Monday, May 10th -

The major story of the past week was Dallas Braden’s perfect game on Sunday afternoon against the best team in baseball. The Oakland A’s starter struck out 6 Rays on his way to the 19th perfect game in MLB history, and the second one in Athletics history, joining all-time great Catfish Hunter. Here’s a look at what else happened in the past week.

This Power Rankings takes into account season performance thus far, but also accounts for expected future performance and reasons for past performance (such as a major injury, etc). Therefore, current team records won’t always correspond with a team’s spot in the rankings. Like always, debate is encouraged. Here is the Week 6 MLB Power Rankings, with Last Week’s Rank in parentheses:

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1. (1) Tampa Bay Rays, 22-9 - The Rays hang on to the top spot but are now just half a game ahead of the Yankees in the standings. They’re hoping that being victims of Dallas Braden’s perfection was an offensive anomaly and does not lead to a slump. The starting rotation is still fantastic. Wade Davis has the worst starter ERA, at 3.18. Evan Longoria is a legitimate MVP candidate.

2. (2) New York Yankees, 21-9 - Injuries are starting to pile up for the Yanks, but they’ve stayed winning games and pitching well. Injury replacements are stepping up big, especially catcher Francisco Cervelli. The starting rotation has been consistently solid all year except for Javier Vazquez. And the April woes of Mark Teixeira are long gone, after he knocked 3 home runs in Saturday’s victory over the Red Sox.

3. (3) St. Louis Cardinals, 20-12 - The Cardinals are getting it done with their pitching. Albert Pujols has not hit a home run in 13 games, yet they are still 8-5 in that stretch. They have the best team ERA in baseball at 2.71, and their starting pitchers have logged quality starts in 27 of 32 games.

4. (4) Minnesota Twins, 21-11 - Joe Mauer missed just 5 games with his heel injury before returning to the lineup. Francisco Liriano has come back down to earth, having lost his last 2 starts. But this team has stayed consistent in all phases. Leadoff man Denard Span is becoming a major asset with his great speed and contact ability.

5. (5) Philadelphia Phillies, 19-12 - With the Phillies in the 5-spot, that means the top 5 in the rankings have all stayed in the same exact spot as last week. They just took 3 of 4 games from the Cardinals, but it was a competitive series at home, so they don’t pass the Cards just yet. Jayson Werth is going to get a hefty paycheck at the end of the year. Phillies fans hope it’s with the same team.

6. (6) San Francisco Giants, 18-12 - Aaron Rowand’s return from the DL gives the Giants a much needed power addition to the lineup, and he’s off to a great start. Meanwhile, it’s the same old story for the starting rotation, which is getting it done on a nightly basis. Brian Wilson is also doing a fine job in the closer role. San Fran has the second best team ERA in baseball.

7. (13) Texas Rangers, 18-14 - The Rangers are starting to distinguish themselves as the best team in the AL West. While Nelson Cruz has gone to the DL, the rest of the power bats have gone off. Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero are hot, and Ian Kinsler is doing his thing at the top of the lineup. Vlad had 14 RBI’s last week.

8. (7) Detroit Tigers, 17-14 - Austin Jackson’s 44 hits in his first 30 games marked the 3rd most hits in MLB history to begin a player’s first 30 career games. Number one on that list? Joe DiMaggio. I’m not saying Austin Jackson is the next Joe D, but it’s clear that the kid has tremendous talent. I’m never going to forgive my Yankees for trading him.

9. (9) San Diego Padres, 19-12 - Small ball is leading to tons of wins for the Padres. San Diego leads the NL in stolen bases, and they’re third in team ERA. The last time the Padres had this many wins in their first 30 games (1998), they made the World Series.

10. (15) Oakland Athletics, 17-15 - Dallas Braden’s perfect game is the top story of the sports world, and for good reason. Just 2 weeks after making headlines for starting a war of words with Alex Rodriguez, the A’s starter became the 19th player in history to throw a perfect game. He had just 6 strikeouts, and he didn’t throw a pitch above 90 MPH. He also got it done against the best team in baseball, on Mother’s Day, with his grandmother in attendance. Great story that highlights a good week for Oakland.

11. (8) New York Mets, 17-14 - The Mets continue to win games despite not putting up very impressive numbers in the box score. The main reason is because of clutch hitting. Last week, New York became the first team EVER to record walk-off wins in back-to-back nights by 2 different catchers’ home runs. Perhaps the most obscure stat you’ll ever read, but that’s what baseball is all about. And it means something to be the first to record a feat in a sport that has played 150+ games every season for 130+ years.

12. (16) Toronto Blue Jays, 19-14 - A 6-1 week and here comes more Blue Jays buzz. Toronto leads all of baseball with 48 home runs, led by Alex Gonzalez and Vernon Wells. Fred Lewis has also been a solid contributor, as has Jose Bautista. Yes, a very random collection of players that were probably not even drafted in your fantasy league, but they’re getting W’s for the Jays.

13. (10) Colorado Rockies, 15-16 - The Rockies continue to underwhelm, as they hover around .500. But beware of their patented 2nd half explosion, which has led them to playoff berths in 2 of the last 3 seasons. What’s holding Colorado back right now is their inability to win close games and make comebacks. Despite having a +31 run differential, they have just 3 saves on the season. 1 blowout win does not make up for 2 close losses.

14. (12) Florida Marlins, 14-17 - Tough week for the Marlins, who went 1-5. Hanley Ramirez is starting to heat up, but Jorge Cantu is regressing from his torrid start. The offense and pitching staff is full of enough talent to stay competitive, but the defense is holding the team back right now. Florida’s 30 errors are the most in MLB.

15. (19) Cincinnati Reds, 16-15 - Mike Leake, who never pitched an inning in the minor leagues, is off to a great start. Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips are both starting to come around, and it’s leading to great results. The Reds have the talent to stay competitive and become the 2nd best team in the division.

16. (18) Washington Nationals, 17-14 - They continue to play well and are now tied for 2nd in the division. Matt Capps leads all of baseball in saves, which is a major part of being a legitimate team. Opponents are no longer confident in their ability to come back against the Nats. Tyler Clippard also has 6 wins out of the bullpen. Stephen Strasburg looked phenomenal in his first Triple-A start. Things are looking good in Washington.

17. (22) Boston Red Sox, 16-16 - After avoiding a sweep by the Yankees, the Sox all of a sudden are at .500 and not looking so bad. They still have no chance of being in the discussion for the division title, but they’re improving. Enough about David Ortiz’s struggles; at this point, anything you get from Big Papi is a bonus. The main concern should be Josh Beckett and Victor Martinez’s struggles, who were expected to be the leaders of the staff and lineup, but aren’t getting it done.

18. (21) Los Angeles Dodgers, 14-17 - Fans are going to have to live with the fact that this is a much different Dodgers team than in the past. Gone are the days of solid starting pitching, complemented with good defense and timely hitting. The 2010 Dodgers have a woefully inconsistent and volatile starting rotation, below-average defense at several positions, and win games with the long ball. Luckily, Andre Ethier is the NL MVP right now and is carrying the team (.383, 10 HR, 32 RBI).

19. (24) Milwaukee Brewers, 15-16 - A 5-1 week has the Brewers looking up, while Ryan Braun continues to be an MVP candidate. The rest of the lineup joined him with success in the past week, and all of a sudden Milwaukee is a game under .500 and leads the NL in runs scored. The pitching, however, is not any good. They need to replace Jeff Suppan and Doug Davis in the rotation with younger starters, because they are just not getting it done.

20. (11) Los Angeles Angels, 14-19 - Another 2-5 week has the Angels reeling. This lineup is starting to look a bit old, with Hideki Matsui and Torii Hunter struggling and battling injuries. A four-game sweep at the hands of the Red Sox shows where this team is at right now. Their pitching needs to carry them and get them back to respectability.

21. (14) Seattle Mariners, 12-19 - An 8-game losing streak in which the team scored 12 runs total led to the first firing of the MLB season. Hitting coach Alan Cockrell is gone, and Seattle is hoping that the move might start to heat up the awful lineup. The Mariners are in the bottom 2 of MLB in runs, home runs, average, and OPS. That’s downright awful. Felix Hernandez is having a mediocre season and will need to pick it up in a hurry to get this team back and running.

22. (17) Chicago Cubs, 14-18 - After gaining some momentum, the Cubs went 1-5 last week. The good news from the past week was 20-year-old SS Starlin Castro’s MLB debut, in which he batted in a whopping 6 runs, including a 3-run homer in his first career at-bat. When my friend picked up Castro in our fantasy baseball league, it marked the first time ever that a league member had a player on a roster that was younger than him. I’ll report it to the Elias Sports Bureau.

23. (20) Arizona Diamondbacks, 14-18 - They got swept by the Brewers and got outscored 26-6. Arizona still has the second most home runs in the NL and can score runs in a hurry, but their pitching has been awful. The only team in the NL with a worse team ERA is the Pirates. Brandon Webb is circling early July as a BEST case scenario for a return. That’s not good news.

24. (23) Atlanta Braves, 13-18 - The Braves are the second worst road team in baseball and sit in last place in the NL East. To make matters worse, their rookie phenom strained a groin over the weekend and could possibly head to the DL. Heyward is hoping to avoid the DL and just miss a couple of games, but we’ll see what happens.

25. (25) Chicago White Sox, 13-19 - The White Sox continue to be plagued by the same problems. The team is loaded with potential but can never play consistently well at the same time. While Jake Peavy has pitched very well recently, April ace John Danks has not. And Alex Rios is starting to hit well, but he’s now the only regular hitting over .300. Gordon Beckham and Carlos Quentin both hitting exactly .193 has been killer. They were expected to be major run producers.

26. (26) Cleveland Indians, 11-18 - Cleveland is starting to show its true form and is now dangerously close to last place in the Central. The good news: Kerry Wood was activated from the DL over the weekend. Wait, is that good news? You can be the judge. Either way, this team needs to hit better.

27. (27) Kansas City Royals, 11-21 - The only thing keeping the Indians from the cellar in the AL Central is the Royals’ awful play. A 1-6 week has this team in last place still, and they cannot pitch. A blue chip closer is useless when the team can’t get a lead. They can’t really hit, either. Not a good combination. At least Billy Butler is starting to show signs as a potential all-star first basemen.

28. (30) Pittsburgh Pirates, 14-17 - A 4-2 record last week gets the Pirates out of the power rankings cellar. They still have the worst ERA in baseball and have not shown much pop. But a 10-2 record in two and one-run games has this team with a respectable record. They will jump in the rankings next week if they can keep getting some W’s.

29. (29) Baltimore Orioles, 9-23 - Worst record in baseball. With all the young talent they have in the lineup, veteran Ty Wigginton leads the team in most offensive categories, including 10 home runs. Their bullpen has been horrendous, and they need closer Mike Gonzalez to return to health. Dave Trembley is likely to be the first manager to get fired this season.

30. (28) Houston Astros, 10-21 - Carlos Lee has 2 home runs in 5 weeks. Lance Berkman is batting .185. And the Astros lineup as a whole is last in baseball in runs, average, OPS, and hits. Welcome back to the cellar of the power rankings.

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BIGGEST RISERS -
Texas Rangers (Currently 7th, up 6 from last week)
Oakland Athletics (10th, up 5)
Boston Red Sox (17th, up 5)
Milwaukee Brewers (19th, up 5)

BIGGEST FALLERS -
Los Angeles Angels (11th, down 9)
Seattle Mariners (21st, down 7)
Chicago Cubs (22nd, down 5)

Disagree with any of these rankings? Drop a comment and let me know. Be on the lookout for a new update every Monday.