Here is the latest Top 10 from the CBS Power Rankings:
1. Detroit Tigers: 66-45
2. Atlanta Braves: 69-45
3. Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 66-46
4. Boston Red Sox: 69-46
5. Pittsburgh Pirates: 68-44
6. Los Angeles Dodgers: 62-50
7. St. Louis Cardinals: 66-46
8. Cleveland Indians: 62-51
9. Texas Rangers: 64-50
10. Oakland Athletics: 64-49
A few notes of interest:
-- In their last 40 games, the Dodgers have gone 32-8. Earvin Johnson may really have magical powers.
-- Boston has already won as many games as they did last year.
-- Pittsburgh -- which hasn't had a winning record since 1992 -- would have to go 13-37 the rest of the way not to have a winning record this year.
-- The Yankees are ranked 16th.
-- Natstown is ranked 17th.
-- The Giants -- who used all of their players in the playoffs last year, and won the World Series -- are 26th. But, as I just said, at least Giants fans have a World Series Championship to remember.
Now that Oakland's slump is over--the A's lost to Cincinnati today, 6-5, to close out a three-game losing streak--I'm excited to see my boys re-ascend the rankings.
ReplyDeleteAfter their slump, the A's went to Toronto and won three of four against the Blue Jays: 14-6 win Friday, 5-4 loss Saturday, 6-4 win Sunday and 5-1 win today. The A's got a leadoff home run from Chris Young today, and that stood until a fielding error by third baseman Albert Callaspo in the bottom of the eighth allowed Toronto to score the tying run. Callaspo, however, got a chance to vindicate himself in the top of the ninth and came through with a two-run double that broke the tie. He and another A eventually came around to score, as well, and now all of the A's are headed home--for nine games over nine days, against Houston, Cleveland and Seattle.
ReplyDeleteThe Rangers opened today with a one-game lead on the A's in the American League West. Texas is red hot, having won seven in a row and leading, 2-0, in Houston in the fifth inning right now.
Indeed: Rangers 2, Astros 1.
DeleteSo, West:
1. Texas 69-50
2. Oakland 67-50, 1 GB
3. Seattle 54-63, 14 GB
4. Los Angeles 53-63, 14.5 GB
5. Houston 37-80, 31 GB
And wild card:
1. Oakland 67-50, 0.5 GA
2. Tampa 66-50
3. Baltimore 65-52, 1.5 GB
4. Cleveland 63-55, 4.0 GB
5. Kansas City 61-54, 4.5 GB
6. New York 59-57, 7.0 GB
Baseball ... wow ... so hard.
ReplyDeleteI stayed up until 12:30 a.m. Central watching the MLB.com animation of Oakland's 5-4 loss to Houston last night. The A's were down, 5-0, after four or five innings, and then they mounted a big comeback to get within one run. In the bottom of the ninth, Stephen Vogt battled through 11 pitches to draw a walk. Then, with two out, up came Chris Young--who, though he's hitting only .192 on the season, is now our leadoff batter given that he's been scorching the plate at a .211 clip over his last 10 games (hey, I'm not doubting my main manager, Bob Melvin; in Young's first game in the leadoff slot, he homered in the top of the first).
After a couple of pitches to Young last night, the MLB.com animation says there's on "on-field delay," and my first thought is we have some sort of Rick Monday or Morganna incident going on. Alas, several minutes later (several minutes after midnight Central time, mind you), we learn that the umpires are doing an instant-replay review of a foul call. So, ... what? ... I surmise this has to mean Young must've come close to homering himself and Vogt home for a 6-5, walk-off A's win.
Yeah, that's exactly what it meant: He came really close.
Rangers lost last night, too, so Oakland remains one game behind in the A.L. West. Astros at A's again late tonight. #GREENCOLLAR!
Yeah, I think I'm now too old and too fragile to actually deal with an intense pennant race like yours on a day-to-day basis. Last year, when the Nats were battling the Braves, I basically just quit watching baseball and only checked the scores each day. It's just too hard.
DeleteI find it much easier to deal with college basketball, which only takes about two hours and doesn't go on every day.
DeleteI just wish baseball would go back to all day games--everybody start at 2 p.m. in your home time zone. Actually, since this is my fantasy, everybody starts at 2 p.m. in my time zone. Baseball is the best sport to follow while working at a computer.
DeleteI wish the NFL would go back to drafting immediately following the Super Bowl, then go straight into training camp for a minor league with affiliate teams for each NFL team. (They should use the same helmets.) Then it could wind up right before the big NFL teams start their training camps.
No one is more tangled in the race at the top of the American League West than is Adam Rosales.
ReplyDelete