You have to like a lot of the things you’re seeing from the Orioles, who posted the most wins in April in franchise history. But have you looked at the neighborhood the Orioles reside in, the American League East? All five teams are over .500. The Rays lead the way at 28-7. The Orioles are 22-12; the Blue Jays, 21-14; the Red Sox, 21-15, and the last-place Yankees, 18-17.
The AL Central has just one team over .500, the Twins at 19-16. The Guardians, Tigers, Royals and White Sox are all under .500.
The AL West has just two teams over .500 in the Rangers (20-13) and Angels (19-16). The Mariners and Astros are both .500 at 17-17.
In the NL East, the Braves are the only team over .500 at 24-11. The beat-up and beleaguered Mets and Phillies are both off to underwhelming, below-.500 starts.
In the NL Central, the surprising Pirates are now on a seven-game losing streak but still lead the division at 20-15. The Brewers are 19-15, and the Cubs are 17-17.
Out in the NL West, the Dodgers have been streaking and are now 21-14. The Diamondbacks are 19-15, and the Padres are 18-17.
So, while there is a lot to like about the Hometown 9 here in Birdland — and it’s more than OK to dream again — let’s keep in mind the toughest neighborhood in baseball is the AL East. The good news is that three division winners and three wild cards make the playoffs in each league.
And while there are close to five months still to go, it certainly looks like all three wild-card teams in the American League could come from our neighborhood. That could leave one very good team on the outside looking in.
Here’s a look at this week’s MLB power rankings:
1. Tampa Bay Rays (28-7, No. 1 last week): The early disrespect on the Rays in the early going was, “Who have they beaten?” They lost two of three against Houston, then went to Chicago and beat the White Sox in three of four games, then came back home and won five of six against the then-hot Pirates and the Yankees. They are on the road for six this week in Baltimore and the Bronx.
2. Atlanta Braves (24-11, No. 3): The Braves put together a 6-2 week as they split a doubleheader in Queens, swept a hot Marlins club in Miami and then took two of three games against the Orioles. They do the little things to win games. They are counting on a lot from a 33-year-old Raisel Iglesias as a closer.
3. Toronto Blue Jays (21-14, No. 2): The Jays got punched in the mouth by the red-hot Red Sox, who won four straight. They did get up off the floor and swept the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Interesting week ahead with two in Philly and then hosting Braves back at Rogers Centre for three.
4. Baltimore Orioles (22-12, No. 5): There’s a lot to like with the Orioles. The only thing majorly missing is a true No. 1 starter. A financial commitment is needed.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (21-14, No. 10): I deeply underestimated the heart in that clubhouse. In order to take two of three against the Padres in San Diego, Mookie Betts tied the “Sunday Night Baseball” game with a two-out home run in the top of the ninth against closer Josh Hader. The Dodgers took the lead and then got a two-run homer from standout rookie James Outman in the 10th.
6. San Diego Padres (18-17, No. 11): Josh Hader’s blown save cost the Padres a series win at home, but they get a shot at revenge at Dodger Stadium from May 12-14.
7. Minnesota Twins (19-16, No. 7): They pitch really well, but they won’t be able to hang in my top 10 much longer with a .225 batting average and a .302 on-base percentage.
8. New York Yankees (18-17, No. 8): The reason the Yankees were initially reticent about paying Aaron Judge the big bucks was his inability to stay on the field over the long haul. Judge has been out since April 28 with a hip injury. This lineup doesn’t scare anyone without him. Willie Calhoun and Jake Bauers are semi-regulars right now. Not good look for GM Brian Cashman.
9. Milwaukee Brewers (19-15, No. 4): I sure as hell didn’t expect the Brewers, after a big jump into top five, to suddenly go 1-5 against Colorado and San Francisco.
10. Texas Rangers (20-13, No. 13): Only three teams have scored more than 200 runs: Tampa Bay, Boston and Texas. It’s a big “if,” but they would be incredibly dangerous if they can still get star right-hander Jacob deGrom to start 20 or more games.
11. Houston Astros (17-17, No. 12)
12. Pittsburgh Pirates (20-15, No. 6)
13. Boston Red Sox (21-15, No. 19)
14. New York Mets (17-18, No. 9)
15. Los Angeles Angels (19-16, No. 18)
16. Arizona Diamondbacks (19-15, No. 14)
17. Seattle Mariners (17-17, No. 20)
18. Chicago Cubs (17-17, No. 17)
19. Philadelphia Phillies (16-19, No. 15)
20. Cleveland Guardians (16-18, No. 21)
21. San Francisco Giants (15-18, No. 23)
22. Miami Marlins (17-18, No. 16)
23. Detroit Tigers (15-18, No. 25)
24. Chicago White Sox (12-23, No. 27)
25. Washington Nationals (14-20, No. 26)
26. Colorado Rockies (14-21, No. 29)
27. Cincinnati Reds (14-20, No. 22)
28. St. Louis Cardinals (11-24, No. 24)
29. Kansas City Royals (9-26, No. 28)
30. Oakland Athletics (8-27, No. 30)