There is just something special about going under the lights at one of the most famous super speedways in the world while celebrating our nation’s Independence Day. The dream scenario is exactly what will play out this Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. The best drivers in the world will take to the 2.5 mile high banked track at speeds of over 200 miles per hour while racing merely inches a part. Over the past few weeks, NASCAR has been highlighted with a lot of big news with Tony Stewart grabbing his first points win as a driver/owner and rookie Joey Logano becoming the youngest driver in the history of the sport to win with last week’s victory at Loudon, New Hampshire. The big stories are sure to continue this Saturday night as drivers go door to door in restrictor plate style racing that allows cars to run all bunched together at amazingly high speeds. Restrictor plate racing has always been popular among the fans, but the night race at Daytona every July 4th weekend has become one of the most popular sporting events year round in NASCAR. As fans anticipate the upcoming race, major sports books like Betus.com have already released early betting opportunities for one of the bigger races of the year. We break down some of the best betting scenarios to take advantage of before this Saturday night.

Prop Bet #1 – Tony Stewart (-115) vs. Jeff Gordon (-115)

This match-up is fairly interesting considering how both drivers have exceeded expectations thus far in the year. Gordon maintained the points lead after grabbing early victory at Texas this season and has been a consistent front runner the entire season. Stewart has had a huge impact this season taking over what is now Stewart-Haas Racing. Who could have imagined in Stewarts first season taking over the team, he would have an All-Star victory and leading the points. Despite how they have run this season, they are both great drivers on the super speedways. Stewart has two top 10s in his last two trips to Daytona and went through an impressive stretch from 2003-2006 only finishing outside the top 10 once at Daytona International. Gordon has 6 victories to his resume at Daytona including 15 other top 10 finishes. However, Gordon has not done much of anything at Daytona in his fast few attempts, but still remains excellent in restrictor plate racing. When breaking down this Saturday night’s race, there is simply no reason to bet against Tony Stewart for the race much less against Jeff Gordon. Stewart has been on fire lately, winning at Pocono and was the car to beat last week at Loudon before rain shortened the event. Stewart may not get the recognition he deserves for being superb at the super speedways, but he could likely be the best driver at restrictor plate racing outside of Dale Earnhardt Jr. If you would like some extra assurance, Jeff Gordon’s back problems remain a big issue as well. Gordon has been getting weekly treatments to avoid back surgery. Daytona is a very fast track that presents a lot of g-force in the driver’s seat and that could take a toll by race end. Expect Stewart to be the man to beat in the field.

Pick – Tony Stewart -115

Prop Bet #2 – Dale Earnhardt Jr (-115) vs. Carl Edwards (-115)

Dale Earnhardt Jr is NASCAR’s most popular driver, but he has been a part of a lot of criticism throughout the season for under performing. While the Hendrick cars have been impressive all season, the #88 machine has failed to compete. Long time crew chief Tony Eury Jr was replaced and in just few short races Earnhardt has looked a lot better throughout the race. The driver of the #88 ran great at Sonoma before getting wrecked late in the race and also ran very strong at Loudon before the rain hurt his finish. Earnhardt will make his much anticipated return to Daytona this weekend after causing a big wreck in the Daytona 500 that also stirred up a bit of controversy. While Earnhardt has been criticized for not living up to his popularity, his accomplishments on the super speedway are unchallenged. He is a former Daytona 500 winner and has 7 victories combined at Talladega and Daytona which are very similar. Carl Edwards on the other hand is not known at all for his restrictor plate racing. Edwards did make an impressive showing few weeks back at Talladega when he was caught up in that big wreck going for the win in the final quarter mile of the last lap. Edwards’ career poses a surprisingly low 23rd place average finish and the driver of the #99 machine have never won a restrictor plate race. We will side with the numbers here and Earnhardt’s family inherited talent of being perhaps the best driver ever in the draft.

Pick – Earnhardt Jr -115

Prop Bet # 3 – Who will be faster in qualifying?

Jeff Burton (-110) vs. Kevin Harvick (-120)

This particular betting match-up simply considers composes of some repeating factors. Jeff Burton has made a reputation for being a poor qualifier. Whether it is he is not exactly that fast, for one lap or the way the #31 guys setup the car is not known. However, Burton has been nearly bottom of the board with average start position holding at the 22nd position. Kevin Harvick has not been very impressive qualifying this season either holding down a 21st average starting position. The different here is Harvick has been fairly consistent qualifying in the top 15 at Daytona over the past few races. While the teammates continue to face hard times at Richard Childress Racing, we expect Harvick to win this battle hands down.

Pick – Harvick (-120)

Bonus Bet – To Win the Coke Zero 400

Pick – Tony Stewart +700

The college football season will be here in just a few short weeks. One of the main reasons college football is so exciting is because each week team’s can either make or break their season. Predicting Conference and Division Champions can be a difficult task with all the upsets and unexpected events that go into every college football season. Betus.com has released all types of pre-season betting scenarios including all major Conference and Division odds. The betting odds are always most profitable before the year starts and before pre-season rankings are released because many people simply do not know what to expect. We will take a look at some of the best teams to bet on heading into 2009 while taking advantage of these great betting odds.

Future Pick #1 – Odds to win the ACC Atlantic Division

Boston College +3000
Clemson +350
Florida State +125
Maryland +800
North Carolina State +200
Wake Forest +325

The ACC Atlantic Division is up for grabs in most expert’s perception heading into the new season. Clemson, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, and Florida State all have great chances to take down the division. However, we expect one team in particular to be better than predicted. The Florida State Seminoles return a very strong defense heading into 2009. The Seminoles were also the best offense in the ACC a year ago. Quarterback Christian Ponder led the Seminoles to 33 points per game. The Seminoles will be rock solid on both sides of the ball again this season and we expect them to get another division title for the 2nd year in a row. Clemson seemingly always finds a way to fall apart. North Carolina State is a bit overrated, and Wake Forest is not the team they have been over the last few years. We encourage a big play on the slightly favorite Florida State Seminoles.

Pick – Florida State +125

Future Pick #2 – Who will win the Big 10 Championship?

Illinois +650
Indiana +6000
Iowa+550
Michigan +1000
Michigan State +550
Minnesota +2500
Northwestern +2500
Ohio State +150
Penn State +250
Purdue +8000
Wisconsin +900

The Big Ten had a load of talented teams last year. Teams like Michigan State, Iowa, and Northwestern all had surprisingly strong seasons. The conference really displayed a lot of up and coming teams. The Iowa Hawkeyes will again be a team to watch out for heading into the season. Penn State dominated most of the season and looked like they were headed to a BCS National Championship game before being upset by Iowa late in the season. The Nittany Lions will be strong in 2009 as well. However, the team that will likely breakout from the pack will be the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State only lost one game in the conference last year and that was a great game against Penn State. Freshman Terrelle Pryor really matured as the season progressed destroying defenses with his running ability. However, Pryor actually displayed his arm in a few games late in the year. Pryor should be a well-oiled machine by the time the season kicks off and could have a breakout type season. The Buckeyes will also sport a stealthy defense that held the high power Texas offense to 24 points and nearly handed the Longhorns an upset in the Fiesta Bowl. Look for Ohio State to be just as dangerous this season on offense and not just on the defensive side of the ball.

Pick – Ohio State +150

Future Pick #3 – Who will win the Heisman Trophy?

I’m sure the vast majority of the betting world will be favoring the prominent Florida Gator’s quarterback Tim Tebow for this year’s Heisman Trophy predictions. While it may be hard to bet against Tebow and the Gators, we will look out west for this year’s Heisman winner. Texas Longhorn’s quarterback Colt McCoy has a great opportunity heading into 2009. After becoming a finalist just one year ago, the Longhorns sport another high powered offense that will likely post big numbers week in and week out. The Texas offense should be tops in the Big 12 over Oklahoma and McCoy will have the chance to put up some crazy statistics in the high scoring conference. Tebow is a great choice as well, but it is a bit harder to post superior statistics in the SEC. Not only will McCoy post the best numbers out of this year’s Heisman hopefuls, but Texas looks to have the best team in the Big 12. As always, it’s hard to win the most prestigious award in college football unless you team is performing at championship level. We take a gamble and bet on McCoy to get the job done

Pick – Colt McCoy +275

Other College Football News:

• NCAA Football Head Coaching Changes in 2009
• 2009-10 BCS National Championship Odds

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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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The dog days of summer are vastly approaching and for sports fans that means that baseball will soon be the only major sport making the headlines. For a large majority of sports enthusiasts that do not stay on track with baseball, the most of us we will be counting down the days to the first kickoff of the 2009 football season. The 2009 College Football season promises to be exciting as ever. Tim Tebow will try and lead the Florida Gators to their 3rd National Title in 4 years. Florida will be one of the leading favorites again for teams to win the 2009 National Championship along with some familiar faces in Oklahoma and Texas. However, we will take a brief look at the teams who are staging to emerge into the national spotlight this year who are among the less coveted teams in the nation. Take a look as we break down our top 5 sleeper teams to make a name for themselves in 2009.

#5 – Boise State Broncos

It is hard to pick a team that went undefeated in the regular season in 2008 as a sleeper, but that is the case with the Broncos this season. The main reason they grab this spot is they have a great chance at snatching the BCS automatic bid in 2009. The reason is that the Broncos have a cupcake schedule very similar to last year’s undefeated regular season. Outside of Oregon, Boise State could walk through the regular season without losing a game and not even have to be playing their best football. Add to the fact some of the top teams will have pretty hectic schedules this year and Boise State could be sitting pretty by season’s end. The Broncos defense lost a few players, but having Kellen Moore in control of the offense should be enough to pick up any slack. If the Broncos run through another regular season undefeated, and most teams are sitting with two losses they could make their way into a BCS Bowl Game. Not to mention the BCS will be more anxious to get a non-BCS team in after Utah stunned Alabama last year in the Sugar Bowl.

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#4 – Florida State Seminoles

A decade ago you would have never considered Florida State as an underdog type team. However, the Seminoles have been missing from College Football’s main stage for quite some time now. However, Florida State showed steps in the right direction in 2008 anchored by a strong defensive group. The Seminoles will return 8 starters on the defensive side of the ball and will likely be among the best in the nation on that side of the ball. The Seminoles could use some explosive offensive threats that would really make them dangerous. Christian Ponder will be the man behind center and that could be either the rise or fall for Florida State this season. The Seminoles have a great chance snatching ACC Championship honors this season if everything goes well. The Seminoles will attempt to capture a 10 win season which would surprisingly be their first since 2002.

#3 – California Golden Bears

California was a solid team in 2008 and they have a lot to build off heading into this season. The Golden Bears were not run over by any team last year and they will return 17 starters from their 2008 campaign. While I am sure many will disagree, I believe the Golden Bears could really make a run at the Pac-10 title this year. One of the main reasons is Jahvid Best at running back. Best was at his best towards the end of last season averaging 210 yards over the final 3 games and racking up over 1,500 yards on the season. The Golden Bears will rely on Kevin Riley behind center this season and he should have a progressive year. The California defense should be another unit that shows improvement from 2008 as well. The Bears had a top 25 defense last season and could be a good bit better heading into 2009.

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#2 – Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma State has a great chance to bust out from the big shadows of Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12 this season. The high powered scoring conference will not lack any need for points this year and Oklahoma State could possibly have the best offense of anyone. Oklahoma State finished 9-4 a year ago, but they played everyone very well including Texas who barely escaped an upset in Lubbock 28-24. The Cowboys look to return nearly the exact same offense this season. The offense has all the makings to post huge numbers and could easily become one of the best in the conference. That’s right this offense can compete with anyone. Quarterback Zach Robinson and running back Kendall Hunter should provide the type of balance needed to stay effective. On top of their tremendous potential on offense, Oklahoma State should not be too bad on the defensive side of the ball as well. The Cowboys could use a little bit of help in the secondary, but should have strong enough rushing defense to hang with anyone in the conference. The Cowboys get Texas and Texas Tech at home while finishing the season at Oklahoma. If the ball bounces there way, this team could catch fire.

#1 – Mississippi Rebels

The Rebels were our team to watch out for last season in the SEC and we think they will be a team to watch out for among the national ranks in 2009. Houston Nutt should have possibly been the Coach of the Year for his amazing work he did turning around the Ole Miss program last season, but rather that award actually went to Nick Saban at Alabama. Mississippi finished 2nd in the SEC West last season and really did not get any rhythm until the latter part of the year. The Rebels lost back to back close games against South Carolina and Alabama before winning their last 6 games including a blowout over the high powered offense of Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. QB Jevan Snead really showed some great signs at quarterback last year and could be on the verge of a breakout season in 2009. Add to the fact the Rebels were the only team to beat Florida last season, and they have the most upside of any team with 4 losses from 2008. The defense should be another solid unit similar to last season’s team that ranked 19th nationally. Mississippi will get South Carolina on a Thursday night game and Alabama two weeks later early in the season. If the Rebels can get off to a fast start, there may be nobody that can stop them throughout the rest of the season.

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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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10. Joe Maddon – Tampa Bay Rays.
Many call Maddon a state-of-the-art manager. He has shown a knack for being smart and innovative as well as an excellent communicator. The job he did taking the Tampa Bay Rays from the bottom of the American League East to the World Series will always be remembered. The 55 year old manager may not have the best record in baseball, but look for that to improve. Maddon was considered a front runner for the Boston Red Sox managerial job in 2004, which later went to Terry Francona. Maddon always seems to have a different lineup, and keeps his entire roster fresh. Maddon barely edges out a slew of others, due in large part to the memorable 2008 run. The up side for Maddon is, he has still has room to improve and move up the ranks, as this is only his fourth full season as a manager. Maddon went 27-24 in two interim stints with the Angels.     

9. Lou Piniella – Chicago Cubs
Piniella is one of the best motivators in the game of baseball. He also does not change his style no matter who he has on his roster. Has had an outburst or two that has sparked a team to an improvement in play. If you were to rank the managers and their press conferences and the comic relief they gave – Piniella would at the top. The 65 year old “Sweet Lou” came into the 2009 season ranking 14^th all time in managerial wins. Lou has won three manager of the year awards, two in the American League (1995 and 2001) with Seattle and in 2008 with the Cubs. Lou has been above .500 in four of his five managerial posts. His start in New York lasted 2.5 seasons where he went 224-193. He was then able to move to Cincinnati, winning the World Series in his first season. He finished 255-231 in three seasons at the helm of the Reds. Lou then spent ten seasons as the manager of the Seattle Mariners. In those ten years Lou won three AL West titles, and advanced as the wildcard in another season. Lou led the 2001 Mariners to 116 wins, falling short to the Yankees in the ALCS. Lou then spent three seasons in Tampa Bay, finishing 200-285. After taking the 2006 season off, Lou was announced as the new manager in Chicago, for the lovable Cubs, who haven’t won a World Series title since 1908. The Cubs went 85-77 in 2007 losing in the NLDS to Arizona, and 97-64 in 2008 losing to Los Angeles. Since coming to Chicago, Lou is 0-6 in the postseason. All time, Piniella has won 23 postseason games, a World Series title, and made the postseason six times.

8. Charlie Manuel – Philadelphia Phillies
There is no denying Charlie Manuel’s offensive presence in the dugout in Philadelphia. His teams have absolutely been able to rake so much that the Phillies were able to win the 2008 World Series under his guidance. This season Manuel is dealing with a less than stellar starting rotation and continuing to keep them atop the National League East. May not be the best on field game decision maker, but as is a common theme with the top ten, knows how to get the best out of his players. His run-ins with Jimmy Rollins have been classic, and he has left no doubt who is in charge in the city of brotherly love. Don’t judge Charlie on his public speaking, as admittedly it is a weakness of his. The 65 year old manager got a late start in his managerial career, starting in 2000 with the Cleveland Indians. In 2.5 seasons Manuel led the Indians to a 220-191 record, including a postseason berth in 2001, only to fall to 116 game winner Seattle in the ALDS. Manuel has never finished a full season under .500, winning at least 85 games in all six of his seasons. Charlie is 13-9 in two postseason appearances as a manager.

7. Cito Gaston – Toronto Blue Jays
This year’s Blue Jays team has competed thus far in the brutal American League East. Gaston’s patient presence has been a staple from within his teams. After taking ten seasons off managing, Gaston took over for John Gibbons in the middle of the 2008 season, leading Toronto to a 51-37 finish. Toronto is Gaston’s only stop, leading the Blue Jays to two World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. His all time postseason record is 18-16, while his regular season record, coming into 2009 is 734-673. Gaston’s ball club in 2009 is low on talent, but high on energy which may allow them to compete with the big boys – Yankees, Red Sox and Rays.

6. Mike Scioscia – Los Angeles Angels
A guy that always is prepared for any occasion is Mike Scioscia. This year’s team has had to endure losing top free agents, losing key players to injury, and even dealing with an unfortunate death of a teammate. After his 12 year playing career that saw him catch 12 seasons, win two championships and play in two All Star games for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he became the manager of the Los Angeles (Anaheim) Angels in 2000. Scioscia has won 803 games, losing just 655 in his tenure as the head man in Anaheim. Five times his teams have reached the postseason, with a World Series title coming in 2002. Also in that season Scioscia was named the Manager of the Year. All time, Scioscia is 16-20 in postseason games. Anaheim front office understands the importance of having Scioscia lead the way for the team, in January of 2009 the team and Scioscia agreed to a new contract, which will keep him the manager through the year 2018. 

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5. Jim Leyland – Detroit Tigers
A man that has been around baseball for 40+ years definitely knows how to win games. Jim Leyland, the manager of the Detroit Tigers has seen it all. Managing four different clubs with a seven year hiatus mixed in, Leyland has over 1,300 career wins. Known more commonly for his smoking habit, he got his kick start in the Major Leagues as Tony LaRussa’s third base coach in Chicago. He then went to Pittsburgh and was the manager of the Pirates for 11 seasons, seeing the postseason in three of those years. He won 851 games in Pittsburgh, and then took the managerial job in Miami as the top dog of the Florida Marlins. His first year was quite the success, as Florida reached the postseason via the wild card, later winning the World Series. After a horrible 1998 season Leyland resigned as the manager of Florida, only to take the Colorado Rockies post for the next season. 72 wins in Colorado was not enough to warrant a return, and that’s when Leyland was out of managing. In 2006 Leyland led the Detroit Tigers to a World Series berth, which saw them fall to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games. Leyland has 27 career postseason wins, and three ‘Manager of the Year’ awards – two in the National League and one in the American league.

4. Bobby Cox – Atlanta Braves
A guy that gets the most out of his players, and also demands fundamentals is Bobby Cox. In a recent poll of the players, Cox was voted as the most respected manager in all of baseball. Cox has been managing the Braves since 1990, which is his second stint with Atlanta. His 19 years in Atlanta is the longest running tenure for a manager in a city. Cox leads all of baseball with the most ejections, 143, a record he took from John McGraw. You would not know that Cox is prone for ejections by talking to him. He tends to have a knack with teaching youngsters patience and the true fundamentals of the game of baseball. His starting pitching staffs in the 90’s were among baseball’s best all time. Coming into the 2009 season Cox ranked fourth all time in wins by a manager. While Cox was manager, the Braves won 14 straight division titles, winning one world series within that time.  Four other times Atlanta came up short in the World Series. Cox has won 66 postseason games to go along with his 2,327 regular season wins.  1,972 of those wins have come with the Atlanta Braves, while his other 355 came from 1982-1985 with the Toronto Blue Jays.

3. Terry Francona – Boston Red Sox
An excellent communicator, and also has been fantastic dealing with personalities of all sorts. The job he did with the “idiot” group in 2004 was masterful. After his playing days ended in 1990, Francona got his start as a MLB manager in 1997 with the Philadelphia Phillies. Francona spent four seasons in Philadelphia, with very little success. It has been in Boston where Francona has flourished, leading all sorts of different talent levels. Francona was noted as the “curse” stopper leading the Red Sox to the World Series title in 2004, to break the curse of the Bambino. In that season the Yankees led the Red Sox 3-0 in the ALCS, only to see Boston win the final four games, along with four straight over St. Louis to end an 86 year drought. In 2007 the Red Sox trailed Cleveland 3 games to 1 in the ALCS, only to win the final three, and then all four in the World Series to eliminate the Colorado Rockies. Coming into the 2009 season, Francona has a career record of 685-654 with one division title, four playoff appearances, two American League pennants, and two World Series rings.
 
2. Joe Torre – Los Angeles Dodgers
After playing in Major League baseball and compiling just short of a .300 batting average, and over 1000 runs batted in, Joe Torre began managing in 1977. Torre has had some bumps in the road during his managerial career, but has won 2,157 games, coming into the 2009 season. Torre is best known for his days with the New York Yankees, in which he led them to the postseason in every year he was in charge, and won ten American League East titles, six American League pennants, and four world series titles. Torre’s win percentage in New York was .605. Joe managerial style is very laid back, but extremely prepared. His teams not only have great talent, but they are always a couple steps ahead. Just like he has done with the 2009 Dodgers, Torre is excellent at taking adversity and turning it into a positive situation for his squad. Currently, his Dodgers have the best record in all of baseball, after reaching the National League Championship Series in 2008. Torre has won the manager of the year award in the American League twice. His first came in 1996, when he led the Yankees to a 92-70 regular season, and eventually a World Series title. The second award was in 1998 when New York won 114 games, and yet another World Series title.  All in all, Torre has won 80 postseason games, and four world championships.

1. Tony LaRussa – St. Louis Cardinals
Love or hate Anthony “Tony” LaRussa, no doubt the man knows how to lead teams to win baseball games. Despite injuries, ineffectiveness, and even (unfortunately) deaths, Tony LaRussa always keeps his teams in the postseason picture. LaRussa has won world series in both the American League and National League, with his most recent in 6 with St. Louis. LaRussa is the master of keeping everyone on the roster fresh, and always two steps ahead. LaRussa is criticized for his stance on batting the pitcher eighth, but his track record speaks for itself. Critics also point to his constant pitching changes as a negative, but again – the results he gets are outstanding. LaRussa has managed the third most games in history, and if he completes the entire 2009 season, he will move to #2, only behind Connie Mack. LaRussa has been awarded the manager of the year three times, including twice with the Athletics, 1983 and 1988. He has led teams to 100+ wins four times in his career, and has a 59-48 career record in postseason.

Other MLB managers worthy of consideration (in no particular order):

Ron Gardenhire – Minnesota Twins
Always seems to have Minnesota in the race, despite managing a small market club. His teams are always fundamentally sound and he seems to get the best out of his players. The lack of a “big” one is what is keeping him outside the top ten looking in.

Joe Girardi – New York Yankees
Too inexperience at this point to grab a spot in the top ten, but look for that to change over time. Girardi seems to be taking after his playing days which were playing hard and playing smart. If this was 2008, he would not be in consideration, but the first two months of 2009 have shown he can take a bad situation and make some positives out of it. There is no denying, he has a lot to work with. He also has a lot to prove.

Ozzie Guillen – Chicago White Sox
If we were talking about the most disliked, Ozzie would surely be within the top ten. Guillen is fiery, there is no doubt about that, but his attitude carries over to his players and he is able to find ways to win. This season he has had to deal with a lot of young kids along with some aging veterans. It will be interesting to see if he can get the Sox back to the postseason. The job he did in 2005, in taking Chicago to the World Series, and winning it was masterful.

Ken Macha – Milwaukee Brewers
Always was solid in Oakland, and now in the National League, he has the Brewers playing well with less than great starting pitching. His calm demeanor may be something Milwaukee lacked the last couple years when it seemed Ned Yost and company would fold down the stretch.

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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.