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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.

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At The Bottom of This Article is The Full List of Odds For The 2009 US Open

The U.S Open will return to Bethpage Black Golf Course in New York this year as the top golfers in the world take center stage in the tour’s 2nd major of the season. The U.S Open has historically always been the toughest major for scoring amongst competitors. The PGA Tour made their stop at Bethpage Black back in 2002 and the course was extremely difficult for the world’s top golfers. Tiger Woods prevailed over Phil Mickelson by shooting a 72 hole 277 which equaled 3 under par. Woods was actually the only player to finish in red figures on the tough par 70 course. Phil Mickelson ended up at even par for the 4 round contest, but the rest of the field was well above par in scoring. The PGA Tour returns this year to a slightly different looking Bethpage Black. The course went through renovations and redesigns since the last time they hosted the U.S Open. The course is now even longer ranging at 7,496 yards making it one of the longest U.S Open’s in history. Bethpage Black will also host the longest Par 4 in history this year as number 7 will play an enormous 525 yards. The course has also undergone physical changes with restoration of nearly all greenside bunkers and reshaped greens. Despite all the changes in the course and difficulties these players will face; the true question is who will be able to conquer Bethpage Black?

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Tiger Woods would of course be the favorite considering he won the event back in 2002, but Woods has not exactly been Tiger like since his return from knee surgery earlier this year. Tiger has not exactly been playing poorly, but he has not been as dominate like the world has grown to expect either. Woods won the 2008 U.S Open off that heroic playoff with Rocco Mediate. The world’s number 1 golfer won the event with a badly injured knee which was possibly one of his best performances of his career. Woods will be a 5/1 favorite to win the event slightly ahead of Phil Mickelson who is receiving 8/1 odds to win the event. Mickelson is coming off a disappointing performance at the Players Championship, but did have a top 5 finish in Augusta at The Masters. Mickelson along with Woods both benefit from the long golf course consider they can carry the ball a good distance. Another player that could very well emerge from the crowd and take home a major title is Padraig Harrington. Harrington come on strong last year in Wood’s absence from the sport winning two major events in the British Open and the PGA Championship. Harrington is another player that is solid on the long courses and he proved back in 2002 that he can play well at Bethpage Black when he posted an 8th place finish. Harrington’s game is far more advanced at this point in his career and he would definitely be a bet to consider.

The U.S Open has historically has been subject to falling to the unknowns among the PGA ranks. The US Open has been the event to turn determined young players into household names. Michael Campbell is a prime example. Before the 2005 U.S Open at Pinehurst, Campbell failed to make the cut in his first 5 tournaments on the season. However, Campbell broke putting together the best 4 rounds of action conquering Pine Hurst at even par which earned Campbell his first major victory and turned him into a household name overnight. In 2007, Angel Cabrera was another lesser known name to finally capture the spotlight. Cabrera had been on the tour for numerous years, but had failed to win a major championship or truly contend. However, Cabrera posted a +5 over 4 round score that also earned him his first major championship in one of the toughest U.S Open’s in history at the Oakmont Country Club. Heading into the 2009 U.S Open we would like to pick out some names that could emerge into overnight success stories. Cabrera might be another pick worth consideration at very profitable 50/1 odds. Cabrera won the Masters back in April and are amongst one of the longest hitters on Tour which will be needed at Bethpage.

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One particular name that comes to mind when trying to locate a underdog would be Paul Casey. The 31 year old British player has had a great start to 2009 winning at the Shell Houston Open back in April and has also not finished outside the top 35 in event this season. Casey finished 20th at the Masters and was runner-up at the Accenture Match-Play Championship. Casey is a 33/1 long shot to win the event and this could just be the Tournament that he finally captures his first Major Championship. Another name that could finally breakthrough could be Camilo Villegas. Villegas earned some impressive finished with two top 10 in both the U.S Open and PGA Championship in 2008 which equaled his best finishes in a Major. Villegas has not exactly played poorly over the last few weeks finishing in the top 25 in 3 of his last 4 events. Villegas is another player standing at 33/1 odds for the event, and worth consideration for the U.S Open.

Also we found an interesting Prop Bet surrounding the PGA’s number 1 ranked golfer Tiger Woods. This prop bet is gaining a lot of popularity due to Tiger’s less than terrific start and we decided to make a play on this bet as well;

Will Tiger Woods win a major this year?
Current Prop. Odds: Yes -200, No +150

There maybe some people that will take their chances against Woods, but not us. Woods proved last year in the U.S Open that he finds a way to raise his level of play in the Major Championships even if the odds were against him with a bad knee. Woods may not have the wins at this point in the season to compare with previous seasons, but he is not playing bad golf. Woods may still need time to get back to the top of his game after not swinging a club for nearly 9 months, but no way he does not find a way to win a Major Championship in 2009. Tiger has geared himself for the Major events since his arrival to the PGA Tour and we will take the -200 that Woods brings home at least one Major Title this season.

Below are the current futures odds to win the 2009 US Open for the entire field.  Check back or save the page to your favorites for updates as the odds change for the 09′ USOpen. These are the current odds are from BetUS Sportsbook.  You can also check out BetUS and you will find a variety of other props and match-up lines for the 2009 US Open.  Bet the US Open at BetUS and get a 100% Signup Bonus (up to $500) courtesy of Bankroll Sports when clicking this link.

Current odds to win the US Open From BetUS:

Current matchup odds for the US Open from BetUS Sportsbook (Get a 100% Bonus Above):

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*Baseball Records & Team Rankings are as of 5/24/2009
(Our Next Major League Baseball Power Ratings Update: 5/31/2009)

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (30-14) – The Dodgers continue to hold the top spot, and the difference continues to expand. Los Angeles became the first team to win 30 games on the season Saturday against the Angels. The Dodgers continue to get solid power numbers from Casey Blake and Andre Either during the absence of Manny Ramirez. Closer Johnathan Broxton has been excellent, with a 5-0 record, and 11 saves, and just 2 blown saves on the season. The Dodgers lead the Padres by 8.5 games for the NL West lead. Los Angeles boasts the best home record in baseball, at 18-4, but have played well on the road as well, winning 12 of 22. After the Angels leave town on Sunday the Dodgers will start a seven game road trip on Monday at Colorado, and then a four game set at Wrigley Field on Thursday against the Cubs.  

2. Milwaukee Brewers (26-17) –  All the work the Brewers did to dispose of the Cardinals last week have went to waste this week, losing two straight to the Twins. With St. Louis winning five straight, the Cardinals and Brewers are once again tied atop the division. Milwaukee has a 12-7 record at home, and 14-10 when playing on the road. The Brewers have tortured fellow National League Central opponents winning 17 of 25 against them, including the three game sweep in St. Louis. Milwaukee picked up some insurance this week in the outfield, grabbing Jody Gerut from San Diego, in return for Tony Gwynn Jr. Ryan Braun continues to sparkle for Milwaukee, hitting a team best .336, and leading the team with 31 runs scored. The Brewers will complete their series with Minnesota on Sunday, and then host back to back Central foes in the Cardinals and Reds. The Cardinals will be in town Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, while Cincinnati will start a three game set Friday.

3. St. Louis Cardinals (26-17) – The Cardinals have made an eight team jump from last weeks spot at #11. After getting swept at home to the Brewers, the Cardinals were able to real off a three game sweep over rival Chicago, and have won the first two against state opposition Kansas City. The starting pitching for St. Louis has done something that will be remembered for ages. All five starting pitchers picked up a win in the last five games, allowing just one earned run in 36 innings. In the Cubs series, Chicago scored just 2 runs in three games, while Kansas City has been shutout in the first 18 innings of the series. Chris Carpenter came back strong on Wednesday and went five scoreless innings. Carpenter is now 2-0 on the season, and pitched in 15 innings, not allowing an earned run. The dominance does not come as a surprise to Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan, as they saw the starters start the season 14-2, before the 1-10 string hit. The Cardinals offense still tries to get by, without outfielders Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel and third basemen Troy Glaus. The Cardinals will finish their series with Kansas City Sunday, before heading on the road for three at Milwaukee and then three at San Francisco over the weekend.

4. Detroit Tigers (24-17) – The Tigers had their seven game winning streak snapped on Saturday evening, but despite that, Detroit holds a four game lead in the American League Central. Detroit moved up four spots from # 8 last week to # 4 this week. Detroit won games with their pitching, allowing over six runs just once in the streak. Rick Porcello leads the Tigers staff with wins, winning five and losing three to start the season. Miguel Cabrera is hitting a team leading .370, with 33 runs batted in. Fernando Rodney has saved all eight opportunities he has had this year for Detroit. The Tigers will finish their three game set with Colorado on Sunday, and then face divisional foe Kansas City on the road, before heading to Baltimore for a four game weekend set.

5. Toronto Blue Jays (27-19) – The Blue Jays drop three spots from # 2 to # 5 with their recent struggles, that have seen them drop five straight games and six of their last ten. Toronto was swept by divisional foe Boston on the road, and they have dropped the first two at Atlanta. Toronto leads the American League by a slim ½ game going into Sunday’s games. The Blue Jays continue to play without catcher Michael Barrett starting pitchers Jesse Litsch and Dustin McGowan. Toronto will continue their long road trip on Monday in Baltimore, and then take Thursday off, before going back home to host the Boston Red Sox, in what they hope is revenge from the beating they took at Fenway.

6. Philadelphia Phillies (23-18) –  The defending World Series Champions have made their way up to # 6, four spots up from last weeks # 10 rankings. Philadelphia has won seven of their last ten games, despite falling on Saturday, behind a Brad Lidge blown save. The Phillies have struggled at home winning just 8 of 20 games, while they have thrived on the road, compiling a 15-6 record. Raul Ibanez has continued his torrid pace, leading the team in batting average (.350), homeruns (17), runs batted in (42) and runs scored (37). Those numbers place him in the top five in batting, the leader in homeruns and rbi’s and second in runs scored in the entire National League. For a team that has three offensive MVP type’s already, Ibanez has made the Philadelphia lineup even more potent. The Phillies have just a ½ game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East. Philadelphia will close their road series at the new Yankee Stadium on Sunday, and then make the trip back to Philadelphia to host divisional foes Florida and Washington, with an off day on Thursday.

7. Boston Red Sox (25-18) – The Red Sox have had two straight chances to over take the Toronto Blue Jays atop the American League East. Both times, the New York Mets knocked them off, to keep Boston ½ game behind Toronto. Despite sweeping Toronto in a three game series, the Red Sox have dropped from # 3 to # 7. Boston had a lead on Saturday until closer Jonathan Paplebon blew the save, and the game, and the Mets came back to win 3-2. Friday’s defeat was a 5-3 loss at the hands of Mets ace Johan Santana. American League MVP in 2008 Dustin Pedroia continues to hit, leading the team with a .327 batting average. The Red Sox will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday, and then travel to Minnesota for a four game series, followed by three north of the border in Toronto.

8. Texas Rangers (25-17) – Part of the Rangers success in 2009 has been winning games at home. Texas is 14-6 at home. The other part is beating up on divisional foes. The Rangers have won 10 of 12 against other AL West opponents. Texas has won two straight and seven of their last ten. Texas didn’t always play well this week, taking a three game sweep at the hands of the Detroit Tigers. The Rangers lead the American League West by three games over Los Angeles, and six over Seattle. Michael Young and Ian Kinsler continue to provide offense for the potent Rangers offense. Young leads the team with a .345 batting average, while Kinsler has a team leading 32 runs batted in, and 31 runs scored. The Rangers will look to take the three game sweep at Houston on Sunday, before hosting the New York Yankees for a three game series on Monday and Oakland Athletics for three on Friday.

9. New York Yankees (25-18) – There isn’t a hotter team in baseball right now than the New York Yankees. The Yankees have won 12 of 15 games since third basemen Alex Rodriguez returned from the disabled list. Rodriguez is only hitting .200 since his return, but 7 of his 10 hits have homeruns. The Yankees have surged into a second place with the Boston Red Sox, just ½ game behind Toronto for the lead. The Yankees are 14-8 at the new stadium, and 11-10 on the road. The Yankees are still playing without their top two catchers as Jorge Posada is out with a right hamstring strain and Jose Molina has a strained right quadriceps. The Yankees will finish the three game set with Philadelphia on Sunday, and then play back to back road series’ at Texas and Cleveland, with an off day on Thursday.

10. New York Mets (23-19) – At 23-19 on the season, the New York Mets are just ½ game behind Philadelphia for the top spot in the National League East Division. The Mets have battled their share of injuries as closer Francisco Rodriguez is out for a few days, and shortstop Jose Reyes has been out a few games with an injury. The Mets are also without Carlos Delgado, Oliver Perez and Alex Cora, all on the disabled list with various injuries. The Mets offense has been lifted by Carlos Beltran, who is batting .364 with 6 homeruns, 29 runs batted in and 30 runs scored. Johan Santana leads the starting pitching staff with 6 wins, and only 3 losses. The Mets will finish their three game set at Boston, before coming back home and hosting the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins.

11. Los Angeles Angels (22-20) – The Angels make a three team improvement from last week, jumping from # 14 to # 11. Los Angeles is three games back in the American League West, trailing the Texas Rangers. The Angels picked up a 3-1 win over the Dodgers Friday, only to fall on Saturday 5-4. The Angels will finish their three game series with the Dodgers on Sunday, and then go back home and host the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners for three game sets.

12. Cincinnati Reds (22-20) – The young offensive sluggers for Cincinnati are learning the importance of consistency. Once this happens, Dusty Baker and his Reds will be a force to reckon with in the National League Central. Cincinnati, despite the inconsistency have stayed alive through two months in the division. Coming into Sunday’s game with the Indians, the Reds are two games over .500, and just 3.5 games back of Milwaukee and St. Louis. The Reds remain at # 12 in the power rankings. Joey Votto leads the Reds in batting, also leading the entire National League, with his .371 clip. Jay Bruce leads the team in homeruns with 12, while Brandon Phillips has knocked in 34 runs. The starting pitching staff has been anchored by veteran Bronson Arroyo, who has won six games in 2009. The Reds will finish their series against the Indians on Sunday, and then welcome the Houston Astros to town on Monday, and then get a shot against the division leading Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee over the weekend.

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13. Atlanta Braves (22-20) – Probably the most over-looked team in all of baseball is the Atlanta Braves. Quietly the Braves have crept to within 1.5 games of the lead in the National League East. With all the talk of the Phillies and Mets in the East, the Braves have hung around. Atlanta has won two straight games over the American League East leading Toronto Blue Jays, and will look to sweep the series on Sunday. Atlanta makes a three team jump from # 16 to # 13. Chipper Jones has heated up, raising his average to .316 on the season, while the power for the Braves continues to be non existent. Kelly Johnson leads the Braves in homeruns, with just four. After Toronto leaves town on Sunday, the Braves will head out west to play the Giants in a three game set, and then stop in Arizona on Thursday for a four game weekend series.

14. Tampa Bay Rays (23-22) – The defending American League Champions seem to heating up a bit, winners of three straight games and seven of ten overall. The Rays have made a five team jump from # 19 to # 14. Tampa fell in the first two games at Oakland, but picked up a win in the last game, and have won the first two over state foe Florida. Jason Bartlett continues to hit the ball around the park, batting for a team leading .376 batting average. Carlos Pena leads the team with 15 homeruns and Evan Longoria leads all of baseball with 48 runs batted in. The Rays will finish the series with Florida on Sunday, and then take to the road at Cleveland for a four game set, before hosting Minnesota over the weekend.

15. San Diego Padres (21-22) – Making the biggest jump of the week is the San Diego Padres. The Padres move up 11 spots from # 26 to # 15, winning eight straight games. All the wins for San Diego have come at home, where they are 16-6 on the season. The winning streak has help aid the Padres into second place in the National League West, but still 8.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Adrian Gonzalez continues to make a run at the All Star game, as he leads San Diego in batting average (.281), homeruns (16), runs batted in (30) and runs scored (29). Closer Heath Bell has saved 12 games, in 12 tries. The Padres will look to finish a perfect nine game home stand on Sunday against the Cubs, and then take the road to Arizona and Colorado.

16. Chicago Cubs (21-20) – The biggest loser of the week is the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs have lost six straight games, and dropped from # 5 down all the way to # 16. More importantly for Chicago, they have fallen back to fourth place, four games behind Milwaukee and St. Louis. The Cubs were swept by the Cardinals during the week, only scoring two runs in three games. Since in San Diego, Chicago’s offense has not picked up, scoring just one run in two games. The Cubs got good news on Friday, but bad news as well. Chicago activated Carlos Zambrano from the disabled list, but also placed starting pitcher Rich Harden on the disabled list. Harden joins third basemen Aramis Ramirez on the list. The Cubs will look to win one game on the six game road trip on Sunday in San Diego, and then hope the friendly confines help the bats get back on track, as they will host Pittsburgh and Los Angeles for seven straight.

17. Kansas City Royals (21-22) – The Royals are searching for their bats, as they have scored just three runs in their last three games. All those runs came in the same game, a 8-3 loss to Cleveland on Thursday. Friday and Saturday have not been kind to the Royals, who have been out scored by state rival St. Louis 10-0. The Royals have dropped four spots from # 13 to # 17 with their current losing streak. Kansas City is in second place in the American League Central, four games behind first place Detroit. Zack Greinke picked up a no decision in Thursday’s loss, as his season era went up to 0.82. Greinke has won 7 of his 8 decisions in 2009.  The Royals will look to win one in St. Louis on Sunday, before heading home to host the Tigers and White Sox in back to back series’, taking Thursday off.

18. Minnesota Twins (21-23) – Despite winning three straight, the Minnesota Twins have lost six of their last ten games, and fallen three spots from # 15 to # 18. The Twins picked up a 20-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night, and followed suit on Friday with a 11-3 win over Milwaukee, and picked up another win Saturday 6-2. The Twins are 16-9 when playing at home, but a dismal 5-14 on the road. Minnesota has struggled against American League East foes, winning just 3 of 15 times against them. The Twins are in third place in the Central Division, trailing the Detroit Tigers by 4.5 games. Justin Morneau leads the Minnesota offense in batting average (.343), homeruns (12), runs batted in (36) and runs scored (35). The Twins will look to sweep the Brewers on Sunday night Baseball, before hosting the Boston Red Sox for four, and then head to Tampa Bay for a three game weekend set.

19. Seattle Mariners (20-24) – The Mariners cannot seem to find any positive consistency, as they have not won two straight since April 24^th and 25^th. The Mariners are six games behind the Texas Rangers, in third place in the American League West. Ichiro Suzuki leads the team in hitting with a .315 batting average, while big man Russell Branyan leads in homeruns with 10. Felix Hernandez leads the starting pitching staff, but has just four wins on the season. The Mariners and Giants will play the rubber game of a three game series on Sunday, and then Seattle will make trips to both Oakland and Los Angeles (Angels) this week.

20. San Francisco Giants (20-22) – If the Giants could play their entire season at home, they would have a chance to compete with the Dodgers atop the NL West. Problem is, they don’t. The road has been unkind to the Giants, who have won just 7 of 21. San Francisco dropped three spots from # 17 to # 20. Despite the win on Saturday, the Giants have won just two of their last ten games overall. After getting swept at divisional foe San Diego, the Giants fell in the first at Seattle, but bounced back on Saturday. The Giants are in third place, ½ game behind San Diego, and nine full games back of the Dodgers. The Giants, after finishing up in Seattle will head back home and look to get back on track against Atlanta and St. Louis this week.

21. Chicago White Sox (19-23) – The White Sox made their best efforts to grab Jake Peavy to join the starting rotation, but were not able to land him when Peavy declined a trade to the Windy City. The White Sox make a one team jump up from # 22 to # 21 winning four of their last five games.  The lone loss in that span was a 20-1 butt whooping at the hands of divisional foe Minnesota. The White Sox have shut out the Pirates 6-0 in the first two games of the three game series. Chicago will play Pittsburgh for the final time on Sunday, and then head west and take on the Angels Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. After an off day on Thursday, the White Sox will play at Kansas City over the weekend.

22. Pittsburgh Pirates (19-24) – Despite losing three straight games, the Pittsburgh Pirates actually moved up three spots from # 25 to # 22. Pittsburgh is seven games back in the National League Central, trailing the Brewers and Cardinals. Pittsburgh has struggled on the road, winning just 8 of 23 games. On Friday, Zach Duke pitched a complete game in just 88 pitches, but took the loss to the White Sox 2-0. Freddie Sanchez is Pittsburgh’s top hitter, batting .294 on the season. The Pirates will look to avoid the sweep Sunday at Chicago, before visiting the Cubs starting Monday, and coming home on Friday to host the Houston Astros.

23. Florida Marlins (19-25) – The Marlins continue to struggle after the red hot start. Florida falls another five spots this week from # 18 to # 23. The Marlins have lost four straight, including the final two against Arizona, and the first two against state rival Tampa Bay. The Marlins are 8-14 at home, while playing .500 (11-11) on the road this season. Florida has been beat up by Central foes, going just 2-10 against them. Florida has fallen to fourth place in the National League East, 5.5 games behind front running Philadelphia. Hanley Ramirez leads the Marlins in batting average and homeruns with a .323 clip and 8 blasts. The Marlins will look to pick up one win over the Rays on Sunday, and then head out on the road against divisional foes – Philadelphia and New York (Mets), with an off day Thursday.

24. Arizona Diamondbacks (19-24) – The Diamondbacks made a five team jump over the week. Instead of being the second worst, they have jumped to # 24. Arizona has won four straight and six of their last ten. In their recent win streak at Florida and Oakland, the Diamondbacks have outscored opponents 25-20. Felipe Lopez leads Arizona in hitting with a .323 mark, while Mark Reynolds has knocked 12 out of the park. Reliever Tony Pena leads the team in wins, with a 4-1 mark, and a robust era of 1.27. Arizona will finish their series with the Athletics on Sunday, and then head home for seven straight home games, starting with three with San Diego and finishing the weekend with the Atlanta Braves for four games.

25. Houston Astros (18-23) – The Astros fall five spots from # 20 to # 25 after their current three game losing streak.  Along with the losing streak, Houston has also lost six of their last ten games. The streak has sent the Astros to the bottom of the National League Central division standings, tied with Pittsburgh, seven games back. The Astros have struggled at home winning just 9 of 23, while playing .500 ball at home. Another down fall for the 2009 Astros is their record against National League Central foes. The Astros have went just 9-17 against the division. Hunter Pence leads the team in batting with a .351 mark, while Carlos Lee leads with 29 runs batted in. The Astros will look to avoid the three game sweep on Sunday against Texas, and then start a road trip on Monday at Cincinnati, and a weekend trip for three at Pittsburgh.

26. Baltimore Orioles (18-25) – Baltimore takes a three team tip from # 23 to # 26 with their recent struggles. Despite those struggles, the Orioles have been able to right the ship some and win two straight at Washington. Adam Jones continues to lead the offense, along side Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts. Jones leads in batting average (.362) and homeruns (9), while Markakis leads in runs batted in (36), while Roberts leads in runs scored (37) and stolen bases (10). Brian Bass, a relief pitcher leads the team in wins with 3, while closer George Sherill has saved 9 of 11 games. The Orioles will look to finish the sweep of Washington on Sunday, and then come home and host Toronto and Detroit, with the Tigers and Orioles playing four over the weekend.

27. Colorado Rockies (17-25) – The Rockies were able to stop the Detroit Tigers seven game winning streak on Saturday, topping them 4-3. Colorado remains at the # 27 position, sitting in last place in the National League West. The Rockies are a league worst 12 games behind first place in their division. The Rockies have gotten solid hitting from first basemen Todd Helton, who is hitting .343, and off season pick-up Jason Marquis has been solid, leading the team with five wins. Colorado will finish their series with the Tigers on Sunday, and then head back to the Mile High City to host the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, with an off day on Thursday.

28. Oakland Athletics (15-25 – Things have not gone as planned for the Oakland Athletics when they acquired Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies. The Athletics do not have a batter that is hitting over .300 on the season, with Kurt Suzuki leading the team with a .298 clip. Dallas Braden leads the team in wins, but has just a 3-5 record, with a 3.67 era. Oakland remains at # 28, just ahead of Cleveland. The Athletics will finish their three game set with Arizona over the weekend, and then host the Seattle Mariners for a three game set starting Monday. Oakland will take Thursday off, before traveling to Texas for  Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with Friday’s as a doubleheader.

29. Cleveland Indians (17-27) – Victor Martinez has stayed healthy through the first two months of the season, which has been a pleasant surprise for Indians fans. Unfortunately, his numbers have done very little as far as putting the Indians in the win column. Martinez is batting .391 on the season, and his driven in 30 runs. Cleveland has not capitalized, starting the season ten games under .500 and nine games back of the Detroit Tigers. Off-season pick-up Kerry Wood has saved six games for Cleveland, but has an ERA of 7.71 with 10 walks on the season. The Indians have played poor of late, and dropped five spots from # 24 to # 29. The Indians will finish their series with state rival Cincinnati on Sunday, and then host Tampa Bay on Monday for a four game series, and then welcome the Yankees in for a weekend series.

30. Washington Nationals (12-30) – The Nationals remain the worst team in Major League Baseball, and the distance between them and the next worse is growing. The Nationals are inching closer and closer to 20 games under .500, and they haven’t even played 45 on the season yet. Washington is a 11.5 games out of first place. Christian Guzman has been one of the bright spots offensively for the Nationals, hitting at a .360 clip, which ranks him fourth in the National League. Adam Dunn leads a group tied in fourth in the NL in homeruns with 12, while Ryan Zimmerman is fifth in RBI’s with 34. The Nationals will finish off their three game series with Baltimore on Sunday, and then hit the road against the top two teams in their division. On Monday  the Nationals will play at the new Citi Field in New York, and then over the weekend Washington will visit Philadelphia for three.

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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 month of April is here and that means one thing for big football fans and that is NFL Draft Time. The one part of the off-season that really can make or break team’s chances to succeed next season. While many may be aware of the biggest names entering the NFL Draft, we will break down one of the most exciting positions on the field at wide receiver. Take a look as we rank the top ten wide outs in the 2009 class and their chances to make an impact on Sundays. This year’s receiving class is very talented and loaded with speed. The 2008 WR core was the only in nearly 20 years to not have at least one receiver drafted in the first round. However, the chances of that happening again this year are absolutely none as up to around 4-5 college standouts have the opportunity to be selected in the first round. Take a look at the biggest names on the board at the wide receiver position.

1. Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)
Crabtree exploded onto the college football scene last year with help of the Red Raiders early season success. The sensational sophomore really became a household name when he caught the game winning touchdown over Texas in the final two seconds of the ball game while tight roping the sidelines. However, Crabtree had long established his playmaking ability before the season defying play. The sophomore racked up over 3,000 yards in just two seasons at Texas Tech with a combination of strength, speed and size that makes him extremely difficult to defend. Crabtree has been hampered by injuries all during the NFL workout sessions, but is widely declared as the best receiver in the draft and will likely be gone if the first 4 selections.

2. Jeremy Maclin (Missouri)
Maclin will likely be the number two receiver to go in the 2009 class. The red-shirt sophomore out of Missouri terrorized the Big 12 this season in many different ways. Maclin set an NCAA record as a freshman posting over 2700 all-purpose yards. Maclin has great mobility, but only stands at 6’0 even. However, he could be a great fit to make an immediate impact for teams as a lookdown receiver and possibly be a potential returner on special teams as well. Look for the star receiver out of Missouri to go around the number 10 overall selection range.

3. Kenny Britt (Rutgers)
Britt may be the underdog in consideration of popularity, but he has been very impressive in the months leading up to the NFL draft through the workout sessions. Britt may be the best receiver in terms of long-term tenure to the NFL. The Rutgers standout has a considerable size advantage over the other top choices in the draft. Britt also contains very strong acceleration and catching ability which could make him a big play threat.

4. Darious Heyward-Bey (Maryland)
Heyward-Bey may be the most unpolished receiver in the draft with so much potential in store. The sophomore out of Maryland only caught a little over 600 yards last season for the Terrapins, but that was from an offense who struggled in the passing department. Heyward-Bey may have some issues with actually catching the ball, but his speed will be the big eye opener. The potential superstar posted one of the fastest NFL combine times at a 4.3 flat in his very first attempt, and if he can work on the route running along with other areas then he can definitely become a big time player.

5. Percy Harvin (Florida)
If you kept up with the Florida Gators National Championship season, then you can make a legitimate argument that Percy Harvin was possibly the biggest asset to the Gators offense and not the more popular Tim Tebow. Harvin was used in many different type scenarios and even lined up in the back field for some plays meaning his versatility is superior most others receivers. Game-breaking speed and play making ability jump right out, but his durability and size could hold him back a few spots despite his play at the college level.

6. Hakeem Nicks (North Carolina)
Hakeem Nicks led the ACC in total yards this season with over 1,200 receiving yards while adding 12 touchdowns. Nicks will be the first Tarheel selected in the NFL draft with other star wide out Brandon Tate likely to coming shortly after. Nicks ability to turn plays from nothing into something were a highlight of his college career. After a breakout junior season campaign, Nicks could possibly go as high as the late first round but will probably end up as a 2nd round selection.

7. Brandon Tate (North Carolina)
North Carolina will put their 2nd receiver in the draft with standout Brandon Tate given the slight chance Tate is selected ahead of Nicks. The downside to Brandon Tate is he suffered a season ending injury that needed surgery to repair an ACL and MCL. The electrifying wide receiver may have been a top 5 pick among wide outs in the draft if not for that injury, and the question everyone has is how will the injury affect him in the future?

8. Derrick Williams (Penn State)
Williams may well be the only receiver on the board drafted solely for being a returner on special teams. The former Nittany Lions return specialist averaged 18.5 yards in his career in Happy Valley on kick returns. Williams posted some disappointing 40 times in the NFL workouts and will likely not be used in the primary receiver role. However, his return skills may be enough for a team to gamble on in hopes to improve special teams play.

9. Brian Robiskie (Ohio State)
Brian Robiskie is one of those receivers in the draft that you just may not be able to measure the amount of potential. Robiskie was apart of the heavily run favored offense from the Buckeyes and there may be some talent just waiting to explode. The Ohio State senior has solid size, but the questionable aspect may be his speed. After some slower than average times at the combines, Robiskie could fall downwards.

10. Louis Murphy (Florida)
Louis Murphy was one of the lost names among the National Title roster that just may have been in the shadow of Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow. However, Murphy was a solid threat for the Gators passing attack and has the potential to become an NFL starter as well. Great size and speed give him lots of room to develop. Anybody not needing any direct impact on the field this year, may target Murphy as he appears to have a tremendous room to grow in the years to come.