Despite sharing a division with some pretty formidable teams, the Cardinals continue to assert their dominance over the midwest, managing a 19-8 record (.704) against National League Central teams this season. That success probably has something to do with the fact the Cardinals boast a 2.58 ERA with the All-Star Game just five weeks away.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
32-25
34-23
2 (-)
Joc Pederson remains on pace for about 49 homers in 2015 after clobbering his 17th of the campaign Wednesday, giving him six more than the next most prolific rookie. The last Dodgers rookie to record more than 20 homers in his inaugural season? Some dude named Mike Piazza.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
31-25
33-23
11 (+8)
The Pirates haven't lost consecutive games since May 19-20 and continue to sizzle at the plate, hitting .287/.338/.428 while ranking third in the National League with a 113 wRC+ over the last two weeks. Andrew McCutchen, by the way, owns a 1.132 OPS since May 7 after hitting just .188 through his first 26 games.
4. Houston Astros
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
34-24
31-27
4 (-)
As good as Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers have been this year, rotation depth continues to be a problem for Houston. Over the last month, Collin McHugh, Scott Feldman, and Roberto Hernandez have combined for a 5.48 ERA while fanning just 5.67 batters per nine innings. Then again, Carlos Correa has finally arrived in Houston, so it's not terribly concerning.
5. Kansas City Royals
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
31-23
32-22
3 (-2)
Losers in nine of their last 12 games, the Royals continue to fritter away the confidence generated in recent months. No rotation in the American League owns a worse ERA or xFIP over the last 30 days than Kansas City's starting corps, while the club's .668 OPS over that span ranks third-worst in the league.
6. Washington Nationals
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
30-27
29-28
5 (-1)
At long last, Anthony Rendon made his 2015 debut Thursday after spending the first two months of the season battling knee and oblique injuries. His presence is sorely needed, too, as the Nationals have dropped eight of their last 10 games with both Jayson Werth and Stephen Strasburg confined to the disabled list.
7. San Francisco Giants
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
32-26
30-28
6 (-1)
Casey McGehee didn't work out, but the Giants' offseason investment in Nori Aoki continues to pay dividends. The 33-year-old outfielder carries a robust .394 OBP through 55 games and boasts the lowest strikeout rate (7 percent) in the major leagues.
8. Minnesota Twins
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
33-23
30-26
7 (-1)
While the Twins continue to fight for respect around the league, it's important remember that: A) The Twins' .304 OBP ranks fourth-last in the American League; B) The Twins' .129 isolated power ranks second-last in the American League; C) Mike Pelfrey, who owns a 12.3 percent strikeout rate and .282 BABIP, leads the rotation with a 2.28 ERA through 11 starts.
9. New York Yankees
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
32-25
32-25
14 (+5)
Michael Pineda was stripped of his status as the Yankees' de facto ace Wednesday afternoon when Masahiro Tanaka allowed one run while fanning nine over seven innings in his return from the disabled list. With that duo bequeathing quality starts to Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller, there's reason to believe the Yankees could soon take charge of their embarrassing division.
10. Chicago Cubs
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
30-25
27-28
10 (-)
Javier Baez will miss up to two months after fracturing his finger Sunday, compounding an already trying year for the 22-year-old who compiled a .927 OPS through his first 36 games in Triple-A this season. A prolonged absence for Baez wouldn't be as problematic, though, if Starlin Castro didn't own a .604 OPS over his last 25 games.
11. Tampa Bay Rays
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
31-27
31-27
13 (+2)
Even though the success of his fellow starters may not be sustainable, Chris Archer continues to prove himself a bona fide stud. The 26-year-old lowered his ERA to 1.84 on Sunday while becoming the first pitcher in the live-ball era to log three straight starts with at least seven innings pitched, no walks, and double-digit strikeouts.
12. New York Mets
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
31-27
30-28
8 (-4)
Daniel Murphy landed on the disabled list Saturday and David Wrist won't return to the lineup anytime soon, but at least Travis d'Arnaud is on the mend. The 26-year-old catcher will start a rehab assignment in Triple-A this week and should soon return to a lineup that (somehow) ranks second in the National League with a .782 OPS over the last two weeks.
13. Detroit Tigers
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
30-28
29-29
9 (-4)
Ain't much going right in Motown these days, as the Tigers own a 15-20 record since the beginning of May and slogged through an eight-game losing streak last week. Though their lineup is stacked with strong hitters, the Tigers have had trouble sustaining rallies this season, grounding into more double plays (61) than any other team in baseball.
14. Texas Rangers
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
30-27
30-27
15 (+1)
Joey Gallo inspired faith in the future of the Texas Rangers mere hours after putting on the club's uniform for the first time, as the 21-year-old went 3-for-4 with a monstrous homer in his MLB debut on Tuesday. The rest of the squad is looking pretty good, too, managing a 118 wRC+ with a .173 isolated power over the last 30 days.
15. Toronto Blue Jays
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
28-30
33-25
22 (+7)
After stumbling through the early stages of the season, things are finally coming together for the Blue Jays, who extended their winning streak to a season-high five games Sunday afternoon. Marked improvement from the starting corps has fueled Toronto's recent surge, as the rotation's 2.84 ERA and 3.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio are both top five in the American League over the last two weeks.
16. San Diego Padres
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
29-29
29-29
17 (+1)
It took some time for Craig Kimbrel to adjust to life on the West Coast, but the 27-year-old appears to be settling in following a shaky start in San Diego. Over his last eight appearances, Kimbrel owns a 1.23 ERA with a 36 percent strikeout rate while collecting three saves in as many chances.
17. Los Angeles Angels
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
28-29
28-29
12 (-5)
After cobbling together a five-game winning streak May 28 - June 1, the Angels promptly negated their progress by dropping each of their last five contests. This kind of volatility seems inevitable, though, on a team whose offensive success is so contingent upon the performance of two players.
18. Cleveland Indians
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
27-29
28-28
16 (-2)
The starting pitchers get all the attention, but the hitters in Cleveland's lineup deserve some credit, too. The Indians' .330 on-base percentage ranks fifth-best in baseball and Cleveland leads the major leagues with a 0.58 BB/K ratio.
19. Baltimore Orioles
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
26-30
28-28
19 (-)
Heading into Monday's game, the Orioles weren't among the top five in the American League in any of the following statistical categories: OPS, isolated power, weighted runs created plus, ERA, or fielding independent pitching. In other words, this Orioles team is one of the most mediocre things produced in Baltimore since season two of "The Wire".
20. Arizona Diamondbacks
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
27-29
29-27
21 (+1)
The Diamondbacks' uninspired rotation suffered a major blow when Archie Bradley landed on the disabled list Thursday for the second time this season with shoulder tendinitis. In four starts since returning from the sinus fracture suffered after taking a line drive off his cheek, though, Bradley has crafted a 10.91 ERA while allowing 39 baserunners in 15 2/3 innings.
21. Atlanta Braves
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
27-29
27-29
20 (-1)
It's not too difficult to see why the Braves are eager to upgrade their bullpen, as Atlanta's relief corps owns a disastrous 5.01 ERA over the last month, managing a 9.8 percent walk rate while averaging 1.16 homers per nine inning over that span.
22. Seattle Mariners
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
25-32
25-32
18 (-4)
Eager to improve their dreadful offense, the Mariners acquired Mark Trumbo from Arizona on Wednesday. Though his outfield defence is lousy at best, Trumbo has nine homers and a .474 slugging percentage this season and will surely improve the .605 OPS the Mariners have received from their left fielders thus far.
23. Boston Red Sox
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
27-31
24-34
23 (-)
"No. Not at all," remarked Red Sox owner John Henry when asked if either Ben Cherington or John Farrell might be replaced anytime soon. And, really, why would they be? Is it Farrell's fault that, in a lineup with Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, and David Ortiz, the only player with a better wRC+ than Brock Holt is Dustin Pedroia?
24. Chicago White Sox
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
25-30
21-34
24 (-)
Pitcher A: 3.27 ERA; 2.72 FIP; 0.82 HR/9; 30 percent strikeout rate Pitcher B: 3.12 ERA; 3.38 FIP; 0.26 HR/9; 22.3 percent strikeout rate
Pitcher A is Chris Sale. Pitcher B is Carlos Rodon. And this duo is enough to inspire optimism even on a team as volatile and enigmatic as the White Sox.
25. Cincinnati Reds
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
24-31
25-30
26 (+1)
Painful as it is to watch a player get hurt, the Reds may have actually benefited from Marlon Byrd's fractured wrist. With an extended absence looming, Byrd won't attain the 550 plate appearances necessary for his 2016 option to vest, allowing the Reds to part ways with the 37-year-old this winter and focus on rebuilding.
26. Colorado Rockies
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
25-30
24-31
25 (-1)
Not one of the four pitchers with at least seven starts for Colorado this season owns an ERA below 4.80, thereby illustrating why the Rockies' position players get excited when the term "spot start" is bandied about the clubhouse.
27. Oakland Athletics
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
23-36
30-29
27 (-)
Admittedly, their record should be better than it is, but the Athletics also have more errors (57) than home runs (50) this season and continue undermining the efforts of an underappreciated rotation that owns the best ERA in the American League this season.
28. Miami Marlins
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
24-33
26-31
28 (-)
How unimpressive has the Marlins' rotation been this season? The staff leader in wins above replacement in A.J. Ramos, a reliever who's thrown all of 28 1/3 innings thus far.
29. Philadelphia Phillies
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
22-36
20-38
29 (-)
Curiously yanked from his most recent start after throwing one warmup pitch in the eighth inning, Cole Hamels continues to sparkle as he approaches the end of his tenure in Philadelphia, tossing at least seven innings while allowing two earned runs or fewer in each of his last six starts (1.83 ERA).
30. Milwaukee Brewers
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
20-37
22-35
30 (-)
That the Brewers just completed a three-game sweep in Minnesota says much more about the Twins than it does Milwaukee, a team that can't hit (78 wRC+), can't pitch (4.43 ERA), and can't play defense (.693 defensive efficiency rating).
