Power Rankings ...May 23, 2008

Posted by Tony Paul on Fri, May 23, 2008 at 12:44 AM
Power Rankings ...


For this week's column, it seemed worth taking a quick-hit, random look
around the major leagues, which frankly has had no shortage of compelling story lines through the first third of the season.

1. Red Sox (2): Daisuke Matsuzaka joined Hideki Irabu as the only Japanese pitchers to start 8-0.
2. Diamondbacks (1): Finally, a flaw: They're 9-11 on the road, where they hit worse than .215.
3. Cubs (4): For those concerned about Carlos Zambrano's health: "My shoulder's fine. I'll show you Friday."
4. Angels (3): Gary Matthews Jr. isn't adapting to DH. He's hitting .216 and leads the team in Ks (45).
5. Rays (10): Good news of the farm, too. No. 1 pick David Price made his minors debut and was hitting 98.
6. Marlins (11): Swept D-backs with little help from Hanley Ramirez, hitting .184 since signing a $70M deal.
7. Astros (7): Lance Berkman can do no wrong. He even tied a career high in steals - with his whopping ninth.
8. White Sox (15): Let's not get too crazy now. After all, they were 24-20 at this time last year, too.
9. Braves (13): Apparently, a new delivery will get John Smoltz back sooner. But control will be a concern.
10. Phillies (5): Brad Lidge was 11-for-11 in save chances until Thursday, when he got to 12-12 ... in Houston.
11. Cardinals (9): Chris Duncan is hitting .370 at No. 2, right ahead of Albert Pujols, and .232 elsewhere.
12. Orioles (18): Nick Markakis has fanned 15 times in the last 10 games and now has 45, seventh in the AL.
13. Twins (14): Only twice in '08 has Livan Hernandez failed to pitch six; Chris Shelton chased him Thursday.
14. Blue Jays (16): Alex Rios has perked up the last few days, but for the month: .207, four RBIs, one HR.
15. Mets (12): Under .500 for the first time since early April, they're also now down two starting outfielders.
16. Dodgers (20): Hiroki Kuroda finally one for the first time since Opening Day, a drought of eight starts.
17. A's (6): Eric Chavez might finally be on the mend. In a Triple-A start Wednesday, he was 1-for-2.
18. Indians (8): How bad did it get this week? David Dellucci grounded out after the count reached four balls.
19. Brewers (19): It's not ideal when your starting 3B can't hit right-handers. Bill Hall is boasting a .162 clip.
20. Rangers (21): Our old friend Franklyn German just was designated for assignment - with a 2.08 ERA.
21. Yankees (17): Nats castoff Darrell Rasner is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA starting for the pitching-starved Empire.
22. Reds (24): Ken Griffey Jr.'s 86-at-bat homerless streak ended with a first-inning, two-run shot Thursday.
23. Pirates (23): Fans want Penguin Gary Roberts the NL team's All-Star rep. He's as deserving as any Pirate.
24. Royals (22): Suffered the second no-hitter against them in franchise history. Nolan Ryan threw the first.
25. Nationals (30): Their outfield has a combined six homers; 57 major big leaguers have at least seven.
26. Tigers (26): After a 1-20 with RISP in Arizona, they were 12-22 in first two games back home.
27. Rockies (25): Clint Barmes wants his old job back. In Troy Tulowitzki's place, he's hit .341 with five HRs.
28. Mariners (28): After three dismal outings in Detroit, their starters combined ERAs this month is 7.39.
29. Giants (29): Omar Vizquel is two away from the all-time record for games played at shortstop.
30. Padres (27): They're hitting .205, and have been outscored 80-35, from the seventh inning on.

Tigers will be Number 1 in October