletics continue to scuffle, and have fallen one more spot from # 28 to # 29. Oakland has lost four straight games and are 3-7 in their last ten games. The Athletics lost two games on Friday to Texas, in a doubleheader, followed by Saturday’s 14-1 drubbing. Oakland is in fourth place in the National League West, 11 games behind the division leading Rangers. Oakland will continue their road trip on Monday when they make a stop in Chicago to take on the White Sox. The Athletics will be back home on Friday to take on the Baltimore Orioles.

30. Washington Nationals (13-35) – Washington continues to remain # 30 in the power rankings. The Nationals have lost five straight games, and 2-8 in their last ten games. Washington took a three game sweep at the hands of the New York Mets, and need a win on Sunday to avoid a sweep against Philadelphia. The Nationals are in fifth place in the National League East, 14.5 games behind front running Philadelphia. Nick Johnson appears to be on the trading block for Washington, despite leading the team in batting average, with a .337 mark. Adam Dunn leads the team in homeruns with 16 and runs batted in with 42. After leaving Philadelphia on Sunday the Nationals will come home to host the Giants for three and the Mets for three.