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*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 5/18/2009
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 5/24/2009)

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (26-13) – The Dodgers remain the top team within the power rankings, despite just going 5-5 in their last ten games. The Dodgers have now been at the top of the rankings in both of the power rankings. Los Angeles had won three straight games before Saturday night’s defeat at the hands of the Florida Marlins. Los Angeles got a shot in the arm with their starting rotation when Eric Milton came back for the first two in two seasons and gave the Dodgers four innings. Leading the National League West by six games has made for a very dull time in Los Angeles. Manny Ramirez once again spicing up the locker room, apologizing to his teammates before Friday nights affair with three game series starting Monday and then welcome inter league play on Friday when the Angels come to town.

2. Toronto Blue Jays (26-14) –  Jose Bautista drove in the game winning rbi on Saturday to give Toronto their second straight win over the Chicago White Sox in a home series. The Blue Jays got the win from Robert Ray; his first ever MLB win. Toronto leads Boston by two full games in the American League East. Roy Halladay continues to shine, starting the season 7-1 with a 2.95 era and 49 strikeouts to just 7 walks on the season. The Blue Jays will start the new week with a three game series at Boston on Tuesday. Inter league play will begin Friday when Toronto heads to Atlanta.

3. Boston Red Sox (22-15) – The Boston Red Sox continue to keep pace with Toronto, just trailing the Blue Jays by two games in the American League East. Boston remains # 3 in the power rankings. The Red Sox used three homeruns in their latest win; a 5-3 decision at Seattle, to split the first two in the series. Jason Bay continues to shine in his first full season in Bean Town leading the team with 11 homeruns and 40 rbi’s. The Red Sox will finish their series with Seattle, and then head back home to host Toronto and the New York Mets in back to back series’.

4. Milwaukee Brewers (23-14) – The Milwaukee Brewers made a five team jump up from # 9 to # 4, winning eight of their last ten games. The Brewers took over first place for the first time all season Saturday afternoon, knocking off divisional foe St. Louis 1-0, in a well pitched game from starter Jeff Suppan. The Brewers hold a slim 1.5 game lead in the division, leading the Chicago Cubs. St. Louis is two games back, and the Cincinnati Reds are three games back. The Brewers Friday night game that was postponed due to rain will be played on Monday in St. Louis. Milwaukee will finish their series with the Cardinals, and then head to Houston and Minnesota, before coming back home on May 25^th to once again square off with St. Louis.

5. Chicago Cubs (21-15) – The Chicago Cubs have seemingly found their groove after a very slow start. The Cubs have won five straight, and seven of their last ten coming into Sunday’s game. The Cubs make a five team jump and move from # 10, into the top 5, at # 5. Chicago lost a four run lead in Saturday’s game, only to come back and use an Alfonso Soriano rbi single in the bottom half of the ninth inning. The Cubs will complete their series with the Astros on Sunday, before heading to St. Louis to face divisional, and long time rival Cardinals for a three game set, before heading to San Diego for the weekend.

6. Texas Rangers (23-14) – The hottest team in Major League Baseball right now is the Texas Rangers. The Rangers picked up their seventh straight win of the season with a 3-0 win over divisional foe Anaheim. The Rangers have made their way up six spots from # 12 to # 6. Despite the win, the Rangers got bad news when Center Fielder Josh Hamilton left the game after crashing into the wall. At this point, Texas in unsure how long he may miss, or if at all. The three game sweep for Texas put them up 4.5 games over Los Angeles, and six over Seattle. Michael Young is having a solid year leading the team in batting, with a .354 average, while Ian Kinsler has 11 homeruns, 31 rbi’s and 30 runs scored – all team leading. Texas will start a road trip on  Tuesday in Detroit, only to head back to the state of Texas for a date with the Astros in Houston, starting Friday.

7. New York Mets (21-15) – Lately the New York Mets have began to play like they were expected, and not like the poor beginning of the season. The Mets have remained at # 7, and continue to look impressive; winning eight of ten games. The Mets lead the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East by just one game. After falling in the final game of a three game series with the Atlanta Braves, the Mets have won the first three against the San Francisco Giants on the road at Pac Bell Park. The final game of the series is being played Sunday evening. Despite missing first base men Carlos Delgado with a hip injury, New York was able to put up 24 runs in three games on the West Coast. Carlos Beltran continue to have a MVP type season, leading the team in batting average (.379), homeruns (6), rbi’s (28) and runs scored (27). The Mets will continue to remain on the West Coast, on Monday when they play at West leading Los Angeles. Before going back home the Mets will play a weekend series at Boston, to kick off their inter league 2009 season.

8. Detroit Tigers (20-16) – The Tigers have won three straight games and six of their last ten to move into first place in the American League Central. Detroit picked up a three game sweep of Oakland over the weekend scoring 34 runs and only allowed 9. Miguel Cabrera continues to flirt with a .400 batting average, coming into Sunday’s game with a .389 average. Cabrera also leads Detroit in RBI’s with 30. The Tigers will take Monday off before hosting the Texas Rangers, the hottest team in all of baseball for a three game set. On Friday the Colorado Rockies come to town for a weekend inter league series.

9. New York Yankees (20-17) – The Yankees were able to make a seven team jump from # 16 to # 9 this week. New York picked up three straight thrilling wins over Minnesota at the new stadium, including the walk-off homerun by Alex Rodiguez on Saturday. A-Rod also homered on Sunday in the come from behind win. The Yankees have kept pace with both Toronto and Boston, trailing by 4.5 and 2.5 respectively. Overall, the Yankees have won five straight, after taking the final two in a road series at Toronto. Johnny Damon continues to be the New York spark plug in the offense, leading the team in batting average (.312), homeruns (9), runs batted in (26), and runs (28). The Yankees will conclude their four game series Monday with Minnesota and then welcome Baltimore and Philadelphia in for three game series’.

10. Philadelphia Phillies (20-16) – Albeit against the lowly Washington Nationals, the Phillies were able to pull of a four game sweep over the weekend. The four wins moved Philadelphia to four games over .500 and just one full game behind front running New York. The Phillies also were able to jump into the top 10, at # 10, up three spots from last week, coming in at # 13. The Phillies continue to get great numbers from off season pick-up Raul Ibanez. Ibanez leads in batting average (.368), homeruns (13), runs batted in (35) and runs scored (33). For the defending champions, if Ibanez can continue to mash, and Utley, Howard and Rollins hit close to their potential Philadelphia will like their chances come this off-season. The Phillies will take to the road starting on Tuesday when they visit the Cincinnati Reds. After leaving Cincinnati the Phillies will head to the new Yankee Stadium for a three game set.

11. St. Louis Cardinals (21-16) – The Cardinals made a seven team free fall from last week. The Cardinals, who started as Baseball’s best team have fallen to near mediocrity. With injuries to Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel, Troy Glaus, and Chris Carpenter, the Cardinals have been forced to rely on rookies. St. Louis has lost the first two, and the divisional lead to the Milwaukee Brewers, at home. The third game will be played on Monday evening. The Cardinals, will then host the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals to conclude the week.

12. Cincinnati Reds (20-17) – The Reds fall one spot from # 11 to # 12. The Reds were victims of a three game sweep on the road at the hands of the San Diego Padres. The sweep dropped Cincinnati down to 20-17 on the season, fourth place in the NL Central. Cincinnati trails front running Milwaukee by three games. The Reds will have a shot at making up ground this week as they host both the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians for three game series’.

13. Kansas City Royals (20-18) – Aided by Zack Greinke’s incredible start to the 2009 season the Kansas City Royals have been quite the surprise 1/4^th through the season. Kansas City did fall from # 5  to # 13 this week, but continue to stay in the hunt in the American League Central. Kansas City trails Detroit by just a game and ½. Greinke’s start has been so incredible (7-1, 0.60 era) that he has people already talking about Cy Young. The season has a lot of baseball left, but Greinke has been impressive, to say the least. The Royals will host divisional opponent Cleveland for three starting on Tuesday, followed by an inter league series against state rival St. Louis on Friday. Closer Joakim Soria continues to miss action with a strained right rotator cuff.

14. Los Angeles Angels (18-18) – With a chance to take over the American League West Division, the Angels did just the opposite, and lost three games in a row to fall to 4.5 games back. The Angeles, despite the three losses remain # 14 in the power rankings. Sunday’s finale was led by Scott Feldman of Texas, who tossed a three hit shutout in the win. The Angels lead for second place lowered to just 1.5 over Seattle. The Angels will look to get back on the winning way with a four game set at Seattle, followed by three against rivals – Dodgers.

15. Minnesota Twins (18-20) – The new Yankee Stadium has not been kind to the Minnesota Twins. After watching Alex Rodriguez end the game on Saturday night, the Twins lost a 2-0 late lead, and then the game 3-2 on Sunday. The Twins are now 18-20 on the season, and will look to salvage one game out of the four game series on Monday. After leaving New York the Twins will make a stop in Chicago on Tuesday, before heading back home to begin inter league play with the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.

16. Atlanta Braves (18-18) – The Braves picked up five spots in a week with their 7-3 record in last ten games. Last week Atlanta came in at # 21, this week they have crawled up to # 16. The Braves are in third place in the National League East, trailing both the Mets and Phillies. Atlanta is 12-8 at home, while winning just 6 of 16 games at home. The Braves were postponed on Sunday, finishing the series with Arizona split 1-1. Colorado and Toronto will be the next two visitors to the South to take on the Braves. 

17. San Francisco Giants (18-18) – Despite losers of four straight games, the Giants are right at the .500 mark. San Francisco lost the final game of the series to Washington, and then was swept by the New York Mets. With their recent losing streak, the Giants have fallen from # 15 to # 17. In the three game series the Giants were outscored 24-16. As the offense has struggled for the most part this season, Pablo Sandoval has been a bright spot, leading the team in batting with a .309 average. Catcher Bengie Molina leads the team in power numbers with 8 homeruns and 29 rbi’s. The Giants will start a road trip on Tuesday heading to divisional foe San Diego, before making the trip to the great Northwest to start an inter league series with the Mariners on Friday.

18.  Florida Marlins (18-20) – The Marlins after their red hot start have really struggled in May. Florida made the biggest down fall, losing ten spots and dropping out of the top ten at # 8, to # 18. The Marlins are getting solid contribution once again from shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who leads the team in batting with a .354 mark. Jorge Cantu leads Florida in the power numbers with eight homeruns and 33 rbi’s. The Marlins have fallen to fourth place in the National League East, trailing the front running Mets by 3.5 games. The Marlins and Diamondbacks will meet, starting Monday in Miami for a four game set, and then state rival Tampa Bay will come to town on Friday for a three game weekend series.

19. Tampa Bay Rays (19-20) – The Rays fell in the first game of a three game series to the Cleveland Indians, but were able to bounce back and win the next three to push their record to just one game under .500; at 19-20. Despite the string of wins, Tampa Bay actually fell two places from # 17 to # 19. Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria are having MVP type seasons, with Pena leading the American League with 13 homeruns, and Longoria leading all of baseball with 46 rbi’s. The problem for Tampa Bay has been the supporting cast, as well as a starting staff that has Matt Garza leading in wins; with four. Tampa Bay will look to continue their winning streak on Monday when the Athletics come in for a four game series. On Friday the Rays will travel to Miami to take on the Marlins.

20. Houston Astros (17-19) – Ivan Rodriguez hit his 300^th homerun to snap the Astros losing streak on Sunday. The win for Houston was their 17^th of the season to 19 losses. Houston has seen a struggle offensively, as Lance Berkman at times has fallen below .200, but has eight homeruns on the season. Carlos Lee leads the team in runs batted in with 29, while speedster Michael Bourn leads in runs scored (23) and stolen bases (13). The Astros are in fifth place in the National League Central, just ahead of Pittsburgh. The Astros will host red hot Milwaukee starting on Tuesday in a three game series. Once the Brewers leave town the Astros will welcome state rivals – the Texas Rangers to town.

21. Seattle Mariners (17-20) – The Marines fall three spots from # 18 to # 21, losers of eight of their last ten games. The Mariners sit in third place in the American League West, only ahead of Oakland. Despite their poor play, the Mariners only trail Texas by 5.5 games. Ichiro Suzuki leads the Mariners in batting average, with a .315 average, followed up with his four homeruns. The Mariners have gotten solid pitching from starters Felix Hernandez and Eric Bedard. Hernandez is 4-2 with a 3.53 ERA, with 53 strikeouts and 15 walks, while Bedard is 2-1 with a 2.53.The Mariners will continue their long home stand on Monday when the Los Angeles Angels come in for a four game set, followed by San Francisco coming to town. 

22. Chicago White Sox (15-21) – The Chicago White Sox cannot find a way to win north of the border. The Toronto Blue Jays picked up a big win on Friday, and then came from behind to pick up Saturday’s game against Chicago. The White Sox have fallen to five games under .500, with their 15-21 mark. With their current three game losing streak, the White Sox have dropped three spots from # 19 to # 22. Within the American League Central Division, the White Sox are just four games back, trailing Detroit; with Kansas City and Minnesota in between. Outfielder Carlos Quentin was recently scratched from the lineup with a sore left heel. Quentin leads the team in homeruns with eight on the season. The White Sox will play one more game at Toronto on Monday, before hosting Minnesota, followed by Pittsburgh.

23. Baltimore Orioles (16-22) – Rich Hill came off the disabled list on Saturday and picked up a huge win in his first start in 2009. The Orioles have won two of three in the weekend series at Kansas City, and will look for the third on Sunday afternoon. With the recent string of wins, Baltimore has moved up two positions from # 25 to # 23. The Orioles Adam Jones is hitting .370 with 8 homeruns and 35 runs scored. The Orioles continue to sit in fifth place in the American League East, eight games behind the leader – Toronto. The Orioles will take Monday off, before heading to the new Yankee Stadium for a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday series, and then travel across the state to take on the Washington Nationals over the weekend.

24. Cleveland Indians (14-25) – The Indians have gotten off to a very slow start, but with the American League Central remaining right around .500, Cleveland has remained in the race, for now. The Indians at 14-24, are just 6.5 games back of first place, with Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit and Kansas City ahead of them. The Indians were able to make a five team jump from # 29 to # 24. The Indians continue to get red hot offense from catcher/first base men Victor Martinez, who leads the team, and the American League with a .409 batting average. The Indians, after finishing the four game series with Tampa Bay will start a road series at Kansas City on Tuesday, and then start a road series at Cincinnati on Friday.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates (16-21) – The Pirates slide up one spot from # 26 to # 25 after knocking off St. Louis in two of three games. The Pirates are 16-21 on the season, and in fifth place in the National League Central Division. Nate McLouth’s two run homerun aided a Saturday evening win over the Colorado Rockies. McLouth leads the team with six homeruns, and also 24 rbi’s. Rookie right-hander Ross Ohlendorf leads the starting staff in wins, with 4, starting the season 4-3 with a 3.77 era. The Pirates will play a four game series at Washington, starting on Monday, followed by inter league play on Friday at Chicago, against the White Sox.

26. San Diego Padres (15-22) –  The Padres come in as “the best” of the trio of NL West teams, and slide down three spots from # 23 to # 26. San Diego comes in 15-22, winners of two straight games over Cincinnati, after taking a three game sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs. Saturday night’s win over the Reds came in 16 innings, as Nick Hundley hit a homerun in his second at bat of the season. Adrian Gonzalez has been the Padres bright spot to start the season, leading San Diego in batting, homeruns, RBI’s and runs. Gonzalez’ 15 homeruns leads the National League, ahead of both Albert Pujols and Raul Ibanez, with 13. The Padres will host the Giants Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, before hosting the Chicago Cubs for a weekend set.

27. Colorado Rockies (14-22) – The Rockies, in the middle of a trio of National League West teams have fallen 9.5 games behind the Dodgers through a month and half of the season. Colorado moves up one spot from # 28 to # 27 with their 14-22 mark. Colorado fell on Saturday to Pittsburgh, as the Pirates got a home run Nate McLouth, as both the Pirates and Rockies survived a nearly two hour rain delay. The Rockies took Friday night’s game behind a Brad Hawpe two run homerun in a 3-1 win. The Rockies will start a four game series in Atlanta on Monday, and then visit Detroit on Friday, before coming back home May 25^th to take on the front running Dodgers.

28. Oakland Athletics (13-21) – The Athletics have fallen to 7.5 games back of the front running Texas Rangers, in the American League West. Oakland is 13-20 overall, and dropped one spot from their post at # 27 to # 28 this week. Oakland picked up two wins over Kansas City, before heading to Detroit, where they dropped the first two games of the season. The Athletics are missing Nomar Garciaparra, Mark Ellis and Eric Chavez from their every day lineup. Recently Matt Holliday felt a twitch in his right side, making way for Aaron Cunningham to be called up. Oakland starts a four game series on Monday at Tampa Bay, and then comes back home for a three game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

29. Arizona Diamondbacks (14-23) – The Diamondbacks under their new manager have not been able to find the winning groove. Arizona fell five spots from # 24 to # 29, as they have went 3-7 in their last 10 games. The Diamondbacks are just 9-15 at home this season, and 7-12 against West Divisional foes. The Diamondbacks picked up a win on Saturday at Atlanta as youngster Max Scherzer picked up his first win of the season, snapping a four game losing streak for the club. The Diamondbacks have dropped to fifth place in the National League West, trailing first place Los Angeles by 10.5 games. Arizona will continue on the road trip Monday, for a four game series at Florida, followed by a weekend trip to Oakland, before coming back home on May 25^th against San Diego.

30. Washington Nationals (11-25) – The Nationals have lost three straight games and six of their last ten, and remain at the bottom of the MLB Power Rankings. Washington is 11-24 overall, trailing the New York Mets by 9.5 games. Washington is just 5-10 at home this season, winning six of 20 on the road. The Nationals three straight losses came to Philadelphia, after winning the final game of a three game series at San Francisco. After Philadelphia leaves town on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Pirates will come to the nation’s capital to take on the Nationals. Washington’s inter league season begins on Friday when the Baltimore Orioles come to town.

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*MLB Records are as of 5/11/2009

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (22-11) – Despite the loss of top power hitter Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles has continued to bash the ball around ball parks. In the first night without Manny, the Dodgers scored 9 runs, and then Saturday Los Angeles picked up eight against rival San Francisco. The Dodgers will look to Andre Either and Matt Kemp to pick up the slack until early July when Ramirez is expected to return from his 50 game suspension. Chad Billingsley has emerged as the Dodgers ace starting the season 5-1 with a 2.45 era. The Dodgers bullpen continues to be sharp, anchored by closer Jonathan Broxton, who has picked up eight saves on the season, and won three ball games. The Dodgers continue to rule the National League West, as they lead rival San Francisco by 4.5 games. The Dodgers will head east to take on the Phillies and Marlins in back to back series’ after a day off on Monday.

2. Toronto Blue Jays (21-12) – The Toronto Blue Jays have turned into major league baseball’s biggest surprise at the start of the 2009 season. Toronto has pulled to ten games over .500, and lead Boston, New York and Tampa Bay in the American League East. The Blue Jays have gotten solid offensive contributions from Aaron Hill, who leads the team in batting average and homeruns (.351 and 8). Adam Lind has started the season with 31 RBI’s, and a .336 batting average. The ever reliable Roy Halladay has once again been dominating to start the season. Halladay is 6-1 with a 3.29 era, pitching in 52 innings already on the season. Toronto will get a chance to play at home this week, where they are 11-4, as the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox both come in for three game series’ after a day off on Monday.

3. Boston Red Sox (19-12) – The Red Sox come in with a 19-12 record when they take on Tampa Bay in the ESPN Sunday night affair. Boston trails Toronto for the top spot in the American League East, but lead the rest of the East pack by 4.5 games. The Red Sox are getting quality offensive numbers from Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Jason Bay, as David Ortiz continues his struggles. Youkilis leads the team with a .393 batting average, while Pedroia has scored 29 runs, and Bay has hit 9 homeruns and driven in 33 runs, both leading the team. Tim Wakefield leads the pitching staff with 4 wins, and also with a robust 2.93 era. After Boston finishes the home series with the Rays, they will head across the country to take on the Angles and Mariners in back to back road series’.

4. St. Louis Cardinals (20-12) – The Cardinals were able to pick up their 20^th victory of the season on Sunday, after blowing a three run lead. St. Louis with that victory remained two games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central. The Cardinals have once again been led by Albert Pujols, who was the April player of the month. Pujols is batting .330 with 12 homeruns and 33 RBI’s, along with 32 runs scored; all team leading. His power numbers lead the entire national league, while his batting average places him just outside of the top ten. If Pujols can continue his assault on a National League triple crown, expect his 19 walks to continue to increase as well. Kyle Lohse leads the pitching staff with 42.1 innings pitched, as he is tied with Joel Piniero for four wins on the season. Closer Ryan Franklin blew his first save on Sunday, allowing his first two runs of the season, on solo homeruns. Franklin has saved nine of ten chances. The Cardinals will take Monday off, and then head to Pittsburgh to take on the struggling Pirates, and then come home and host the surging Milwaukee Brewers.

5. Kansas City Royals (18-13) – The Royals have been quite a surprise in the American League, and currently hold a slim margin over the Detroit Tigers. Kansas City has been led by starting pitcher Zack Greinke, who has started the season 6-1 with a league leading era of 0.51 with 59 strikeouts to just 8 walks. Offensively, Alberto Callaspo has been solid, hitting .343 with 2 homeruns and 11 RBI’s. Mike Jacobs is the leading homerun hitter and rbi man for the Royals with 5 and 19. Joakim Soria has saved seven games, but may be sidelined for a bit, as he has found discomfort in his shoulder. The Royals will take Monday off, before hosting divisional foe Chicago on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, before flying out to Los Angeles to begin a West coast trip, starting with the Angels.

6. Detroit Tigers (17-13) – The Detroit Tigers have started to pick up steam, and have joined the Kansas City Royals at the top of the American League Central Division. The Tigers finished off divisional rival Cleveland in a three game weekend sweep. The Tigers have used Miguel Cabrera’s .389 batting average to bolster the solid offense. Curtis Granderson leads the Tigers in homeruns, leading off for Jim Leyland’s club. The big win during the weekend was the 1-0 win over reigning Cy Young champion Cliff Lee. Justin Verlander pitched a gem, as the Tigers continued the Indians struggles in 2009. The Tigers will take on divisional foe Minnesota on the road, after a day off Monday, and then come back home for a weekend series with the Oakland Athletics.

7. New York Mets (17-13) – The New York Mets have become the hottest team in the major leagues, winners of seven straight games. The Mets recently picked up series sweeps of the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets got off to a slow start, but since have taken the lead in the National League East Division. The Mets are tied with Florida currently,  but have a lead on Philadelphia and Atlanta. Carlos Beltran leads the team in batting average and homeruns, as Carlos Delgado leads in RBI’s with 23. Mike Pelfrey has been a solid surprise for the Mets, as he has won four games, without a loss. Pelfrey has a 4-0 mark, despite a high ERA of 5.46. K-Rod, the Mets biggest off-season pickup has saved nine games thus far for the Mets. The Mets will look to keep their season high winning streak on Monday-Wednesday as the Atlanta Braves visit the new Citi Field for a three game set. Following that series, the Mets will take to the road and play a four game series in San Francisco.

8. Florida Marlins (17-14) – The Marlins cooled off after the super quick start, but despite their cooling down, still continue to sit atop the National League East Division. The Marlins recently picked up two out of three wins on the road in Colorado. Florida is getting solid offense from Hanley Ramirez (.343 batting average) and Jorge Cantu (8 homeruns and 32 RBI’s). The Marlins ace has been Josh Johnson, who has started the season 3-0 with a 2.34 era, striking out 43 batters, and only walking 6. The Marlins will finish their road trip this week, Tuesday through Thursday as they travel to Miller Park to take on the Brewers. After leaving Milwaukee, the Marlins will host the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three game weekend series.

9. Milwaukee Brewers (18-14) – The Brewers were not able to pick up the three game sweep Sunday as the Cubs knocked them off 4-2. Despite falling, the Brewers still remain one of the hottest in the league. Milwaukee, after a slow start, has climbed to within two games of the front running St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers have gotten MVP type numbers from Ryan Braun, as he is hitting .349, with 8 homeruns and 29 RBI’s. Yovani Gallardo has been the ace on the mound for Milwaukee, starting the year 4-1 with a 3.09 era. Milwaukee has went 9-7 at home, and also 9-7 on the road to start the season. The Brewers have had struggles with their bench to start the year, as Brad Nelson, Chris Duffy and Casey Mcgehee have combined for just 5 hits in 56 at bats. The Brewers will look to get back on track when the Florida Marlins come to town for a three game set starting Tuesday. After Florida leaves the Brewers will head to St. Louis to face the Cardinals for the first time all season.

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10. Chicago Cubs (17-14) – The Cubs look at their 17-14 record and consider themselves fortunate to be above .500. Chicago has been hit hard by injuries including most recently Aramis Ramirez and Chad Fox heading to the disabled list. Ramirez expects to miss the rest of May, and a portion of June before returning to the lineup. Fox has been placed on the disabled list, and his career may be in jeopardy after injuring his elbow on a pitch. The Cubs picked up Ryan Freel from Baltimore in exchange for Joey Gathright most recently. Chicago hopes Freel can stay healthy and produce in many positions. Kosuke Fukudome leads the team in batting with a .308 average, while Alfonso Soriano leads in homeruns and RBI’s with 9 and 18. The Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano still remains on the disabled list, but is expected to return in 10 days. The Cubs will head home and start a nice home stand on Tuesday as the Padres, followed by Astros visit Wrigley Field.

11. Cincinnati Reds (17-14) – Despite not picking up the sweep on Sunday over St. Louis, the Cincinnati Reds made a statement that they were a team to reckon with in the Central Division in 2009. The Reds took two of three from St. Louis, behind wins from Johnny Cueto and Aaron Harang. Joey Votto leads the Reds in batting, despite sitting the past couple games with a bout of the flu. Votto is hitting .370 on the season with 4 homeruns and 24 homeruns. The Reds power has come from Jay Bruce, who has hit 9 homeruns on the year. Sunday’s loss came from closer Chad Cordero, who has saved 9 games on the season. The Reds are in a log jam in the middle of the National League Central Division, trailing first place St. Louis by just 2.5 games. The Reds will start a road trip on Monday in the desert against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and then head to San Diego following that series.

12. Texas Rangers (17-14) – Texas used a series win over the Chicago White Sox to bolster their season record to 17-14, leading the Anaheim Angels in the American League West by just one game. The Rangers continue to be without top power hitter Josh Hamilton, who is out with a strained rib cage. Ian Kinsler has picked up the pace for Texas hitting nine homeruns and driving in 28 runs. Kinsler also leads the team in runs scored (24) and stolen bases (8). Kevin Millwood has pitched well at the start of the season, leading the team with 52.1 innings, and compiling a ERA of 2.92. The Rangers will host divisional foes Seattle and Anaheim this week.

13. Philadelphia Phillies (15-14) – After getting swept by divisional foe New York, the Phillies continued their slide losing two of three from the Atlanta Braves, another divisional opponent. The Phillies have fallen to just one game over .500 at 15-14. Philadelphia has been inconsistent with the bats, but are getting quality production from Raul Ibanez, who is hitting a robust .339 with 23 RBI’s. Chase Utley leads the team in homeruns with 10. Jayson Werth has also been solid, leading the Phillies in runs (25) and stolen bases (3). The veteran Jamie Moyer leads the pitching staff in wins with 3. The Phillies currently sit in third place in the National League East, behind Florida and New  York by just one game. The Phillies will host the Dodgers, starting on Tuesday, before heading to Washington for a three game weekend series.

14. Los Angeles Angels (16-14) – The Angels have withstood the tragic beginning, and poor play in the beginning weeks of the season, and have climbed to above .500 for the first time all season. Anaheim is 16-14, just behind Texas, after winning four straight games. The Angels picked up a series finale win over Toronto, and then swept the Kansas City Royals in three. The Angels have started seeing production from Bobby Abreu, as he leads the team in hitting, with his .309 batting average. Torii Hunter leads the team in homeruns, RBI’s and runs scored with 8, 21 and 24 respectively. Joe Saunders has been the ace in the first five weeks of the season for Anaheim, as he has went 5-1 with a 2.66 era. The Angels will host the Boston Red Sox for a three game series starting Tuesday, before heading to Texas for a three game weekend series on the road.

15. San Francisco Giants (16-14) – The Giants, in the National League West are just trying to keep pace with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thus far, they look to be the Dodgers only halfway close competition within the division. The Giants, just above .500 are 4.5 games back,  but lead San Diego by three games and the Rockies and Diamonbacks by four games. San Francisco did what they needed to do over the weekend, and beat the Dodgers two of three. The Giants do not have a starter in their lineup with a batting average over .300. Fred Lewis leads the team in batting with a .299 mark. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain have anchored the starting rotation well, with Barry Zito doing a much better job in 2009 then he did in 2008. The Giants will enjoy a nice long home stand this week, as the Nationals come in on Monday, followed by the Mets on Thursday, for a four game weekend tilt.

16. New  York Yankees (15-16) – The addition of Alex Rodriguez back in the lineup should be the shot in the arm, New York has been looking for in the first 30+ games. In the first night, it was, as he went deep in his first at bat. Since then, the Yankees split games with Baltimore. The Yankees, under .500, are 5.5 games back of the front running Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East. New York was aided by a hot start from Nick Swisher, who leads the team with eight homeruns. The Yankees will look to gain ground on the Blue Jays this week, as they start a three game series north of the border on Tuesday, and then will come home for a Friday, Saturday, Sunday tilt with the Minnesota Twins.

17. Tampa Bay Rays (15-17) – As the Rays look to take two of three from divisional rival Boston Sunday on ESPN, they try to figure out how to get any consistency from anyone not named Longoria. Slugger Evan Longoria is off to a hot start, batting .367 with 11 homeruns and 44 RBI’s Carlos Pena leads all of baseball with 13 homeruns, but even his consistency has been shaky at times. Scott Kazmir leads the starting staff with four wins, while Troy Percival has picked up five saves in the first five weeks. After Tampa Bay leaves Boston Sunday night, they will make a brief two game stop in Baltimore for Tuesday and Wednesday games, before heading home for a four game series with the Cleveland Indians.

18. Seattle Mariners (16-16) – The Mariners, despite their recent four game losing streak, still sit just 1.5 games back in the American League West. The Mariners picked up a win on Sunday at Minnesota to avoid being swept. Ichiro leads Seattle in batting with a .320 batting mark, while Russell Branyan is providing the power, with seven homeruns on the season. Felix Hernandez has been the ace of the staff with four wins in 44 innings, but Eric Bedard has also pitched well, leading the team in ERA with a 2.37. Closer Brandon Morrow has been recently activated from the disabled list, after missing time, but now Carlos Silva has been placed on the DL with right shoulder inflammation. The Mariners will continue their road trip on Tuesday at Texas for three games, before hosting the Boston Red Sox for a three game series over the weekend.

19. Chicago White Sox (14-16) – The White Sox at 14-16 are tied in third place with the Minnesota Twins. Both Chicago and Minnesota trail Kansas City and Detroit by three games for the divisional lead. The White Sox have been one of the surprise teams, in a bad way to start the season. Despite Carlos Quentin’s hot start, and eight homeruns, the White Sox have been very inconsistent offensively. Chicago is coming off losing two of three to the Texas Rangers over the weekend. The White Sox biggest bright spot on the season has been lefthander Mark Buerhle. Buerhle leads the team with a 5-0 record, and 2.61 era in 38 innings. Closer Bobby Jenks has picked up seven saves for Chicago. Alexi Ramirez has gotten off to an extremely slow start, hitting just .204 with 1 homerun and 11 RBI’s. The White Sox will start a road trip on Monday in Cleveland, before playing four on the road in Toronto starting Thursday.

20. Minnesota Twins (15-17) – Along with Chicago, the Twins have been another disappointment out of the American League Central. Minnesota did recently pick up two of three from the visiting Seattle Mariners to climb into the third place tie, three games back of the leaders. The Twins Justin Morneau seemingly is carrying the offense, almost single handedly, leading in batting average, homeruns, RBI’s, and runs. Morneau is hitting .322, with 8 homeruns, 25 RBI’s, and 22 runs scored. Kevin Slowey leads the Twins pitching staff in wins with 4,but has an ERA of 5.50 on the season.  The Twins will look to make ground with the Detroit Tigers, starting on Tuesday with a three game series at home, and then over the weekend will play at the new Yankee Stadium.

21. Atlanta Braves (15-16) – The Atlanta Braves have almost become the most forgot about team in major league baseball. The Braves’ despite that claim still linger in the mix within the National League East. It is early, but if Atlanta can continue to get solid pitching from Jair Jurrjens and Javier Vazquez, the Braves could compete in September. The Braves leading homerun hitter is Chipper Jones with three. Atlanta’s lack of power has become very apparent, as they expect more power numbers from Jeff Francouer. Casey Kotchman leads the team in batting, and is batting just .298. Atlanta has won four of their last five, winning the final two in a series with Florida, and taking the last two most recently with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves will conclude their road trip, starting on Monday, visiting the New York Mets for three. Atlanta will take Thursday off, before the Arizona Diamondbacks visit the heart of Dixie on Friday.

22. Houston Astros (14-17) – By winning three straight games, and by virtue of the Pittsburgh Pirates dropping eight straight, the Astros have climbed into fifth place in the National League Central. Houston is three games under .500, but may be putting things together. Carlos Lee leads a struggling offense with a .309 batting average and 22 RBI’s, while Lance Berkman has knocked seven over the boards, but his .184 batting average has Astros brass scratching their heads. Wandy Rodriguez leads the team in wins with just 3, and era (1.80), along with innings pitched (45). The Astros took three straight over the weekend from the San Diego Padres. Houston now hit’s the road for a series at Colorado, followed by a weekend series at Chicago.

23. San Diego Padres (13-19) – The Padres offense abandoned them in a three game weekend series at Houston. After losing 2-0, the Padres dropped 5-4 and 12-5 decisions. Adrian Gonzalez appears to be the only San Diego hitter than provides a punch in the lineup. Gonzalez leads the team in batting (.296), homeruns (9), RBI’s (20) and runs scored (21). The Padres will take on the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field starting on Tuesday, and then come back home to host the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend.

24. Arizona Diamondbacks (12-19) – The dismal start by the Arizona Diamondbacks already got former manager Bob Melvin canned. Now the Diamondbacks will look to make new manager A.J. Hinch look a little better. Arizona is off to a 12-19 start, and placed in fourth place in the National League West, already 9.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Arizona was able to pick up a series finale win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday to avoid the three game sweep.  Dan Haren has pitched well for Arizona to start the year, winning three games, and compiling an ERA of 1.84, striking out 51 batters and walking just 4.

25. Baltimore Orioles (13-19) – It’s never easy to compete in the American League East with the powers of New York and Boston, and more recently Tampa Bay, and now with Toronto off to a torrid start, the Orioles are having an even more difficult time. The Orioles are in fifth place in the AL East, and trail Toronto by eight games. Adam Jones has been a bright start for Baltimore, hitting .353, with 6 homeruns and 21 RBI’s. Jim Johnson has won two games, with no defeats out of the bullpen for Baltimore. The Orioles will host Tampa Bay Tuesday and Wednesday, and then start a four game series at Kansas City on Thursday.

26. Pittsburgh Pirates (12-19) – The Pirates have lost eight straight games, and nine of their last ten. After a good start that saw them competing near the top of the NL Central, Pittsburgh has now fallen to seven games under .500, and 7.5 games behind front running St. Louis. Pittsburgh’s bullpen has been beat around recently suffering two meltdowns during last weeks play. The Pirates were have been swept in three straight series’. Pittsburgh will look to get back on the winning track, as they host the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, and then see Colorado come in on Friday.

27. Oakland Athletics (11-18) – The Athletics have been riddled with injuries to start the season. Mark Ellis, Nomar Garciaparra and Eric Chavez all remain on the shelf, which forced Oakland to acquire veteran Adam Kennedy. Jack Cust has provided the most power for Oakland, but has hit just four homeruns, as Matt Holliday has been a disappointment thus far for Oakland. The Athletics will host the Kansas City Royals for two games on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then take Thursday off, before heading to Detroit for a weekend series.

28. Colorado Rockies (12-18) – The Rockies find themselves eight games back of the Dodgers, just barely ahead of Arizona in the National League West. If the Rockies do not pick up the pace, look for Clint Hurdle to be hiring the same unemployment papers as recently canned Bob Melvin did. Todd Helton is hitting .337 for Colorado and Chris Ianetta leads the team with six homeruns. Huston Street has been dismal for Colorado with a 0-1 record, and 5.11 era, with just three saves on the year. Colorado will host Houston for a three game series starting Tuesday, and then head on the road to Pittsburgh on Friday.

29. Cleveland Indians (11-21) – Cleveland did not help their  cause over the weekend getting swept by Central leading Detroit. The Indians are now 11-21 and 7 games back of Detroit and Kansas City. Victor Martinez continues to see the ball very well, leading his team, and all of baseball with a .385 batting average. Grady Sizemore leads the team with homeruns (6) and RBI’s (22). The Indians will look to snap their four game losing streak on Monday when the Chicago White Sox come to town. Following Chicago, the Indians will head to Tampa Bay to play four with the Rays.

30. Washington Nationals (10-19) – The Nationals have started to show some signs of light winning three straight, and six of their last ten overall. The winning streak was snapped on Sunday as the Diamondbacks were able to win the final game of the series. Washington has seen Ryan Zimmerman surge to a 28  game hitting streak, and hit for a .338 average through 30 games, and also Adam Dunn pounded out 9 homeruns. Shairon Maris leads the Nationals pitching staff with four wins, and an ERA of 4.67. The Nationals started 5-16, so their streak is much improvement. Washington will continue the road trip on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in San Francisco, before heading home to host the Phillies on Friday.

The New York Yankees proved once again they are the wealthiest team in Major League Baseball. The Yankees signed superstar C.C Sabathia to a 7 year contract worth a mind boggling 161 million dollars. The huge deal equals the highest paying contract ever for a Major League pitcher. The deal is also the 4^th highest paid contract in the history of Major League Baseball. For the Yankees to spend this type of money on a pitcher, represents the desperate attempt the New York franchise has pulled to get their team back to winning World Championship for the first time since 2000.

While many teams have been slow to dish out big money contracts or deals due to the slumping economy, the Yankees have flexed the financially charged muscle. New York just moved across the Bronx, to their brand new 1.6 billion dollar place that is the New Yankee Stadium. The new stadium is the most luxurious among all Major League Baseball stadiums today. Tickets for the new ballpark are in the $2,500 range where people can watch the game from bars and clubhouses containing swimming pools, hot tubs, and anything else you can imagine. Yep, it’s safe to say the Yankees are not struggling when it comes to money despite the majority of teams who have cut back on franchise spending in fear of losing tons of money due to the economy.

The new contract with pitcher C.C Sabathia is simply another prime example of what New York has done for years. The Yankees have simply made an effort to buy World Championships. The New York Yankees franchise is estimated at an incredible 950 million dollars. The value equals twice the amount of 27 out of 29 franchises in Major League Baseball and nearly 300 million ahead of the 2^nd most wealthy team in the MLB the Boston Red Sox. Considering that there is no salary cap in baseball, the Yankees have the opportunity to spend basically whatever they choose. New York has the ability to sign and spend money that no other team in baseball can even compare. The Yankees however have still not been able to produce a World Championship in 8 years. The Steinbrenner’s, who own the franchise, are willing to fork out money that seems unfair to ensure the Yankees have success no matter the cost.

The Yankees have been quoted as being “the best team money can buy.” The Sabathia deal is just another event that displays the financial monopoly that is the New York Yankees. Despite the argument that C.C Sabathia most likely is not worth the amount of the lucrative contract, the Yanks have enough money to sign these types of deals with no worries. New York over the past 8 years since their last World Championship has amassed a level of talent that is similar to that of an all-star team. Any team that has the money to accumulate the best two players in their sport has too much power. The Yankees have just that in superstars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

Simply look at the New York roster and you can see the level of financial superiority. The Yankees have a roster of all-star and future Hall of Fame players. You do not even have to be familiar with baseball to know the names Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Hideki Matsui, and now C.C Sabathia. If it were possible, New York would simply buy World Championship rings every year and claim the Championship rather than winning it with the unlimited amount of revenue that flows through the program. However, New York has to settle for buying a team that others could only dream of buying. Still the World Championships have yet to come. If New York fails to capture a Championship in the next few years, can you imagine how much more desperate and lucrative financial movements that will be made to ensure success. New York definitely benefits from a professional league without a salary cap. I mean can you really blame the Yankees for spending more money than any other team since they have that option. Surely the sporting world must admire the Yankee’s determination and ‘whatever it takes’ attitude to win despite how much you love or hate them.