30. Minnesota Twins (6-15); Last Week: 1-4 (27)
29. Kansas City Royals (6-15); Last Week: 3-3 (30)
28. San Diego Padres (7-16); Last Week: 2-4 (28)
Finally some relief for the Padres as they return home to play the Brewers and Marlins. Their power numbers continue to be non-existent, equaling Matt Kemp‘s 11 home runs on the season. They have seen only nine road games, a fact that doesn’t change much until mid-May. This week they host the Brewers and Marlins.
27. Anaheim Angels (7-15); Last Week: 1-5 (22)
26. Chicago Cubs (8-14); Last Week: 4-2 (29)
A very encouraging week for the Cubbies, taking two-of-three from both the Cardinals and Phillies. They play one more with Philadelphia before heading out to Cincinnati, and then back home to await the Dodgers. Chicago will hope to pick up some much needed momentum as their 4.26 ERA, .237 batting average, and seven home runs are not nearly enough to keep them afloat for much longer. They will have three games to prepare for the Dodgers this coming weekend. Three early games already have my attention, could it be enough to surprise the NL’s top team?
25. Houston Astros (8-14); Last Week: 2-4 (26)
24. Miami Marlins (8-13); Last Week: 1-5 (20)
23. Pittsburgh Pirates (9-12); Last Week: 3-3 (24)
22. Milwaukee Brewers (10-12); Last Week: 3-3 (19)
21. Philadelphia Phillies (10-12); Last Week: 3-3 (18)
20. Colorado Rockies (10-11); Last Week: 2-4 (16)
After crushing the New York Mets in the first of their three-game series, the Colorado Rockies plain and simply were beaten at their own game. Sure they outscored the Mets 28-22, but 18 of those runs came in the opener of the series. This after managing just seven runs against the Pirates. Thus, which squad will show welcome the Dodgers to Coors today? The Dodgers will miss 49-year old Jamie Moyer, who leads the rotation with a 3.14 ERA.
19. Oakland A’s (11-12); Last Week: 3-3 (17)
18. Boston Red Sox (10-11); Last Week: 6-1 (25)
17. Seattle Mariners (11-12); Last Week: 4-2 (23)
16. Chicago White Sox (11-11); Last Week: 2-5 (8)
15. Arizona Diamondbacks (11-11); Last Week: 3-3 (13)
A tour of the NL East continues for the Diamondbacks, who split six games this week, including losing two-of-three against the Phillies, who ravaged their pitching staff that now holds an ERA of 4.10. Their bright spot is Joe Saunders, who holds a 2-1 record with a 0.90 ERA. He makes up for the loss of Daniel Hudson to the 15-day DL. A question is posed to the D’Backs: Will Justin Upton ever report this season?
14. Cincinnati Reds (11-11); Last Week: 4-2 (21)
13. Cleveland Indians (11-9); Last Week: 3-3 (9)
12. Toronto Blue Jays (12-10); Last Week: 2-4 (10)
11. San Francisco Giants (12-10); Last Week: 5-3 (14)
The Giants are slowly starting to piece themselves together, perhaps in a hurry due to the success of the Dodgers. Do you think they got the memo? Tim Lincecum continued his return to prowess, earning an ERA of 0.69 in his last two starts, which were masterful performances against the Mets and Padres, earning him his first two victories of the season.
10. Detroit Tigers (11-11); Last Week: 1-5 (4)
9. Washington Nationals (14-8); Last Week: 2-4 (6)
8. New York Mets (13-9); Last Week: 5-2 (11)
7. Baltimore Orioles (14-8); Last Week: 5-1 (15)
6. New York Yankees (12-9); Last Week: 3-3 (7)
5. St. Louis Cardinals (14-8); Last Week: 3-3 (2)
4. Atlanta Braves (14-8); Last Week: 4-2 (3)
3. Tampa Bay Rays (14-8); Last Week: 5-1 (12)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (16-6); Last Week: 4-2 (5)
Just narrowly missing out on the top spot are the Dodgers, who looked very good this week. Had they completed their sweep of Atlanta I would have placed them on top of Texas. However, struggles in the bullpen prohibited that from happening, and the Dodgers find themselves in second, but on top of the National League. This week has the Dodgers tripping to Denver and Chicago for dates with the Rockies and Cubs. A solid showing is expected this week after they took the air out of the Nationals over the weekend.
1. Texas Rangers (16-6); Last Week: 3-3 (1)

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