This week I am going to point to a couple of series of interest and also shine a spotlight on the Oakland Athletics, who enter this week just one game under .500 at 17-18.
But first, the 21-14 Chicago Cubs are hosting the 18-19 San Diego Padres for a three-game series at Wrigley Field. The Cubs’ big offseason splash was jettisoning skipper David Ross to bring in a proven-difference maker. To date, it looks like the move to Craig Counsell was a solid one. The Cubs’ starting pitching is holding up nicely with the exception of Kyle Hendricks, who looks as if his best days are way behind him.
The Padres are doing what they always seem like their doing — smokescreening by making big moves that take the eye off of how poorly they are constructed. This time it’s two-time batting champion Luis Arráez, acquired for a four-player package sent to Miami.
In the American League, there is an interesting series between the homestanding and red-hot Minnesota Twins against the Seattle Mariners, who may just posses the best starting pitching in baseball. Before their May 5 loss to the Red Sox, the Twins had won 12 straight games. The Mariners come to Target Field playing some of their best baseball of the season, having won 13 of their last 18 and actually moving ahead of the Texas Rangers by a half-game.
Those Rangers go to Oakland to play the suddenly scary Athletics. That’s right, the A’s are 9-4 in their past 13 games. They are doing it with some lively production from Tyler Nevin and Brent Rooker, a big bopper from a year ago. Shea Langeliers’ batting average is well below the Mendoza line and in the .160s, but he has chipped in with six homers.
While A’s owner John Fisher wasn’t going to spend a lot of money in his last year in Oakland, GM David Forst did get the approval to bring in a couple veteran innings eaters in Alex Wood and Ross Stripling. Combining those two with lefty JP Sears and righty Paul Blackburn has given them a respectable rotation.
But what’s been amazing is the back end of the bullpen with right-handers Lucas Erceg and Mason Miller. Both throw the ball 100-plus mph, and the presence of Erceg has allowed skipper Mark Kotsay the luxury of not overusing the almost unhittable Miller. Kotsay has also gotten good work out of old Orioles Rule 5 pickup T.J. McFarland and Mitch Spence, a Rule 5 pickup this past offseason from the Yankees.
In an odd way this feel-good story about the A’s becoming respectable again is bittersweet, because it is their last year playing in front of the Oakland faithful.
Without further ado, here are this week’s power rankings:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (23-13, No. 3 last week): Back-to-back 5-1 weeks have Dave Roberts’ boys at the top of the heap. The sweep of the Braves was impressive and for now leaves no doubt who the better team is.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (24-11, No. 2): The Phillies are continuing to get some really solid to spectacular starts out of the rotation. It looks like hard-throwing lefty José Alvarado is the lead man in the late innings. The loss of Trea Turner (hamstring) is huge, but let’s see if it slows down Rob Thomson’s boys.
3. Baltimore Orioles (23-11, No. 5): Despite an IL stint for Grayson Rodriguez, the returns of Kyle Bradish and John Means were huge inside the clubhouse and on the mound. The bullpen is a work in progress.
4. Atlanta Braves (20-12, No. 1): It’s still early, but the Braves get a failing grade for being swept at Dodger Stadium.
5. New York Yankees (23-13, No. 4): Anthony Volpe, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge is a dynamic top three, but it’s ultimately going to come down to how much they get from ace Gerrit Cole (elbow) and that middle three of Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres. This lineup doesn’t have the length of the Dodgers, Braves or Rangers. I am still reserved on them.
6. Texas Rangers (19-16, No. 8): A starting rotation already missing Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle and Cody Bradford just lost Nathan Eovaldi to the IL with a groin strain. Kirby Yates and David Robertson have combined for 25 appearances and 28.2 innings, only allowing two earned runs and one homer.
7. Kansas City Royals (20-15, No. 10): Seth Lugo has been a phenomenal free-agent signing. Michael Wacha has hurtled back to earth.
8. Minnesota Twins (19-14, No. 14): Before the May 5 loss to Red Sox, Rocco Baldelli’s club had won 12 games in a row, the best such streak in baseball in 2024. The bullpen was dealt a blow with Brock Stewart going on the IL, but Jhoan Duran is back throwing bullets in the ninth inning.
9. Cleveland Guardians (22-12, No. 7): A so-so 3-3 week against the Astros and Angels sees the Guardians slide a couple places. Oddly, they’re doing it more with some surprising offensive production rather than with the starting rotation.
10. Milwaukee Brewers (20-13, No. 6): Hard to see the Brewers hanging around much longer. Their rotation is presently counting on Joe Ross and Tobias Myers, a former O’s prospect sent to Tampa Bay for Tim Beckham back in summer of 2017. While Joey Ortiz is fitting in nicely in Milwaukee, DL Hall has sputtered as a starter and is on IL.
11. Seattle Mariners (19-15, No. 13)
12. Chicago Cubs (21-14, No. 11)
13. Detroit Tigers (18-16, No. 12)
14. Cincinnati Reds (16-18, No. 9)
15. Tampa Bay Rays (17-18, No. 17)
16. Houston Astros (12-22, No. 20)
17. San Diego Padres (18-19, No. 25)
18. Boston Red Sox (19-16, No. 15)
19. Oakland Athletics (17-18, No. 24)
20. Arizona Diamondbacks (15-20, No. 16)
21. Washington Nationals (17-17, No. 26)
22. St. Louis Cardinals (15-19, No. 21)
23. Toronto Blue Jays (16-19, No. 22)
24. New York Mets (16-18, No. 23)
25. Pittsburgh Pirates (16-19, No. 19)
26. San Francisco Giants (15-20, No. 18)
27. Los Angeles Angels (12-22, No. 27)
28. Chicago White Sox (8-26, No. 29)
29. Miami Marlins (10-26, No. 30)
30. Colorado Rockies (8-26, No. 28)