As we begin the month of June, I have some words of wisdom for the fans of the Baltimore Orioles, who are 37-20. To date, it’s been a pretty good season.
But if you are thinking the New York Yankees are somehow going to roll over and give the division away, think again. Remember, this time a year ago the Yankees were within hailing distance of the Orioles. The Orioles were 36-22 and the Yankees were 35-25, just two games back of the Birds at the end of play on June 3.
Why is the date of June 3 significant in this discussion? It was exactly a year ago — on June 3, 2023 — that Aaron Judge made that catch at Dodger Stadium and banged into the gate to the Dodgers bullpen. The gate wasn’t nearly secure enough to withstand the 6-foot-7, 282-pound outfielder and for some reason, there was a tricky cement curb just below the fence. Judge made the grab but didn’t expect the gate to open or to stumble on that curb, tearing a ligament in his toe in the process.
From that point on, the two teams went in opposite directions. The Yankees went just 47-55 the rest of the way to finish just 82-80, while the Orioles sprinted to a 65-39 finish, paving the way for a 101-61 regular-season mark.
I took a lot of grief from Orioles fans back in early March when I picked the Yankees to win the division. At the time, I knew nothing about the elbow injury to Gerrit Cole that has delayed his 2024 debut.
By the time I dove back into my power rankings just as the season was to begin, I leapfrogged the Orioles back on top of the Yankees. Through play on June 2, the Yankees are 42-19 and the Orioles are a very fine 37-20. That means the Orioles trail the Yankees by three full games.
Not only do the Yankees have a healthy Judge, but they acquired this guy — not sure you’ve heard of him — named Juan Soto, who just happens to be forming one of the truly amazing 1-2 punches in the game. Together, they have 38 home runs, 100 RBIs and 89 runs scored.
Even without Cole, the Yankees’ starting pitching has been really terrific, especially Luis Gil (7-1, 1.99 ERA), Carlos Rodón (7-2, 3.09) and Marcus Stroman (5-2, 2.73). Cole makes his first minor league rehab start on June 4.
Meanwhile, and I mean this with all sincerity, the Orioles seem to be very much in a sorting-out mode. I have learned never to underestimate GM Mike Elias. In fact, I gave him real props last season for the Shintaro Fujinami gamble. But the expectations for 2024 are much higher and deserve a more serious effort than their acquisition of right-handed reliever Thyago Vieira.
The Corbin Burnes deal gave Orioles fans serious hope for the season ahead. They have gotten very, very lucky with Kyle Bradish bouncing back from what appeared to be near-certain Tommy John surgery.
Brandon Hyde needs some help with his pitching staff. There is some help below in the person of Cade Povich and perhaps even Chayce McDermott. Maybe the club tries Povich as a starter and moves Albert Suárez back to the ‘pen.
As Sherlock Holmes used to say, “Watson, the game is afoot.”
Now, here are this week’s power rankings.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (41-19, No. 1 last week): The Phillies host the Central-leading Brewers for three before heading overseas for two games against the Mets in the MLB London Series. It looks like they dodged a bullet with Ranger Suárez, who was hit in his pitching hand by a comebacker.
2. New York Yankees (42-19, No. 2): This is starting to shape up as a dream season. Their top three starting pitchers have 19 wins already and Gerrit Cole is heading out on rehab.
3. Baltimore Orioles (37-20, No. 3): It seems the Orioles have been hurt by having too many options for real playing time with no clear-cut plan for said playing time.
4. Cleveland Guardians (39-20, No. 4): How about Stephen Vogt for AL Manager of the Year? Are you with me? It helps that closer Emmanuel Clase, after blowing 12 saves a year ago, has 18 saves, a 0.31 ERA and a 0.61 WHIP.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (36-23, No. 6): Christian Yelich went 0-for-5 on May 9 in his return from a back injury. In 21 games since then, he is batting .338/.424/.488 with one home run, five doubles, six stolen bases and 16 RBIs.
6. Kansas City Royals (36-25, No. 5): The Royals had lost six of seven before scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth on June 2 to salvage one of three against the Padres. They needed that. Michael Wacha’s IL trip doesn’t help matters.
7. Los Angeles Dodgers (38-23, No. 8): Nice bounce-back week, having gone 5-1 against the Mets and Rockies after a 1-5 mark the week before. The Dodgers go to the Bronx this coming weekend for the series of the week.
8. Atlanta Braves (33-24, No. 7): I’m not saying the Braves are bad, but they’re 9-11 in their last 20 games. I suppose they can hang on to a playoff spot in a league with just five teams over .500, but GM Alex Anthopoulos won’t stand pat for long.
9. Seattle Mariners (34-27, No. 10): The Mariners are in first place in the AL West, but will they hit enough to really be serious contenders to play deep into the postseason?
10. Minnesota Twins (33-26, No. 9): The Twins’ 0-6 mark two weeks ago has been backed up by weeks of 4-2 and 5-2. Word is Royce Lewis will be back in time for the Twins’ series in the Bronx starting June 4.
11. San Diego Padres (32-30, No. 16)
12. Boston Red Sox (30-30, No. 15)
13. St. Louis Cardinals (28-29, No. 18)
14. Detroit Tigers (29-30, No. 13)
15. Texas Rangers (29-30, No. 11)
16. Tampa Bay Rays (29-31, No. 17)
17. Chicago Cubs (29-31, No. 14)
18. Toronto Blue Jays (28-30, No. 23)
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (27-32, No. 20)
20. Arizona Diamondbacks (27-32, No. 19)
21. Houston Astros (26-34, No. 12)
22. Cincinnati Reds (26-33, No. 22)
23. San Francisco Giants (29-31, No. 21)
24. Washington Nationals (27-31, No. 24)
25. New York Mets (24-35, No. 25)
26. Oakland Athletics (24-37, No. 26)
27. Los Angeles Angels (21-38, No. 27)
28. Miami Marlins (21-39, No. 28)
29. Colorado Rockies (21-37, No. 29)
30. Chicago White Sox (15-45, No. 30)