The Cardinals, for all the records and plaudits they've earned thus far, continue to struggle in interleague play, managing an 8-9 record (with a negative run differential) against American League clubs this season. Seems as though they might not be able to hack it outside the National League ...
2. Pittsburgh Pirates
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
47-34
48-33
2 (-)
Between Gerrit Cole, A.J. Burnett, and Francisco Liriano, the Pirates are one of just two teams with three qualified starters boasting an ERA+ of at least 120 thus far. When the Nationals fielded such a triumvirate in their rotation last summer – Doug Fister, Jordan Zimmermann, and Tanner Roark – they made it to the National League Division Series.
3. Houston Astros
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
48-36
48-36
5 (+2)
The Astros will have to trudge into August (and perhaps beyond) without their most talented outfielder after an errant fastball broke George Springer's wrist Thursday night. Fortunately, however, they have Carlos Correa, the 20-year-old with the 155 OPS+ who may already be the best shortstop in the American League.
4. Washington Nationals
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
46-36
45-37
6 (+2)
They have the best position player in the National League, maybe in the majors. They have, perhaps, the best right-handed pitcher on the planet. Their closer owns a 1.97 ERA and has blown one save since April 26. Over the last two-plus months, they've won 61 percent of their games. In other words, the Nationals very much look like the team most picked several months ago to hoist the NL pennant.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
46-37
48-35
3 (-2)
The scary thing about the Dodgers' rotation is that they own the third-best ERA in the National League without Clayton Kershaw getting Clayton Kershaw results on a regular basis. Despite a typically sublime 2.55 FIP, the 27-year-old left-hander owns a 3.08 ERA that belies a career-best 32.4 percent strikeout rate.
6. Kansas City Royals
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
46-33
45-34
4 (-2)
Four members of Kansas City's roster will star in the Midsummer Classic later this month, effectively proving that either: A) Lorenzo Cain (3.6 WAR), Salvador Perez (1.2 WAR), Alex Gordon (2.5 WAR), and Alcides Escobar (1.3) are indeed exemplary players at their respective positions; or B) Democracy simply doesn't work.
7. Chicago Cubs
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
44-36
43-37
12 (+5)
Kris Bryant recorded the second multi-homer game of his young career Saturday, blasting a grand slam and a two-run shot in his first multi-hit game since June 22. Since going 0-for-3 last Saturday, the 23-year-old owns a 1.154 OPS and will head into Monday's series opener against the Cardinals with a six-game hitting streak.
8. New York Yankees
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
44-38
43-49
11 (+3)
Now that the Yankees and Alex Rodriguez have resolved their squabble over milestone bonuses, the club can start worrying about CC Sabathia, in earnest. Sabathia, who's owed roughly $36.5 million through next summer, owns a career-worst 5.59 ERA (70 ERA+) and is one of three qualified starters to surrender more home runs (19) than walks (18) this season.
9. Los Angeles Angels
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
44-38
44-38
15 (+6)
Jered Weaver's absence has been a blessing in disguise for the Angels, who have received two terrific starts from Andrew Heaney (1.38 ERA in 13 innings) since the veteran landed on the disabled list. The whole rotation deserves credit, though, as the club's starting corps ranks fifth in the majors in ERA (2.63) over the last two weeks leading the Angels to eight wins in their last 10 games.
10. Baltimore Orioles
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
43-39
47-35
9 (-1)
It should be a very happy birthday for Manny Machado – he turns 23 on Monday – as the resilient third baseman ranks seventh in the majors with 3.7 WAR and already boasts career-highs in OPS (.878), home runs (17), and stolen bases (13).
11. Toronto Blue Jays
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
43-41
50-34
8 (-3)
Amid recent slumps from some of the club's offensive stars, the Blue Jays have been limited to three runs or fewer in seven of their last 12 games (albeit while scoring double-digit runs in three of those other five contests). A struggling Blue Jays' lineup, however, is like bad pizza; it's still pretty good.
12. San Francisco Giants
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
42-41
43-40
7 (-5)
Matt Cain looked very much like his usual self in Thursday's season debut, struggling to overpower an anemic lineup while surrendering a pair of homers in five innings at Marlins Park. Though he only just turned 30, Cain hasn't been effective since 2012 and likely isn't the antidote for a rotation that owns the sixth-worst ERA- in baseball over the last two weeks.
13. Minnesota Twins
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
43-39
41-41
14 (+1)
No position? No problem. Miguel Sano, the club's top prospect after injured center fielder Byron Buxton, continues to make his presence known in Minnesota with his bat, hitting .400/.438/.533 with a pair of doubles through his first four MLB games – all of them at designated hitter.
14. Tampa Bay Rays
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
43-41
42-42
10 (-4)
The forces of regression have helped remove the luster from Tampa Bay's lineup, one comprised largely of unheralded players that, until recently, enjoyed a surprising amount of success in 2015. Over the last two weeks, however, the Rays have managed an ugly .623 OPS while striking out more often (27.8 percent) than any team in baseball.
15. Detroit Tigers
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
41-40
39-42
13 (-2)
Denizens of Detroit could be inconsolable for the next little while, as Miguel Cabrera – the two-time MVP who leads the AL in batting average (.350), on-base percentage (.456), and slugging percentage (.578) – is expected to miss six weeks after suffering a calf strain Friday. The Tigers, however, lead the majors in offense over the last month (127 wRC+) and may be able to weather his absence if their rotation can start being a little less terrible.
16. New York Mets
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
42-41
40-43
16 (-)
Instead of slamming the Mets' six-man rotation, Matt Harvey's ire would be best directed at his club's meager offense, which has been limited to three runs or fewer 14 times in the last 17 games.
17. Texas Rangers
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
41-42
40-43
17 (-)
Their good fortune was bound to run out at some point, right? The Rangers' rotation has already surrendered 25 runs in July, stumbling to a 9.26 ERA this month as their descriptive statistics begin to more closely resemble their unimpressive peripheral statistics.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
40-42
41-41
18 (-)
Though he's emerged as a big part of Arizona's quietly impressive offense, it's probably best to reserve judgment on Yasmany Tomas. Despite an impressive .801 OPS, the Cuban import has benefited from a .382 BABIP while showing a surprising lack of in-game power for a player with his pedigree.
19. Atlanta Braves
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
40-42
38-44
19 (-)
Shelby Miller will likely represent Atlanta at the All-Star Game, but Cameron Maybin deserves recognition for his bounce-back campaign, too. The 28-year-old owns a career-best 117 OPS+ through 73 games, notching seven homers while swiping 15 bases in 19 attempts for the Braves.
20. Boston Red Sox
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
39-45
38-46
25 (+5)
It's still too early to dismiss Boston as an "also-ran" in the American League East, as the Red Sox haven't lost consecutive games since June 14-15 and rank third in the majors with a 118 wRC+ over the last 30 days.
21. Cleveland Indians
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
38-43
38-43
22 (+1)
Though several members of the Indians' lineup are enjoying fine seasons on an individual level, the club's collective inability to deliver in high-leverage situations keeps holding Cleveland back. Only five teams have a lower batting average with runners in scoring position than the Indians, who don't hit for a ton of power in run-scoring situations, either.
22. San Diego Padres
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
39-45
37-47
20 (-2)
For all that was made of San Diego's rotation heading into the season, the club's starting corps ranks fifth-last in the majors in league- and park-adjusted ERA (115 ERA-) while issuing more walks than all but two teams.
23. Seattle Mariners
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
38-44
36-46
24 (+1)
Their offense continues to scuffle, but general manager Jack Zduriencik deserves credit for sticking with Taijuan Walker through his early-season struggles. The 22-year-old owns a 1.68 ERA with a 51:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last seven starts, holding opponents to a .199 average over that span.
24. Oakland Athletics
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
38-47
48-37
26 (+2)
The Athletics' rotation leads the American League with a 2.90 ERA over the last month, leading Oakland to a 17-14 record since the start of June. Though their record still belies their run differential, nobody can question their intestinal fortitude. Literally. Sonny Gray ate at Chipotle just a couple days after being hospitalized with salmonella poisoning.
25. Cincinnati Reds
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
36-44
36-44
21 (-4)
Joey Votto's miserable stretch at the plate may be the push Walt Jocketty needs to overhaul his roster. His ongoing slump has at least helped illustrate just how flawed the team's lineup is. Over his last 12 contests, Votto owns a .463 OPS; the Reds have won just four games in that span, scoring three runs or fewer eight times.
26. Chicago White Sox
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
36-43
30-49
27 (+1)
The White Sox have done a pretty impressive job squandering a historically dominant season from Chris Sale (2.87 ERA, 34.6 K%), who became the second pitcher in history to record at least 10 strikeouts in eight straight starts Tuesday.
27. Colorado Rockies
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
35-47
35-47
23 (-4)
Tough as it might be to accept, the final seasons of Troy Tulowitzki's prime simply aren't going to coincide with Colorado's competitive window given the club's total lack of effective starting pitching. Tulowitzki, however, is hitting .392/.447/.600 with seven homers in his last 31 games and would command a crazy haul in a trade with the Mets/Dodgers/Pretty much any team that doesn't employ Carlos Correa.
28. Milwaukee Brewers
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
36-48
37-47
29 (+1)
The Brewers' improbable eight-game winning streak couldn't have come at a better time for general manager Doug Melvin, as pretty much all of his trade assets (save for Carlos Gomez) are heating up as the deadline nears. Aramis Ramirez? He's hitting .520 over his last eight games. Adam Lind has four homers since last Sunday, managing a 2:1 walk-to-strikeout ratio over that span. Even Ryan Braun looks like his old self again.
29. Miami Marlins
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
35-48
37-46
28 (-1)
Jose Fernandez fired six solid innings Thursday in his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery 14 months ago and clobbered a solo home run, an obvious effort to compensate for the ailing Giancarlo Stanton. The Marlins are still pretty lousy, but Fernandez at least makes them watchable once every five days.
30. Philadelphia Phillies
RECORD
PYTHAG RECORD
PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
28-56
28-56
30 (-)
Andy MacPhail admitted he was "a little bit surprised" when the Phillies introduced him last week as the club's next president despite being away from the game for several years. His hiring, however, is entirely consistent with the Phillies' modus operandi of giving contracts to veterans who are somewhat removed from their most productive years.
