Editorials

Dodgers Nation Power Rankings: Dodgers Fall Following Rough Week

[new_royalslider id=”63″] The first month of the season will be done this week as teams are beginning to find themselves and see where they stand.

We do the same with the continuation of our weekly power rankings:



1. Milwaukee Brewers (18-7) 

Another strong week and the surprising Brewers are the owners of the best record in baseball. Only question that remains is if they can keep it up?

2. Atlanta Braves (17-7)

For a team that was supposed to struggle with starting pitching this year, the Braves’ starters have a combined 1.57 ERA. The Braves are looking to repeat in the NL East and are well on their way.

3. Texas Rangers (15-10) 

Armed with the third-best hitting team in terms of batting average, the Rangers are tied for first in the West with the A’s. They will have to be careful with their bullpen if they plan on making any noise this season.

4. Oakland Athletics (15-10)

Another down-to-the-wire race for AL West could be upon us between them and the Rangers. This team ranks fifth in total runs scored, which bodes well for a pitching-led team.

5. San Francisco Giants (15-10) 

A walk-off home run on Sunday capped off a strong week and kept a four-game win streak alive. They currently sit atop the NL West and are led by their bullpen, which ranks second in ERA.

6. New York Yankees (15-10)

A week that was marred by Michael Pineda’s pine tar incident doesn’t take away the fact that the Yankees are leading the AL East. Masahiro Tanaka looks like the star many projected him to be.

7. St. Louis Cardinals (14-12)

Led by the second-best starting rotation, the Cardinals continue to win and remain one of the better teams in baseball. They will have to wait and see if the Brewers provide real competition for the division.

8. Colorado Rockies (14-12)

Winners of seven of their last 10, the Rockies have the best team batting average and have scored the second-most runs. Charlie Blackmon has been a pleasant surprise so far.

9. Detroit Tigers (12-9)

They have hit well enough to avoid their bullpen woes, which ranks 29th in ERA, and are leading the AL Central. The Tigers should run the table in the division this year.

10. Los Angeles Dodgers (14-12)

A week at home against the Phillies and Rockies should have been a good time; instead it became five losses and a lack of offense. The bullpen continues to lose games, despite their starters ranking 4th in ERA.

11. New York Mets (14-11)

One of the surprises early in the season, the Mets have been able to win some games thanks to some decent pitching. They will need to hit in order to keep up their success.

12. Washington Nationals (14-12)

They just loss Bryce Harper for at least two months and are still without Ryan Zimmerman. Offensively, they will need Adam LaRoche and others to step up.

13. Baltimore Orioles (12-12) 

Nelson Cruz is proving to be the bargain of the off-season and the Orioles are hitting fifth-best as a team. They will need their pitching to step up in order to keep up in the East.

14. Chicago White Sox (13-13)

This team can mash, led by Cuban first baseman Jose Abreu’ 10 home runs and 31 RBI. However, they also rank near the bottom in most major pitching categories.

15. Philadelphia Phillies (13-12) 

Taking three games against the Dodgers in Los Angeles was impressive, but not nearly as impressive as Cliff Lee’s outing against them. This old team is sticking around here in the early part of the season.

16. Boston Red Sox (12-14)

They haven’t found their 2013 World Series magic yet and will need to with a tough schedule coming up. Expect them to make a run at some point in May.

17. Minnesota Twins (12-11) 

Many probably didn’t have the Twins in second place in the Central and they may not be there once the season progresses, but they have done well thus far. Starting pitching has been their weakness.

18. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (11-13)

Albert Pujols hit his 500th home run and is second in the league with nine this season to pace an offense that has scored the third-most runs. Pitching will continue to be this team’s problem.

19. Cincinnati Reds (11-14)

Another team that has struggled early on that is expected to contend for the division. Johnny Cueto is dominating and could lead them back to the top.

20. Tampa Bay Rays (11-14) 

Middle-of-the-pack hitting can be overcome by strong pitching, but it cannot be overcome by middle-of-the-pack pitching and that’s why they are struggling. They take on the Red Sox this week.

21. Toronto Blue Jays (12-13) 

A home-run hitting team, the Blue Jays actually find themselves in the race for the AL East at the moment. They will need to win out of the division in order to succeed in the division.

22. Kansas City Royals (12-12)

Rookie Yordano Ventura looks like a stud and their starting rotation is holding their own. They will need their offense to pick up some of the slack.

23. San Diego Padres (12-14)

Cameron Maybin returned and Chase Headley went down, but the Padres still find themselves in the hunt in the West. Their top-ranked bullpen will need to continue to work hard if the offense continues to struggle.

24. Miami Marlins (11-14) 

Giancarlo Stanton can only do so much and if he isn’t hitting, the offense isn’t scoring. They will need more than Stanton and Jose Fernandez to step up.

25. Cleveland Indians (11-14) 

Sitting at the bottom of the AL Central, the Indians have been doomed by their 26th-ranked starting pitching. They will need something to change in order to have a shot this season.

26. Seattle Mariners (10-14)

Their offense continues to struggle, ranking near the bottom in most categories; however, they are still close in the division. Kyle Seager’s big week helped keep them from reaching the bottom.

27. Pittsburgh Pirates (10-16) 

Their pitching is strong. Their offense? Not so much. Losers of eight of their last 10 pits the Pirates barely above the Cubs.

28. Chicago Cubs (8-16)

They continue to struggle and rank 28th in runs scored to make matters worse. Jason Hammel has been a great pickup though.

29. Arizona Diamondbacks (8-20)

They rank dead last in starters’ ERA and don’t have much help available. They will need to turn things around quickly or their manager will feel his seat getting warm.

30. Houston Astros (9-17)

Last in batting average and second-to-last in runs scored is not a successful formula. Add that to the worst bullpen in the majors and the Astros have a few things to fix.

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Vincent Samperio

Vince is currently the Associate Editor and Social Media Manager for Dodgers Nation. Hailing from San Pedro, CA and a student at Cal State Long Beach, Vince has previously written for the Daily 49er and LASF Magazine.

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