Monday, May 24th -

Interleague Play started last weekend. Always an exciting time in baseball, and a good time to start measuring where teams are at. But the weekend was just a taste of the Interleague action, which will resume on June 11th. It’s back to intra-league matchups for another 2 and a half weeks. A lot of division races are getting tighter at the top, and the injury bug is starting to bite big time for some clubs.

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 8 MLB Power Rankings, with Last Week’s Rank in parentheses:

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1. (1) Tampa Bay Rays, 32-12 - Another strong week for the Rays, who went 6-1 and swept a 2-game set in New York. They’re 6 games ahead of any other team, by far the best record in baseball. In fact, the Rays have the second best record through 45 games of any team in the last 10 years. Only the 2001 Mariners were better, and they went on to finish that season with the most regular season wins in MLB history. David Price is the first AL starter to reach 7 wins and is definitely a top Cy Young candidate. Ben Zobrist hit his first HR of the year in Yankee Stadium on Thursday, which hopefully gets him into a little bit of a rhythm.

2. (3) Philadelphia Phillies, 26-17 - As soon as Jimmy Rollins returned to the lineup, he got hurt again. He injured his calf against the Red Sox on Friday and is heading back to the DL. Still, the Phillies move up to #2 in the rankings and know how to win without him. Philadelphia is 2nd in the NL in team OPS, and 3rd in the NL in team ERA. Ryan Howard is having a different type of year in 2010 than he did in ’09. He’s only hit 8 HR and is not in the top 25 in NL slugging percentage. But, his strikeout numbers are down and he’s hitting .299 while still in the top 10 in NL RBI’s.

3. (2) New York Yankees, 26-18 - The Yanks went 2-5 last week. They were a 4-run, 9th inning rally against Jonathan Papelbon and 2-RBI double against the Mets by Kevin Russo away from getting swept in 3 straight series last week. They got manhandled at home in a 2-game set by the Rays, a major statement by Tampa Bay. Injuries are really starting to get to this team. Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte each pitched their first poor start of the season. It was a bad week for New York, but that’s the first time we have said that all year. They still land at #3.

4. (4) Minnesota Twins, 26-18 - Justin Morneau might now be the leading candidate for AL MVP. He’s hitting a ridiculous .383 with an absurd 1.200 OPS and 11 home runs. Joe Mauer is 3rd in the AL in average. The 3-4 tandem in the Twins’ order is as scary as ever. However, only Francisco Liriano has an ERA under 4.00 of their starting pitchers. There is room for improvement for the staff.

5. (7) St. Louis Cardinals, 26-19 - A 5-2 week catapults the Cardinals back into first place in the NL Central. Albert Pujols moved to 4th place in the batting order for a few games, and it might have sparked something in the lineup, but he’s back in the 3-hole. Jaime Garcia is second in the NL with a 1.28 ERA. He is filling the void as a legitimate 3rd starter in this rotation, joining aces Wainwright and Carpenter.

6. (5) Detroit Tigers, 25-19 - The Tigers are just 1 game back of the Twins. It’s tough to figure out the true value of Austin Jackson for this team. In the leadoff spot all season, he has just 15 extra-base hits, including 1 home run. He also leads the AL in strikeouts. But, he’s hitting .337 and managed to keep a solid .884 OPS while being in the top 10 in runs scored. Meanwhile, Miguel Cabrera has stayed consistently great and is probably the AL’s second most valuable player to date.

7. (9) Toronto Blue Jays, 26-20 - The AL East is unfair good. The Blue Jays are 7th in my rankings, but 3rd in the division. The Red Sox are hot now, too, and have jumped into the top ten. 4 teams from the same division in the top 10 of the power rankings is just not fair. Jose Bautista has a robust 14 HR and 38 RBI, both second in the AL, but he’s hitting just .242. He has hit 1 more single this year (15) than he has home runs.

8. (8) Cincinnati Reds, 25-19 - The Reds lost first place in the division, but are still playing good ball. They were victims of the Brooks Conrad storybook grand slam walk-off last week against the Braves. If Laynce Nix makes that catch, they’re still in first. Mike Leake has been outstanding in the rotation, at 4-0 with a 2.91 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Homer Bailey has shown flashes of greatness, including a complete game shutout, but he is now sporting a 5.51 ERA and was lifted after 2 and 2/3 innings in his last start due to elbow pain. Not good news there.

9. (13) Los Angeles Dodgers, 25-19 - The Dodgers continue to move up in the ranks as the hottest team in the NL, even without Andre Ethier. A much-improved pitching staff has been the catalyst. Hiroki Kuroda, Chad Billingsley, and Clayton Kershaw now all sport ERA’s under 3.75.

10. (16) Boston Red Sox, 24-21 - Boston is starting to get it together. A 5-2 week has them moving way up in the rankings, and they now are in the top 10. They have hit the second most home runs in the AL and are really playing well. Again, it’s just unfortunate how good their division is, as they are looking up at 3 teams. Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 8 shutout innings against the Phillies on Sunday, including taking a no hitter into the 8th. If he gets it together, even more upwards movement could be in store.

11. (10) San Diego Padres, 26-18 - The Padres are now holding onto a slim 1-game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West. San Diego continues to pitch well. Their 2.98 ERA is phenomenal, best in the NL and only worse than the Rays. You won’t find many Padres hitters at the tops of the stat categories. Only veteran David Eckstein is hitting above .300. They might need others to start picking it up in the lineup in order to hold the division lead.

12. (11) Texas Rangers, 25-20 - A solid week for the Rangers, going 5-2. Vladimir Guerrero has always loved hitting in Texas, and a full season there is paying major dividends. He is in the top 5 in the AL in home runs, RBI, average, and OPS. Elvis Andrus has just 6 extra-base hits in 158 at-bats, but he has a .408 on-base percentage and has 17 steals. That makes him a very above-average leadoff hitter. He’s also phenomenal in the field at shortstop.

13. (6) San Francisco Giants, 22-21 - A 1-6 week from the Giants, and now they are seriously reeling. San Francisco’s top 4 starters are all in the top 15 in the NL in WHIP. Very impressive, and that should continue. But they are 13th in the NL in home runs, and 15th in stolen bases. A lacking run production could soon push them under .500 for the first time all season.

14. (12) Florida Marlins, 23-22 - The Hanley Ramirez saga was a huge distraction for this team, but they seem to be past it. Ramirez handled his being pulled from a game for not hustling in a terrible way. He cursed at his manager, called him out in the public, and did not show any leadership. All of his teammates recognized it, and he has deservedly taken much heat. But he apologized, was talked to by Hall-of-Famers Tony Perez and Andre Dawson, and hopefully he learns from this, because he is a sensational talent. Since he returned to the lineup from a 2-game benching, Hanley is hitting .550.

15. (14) Colorado Rockies, 22-22 - The Rockies continue to underwhelm in the standings, despite a talented squad and the runaway NL Cy Young winner. Ubaldo Jimenez has the most impressive 10-start run to open a season that I can remember. 8-1, 0.99 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 59 K’s in 63 innings, .171 batting average against, and a no-hitter. He leads the majors in all of those stats except IP and K’s. However, Miguel Olivo leads this team with 8 home runs. The hitting can be much better. I have a feeling they are saving up for a patented 2nd half run.

16. (15) Oakland Athletics, 23-22 - Good week for the A’s, who went 5-2 and are back above .500. Oakland is last in the AL in home runs, with just 25, but they have a decent OBP and manage to score enough runs to stay in games. There is still much room for individual improvement, though. Ryan Sweeney is the only hitter batting above .270, which is astonishing.

17. (17) Washington Nationals, 23-22 - Strasburg is getting closer and closer to joining the club, and the team is staying afloat. This could be a major 2nd half story now. Livan Hernandez’s stat line as a starter is very odd. He’s 4-2 in 8 starts, and all of them have been quality starts. He has not allowed more than 3 ER in any start. He has a 1.96 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and .198 batting average against. But how is he doing it? He has just 19 strikeouts on the year, and 18 walks, and he’s given up 7 home runs on the season, which is a pretty high number.

18. (20) Atlanta Braves, 23-21 - A 5-2 week for the Braves was filled with 3 walk-off wins and some serious comeback grit. This team looks way more resilient now. However, all the damage was done at home. They still can’t win on the road. Jason Heyward’s .989 OPS is 5th in the NL. Nate McLouth, however, is hitting under .200 now.

19. (21) Chicago Cubs, 21-24 - A 5-2 week was big for them, and Carlos Zambrano might be back in the rotation soon. Alfonso Soriano is really hot at the plate, and if the rest of the lineup starts to heat up then this team could get back to .500 quickly. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez need to start to hit in order for that to happen, though.

20. (18) New York Mets, 22-23 - They took 2 out of 3 from their cross-town rivals at home in Citi Field. There’s still major issues with this starting rotation, but the lineup is coming around. David Wright’s clutch hitting against the Yankees was huge, and hopefully snaps him out of his major funk. He still leads the majors in strikeouts and is hitting just .263.

21. (19) Los Angeles Angels, 21-25 - The pitching, offense, and defense is all significantly worse than last year. This has been the most disappointing team of the season, so far. Kendry Morales is doing everything he can to carry this lineup, but he needs some help. Nobody is hitting over .300. Joe Saunders has been a big disappointment this year in the rotation, at 3-5 with a 4.42 ERA and just 25 K’s with 23 BB’s. There’s still time to get it all together, though, and their record is not terrible.

22. (25) Arizona Diamondbacks, 20-25 - A 5-2 week from Arizona, who is slugging the ball like crazy. They lead the NL in home runs and OPS. Edwin Jackson has put together two consecutive good outings, striking out 21 batters in 17 innings. Maybe they can start playing better ball. It’s a very tough division, though, and they’re looking up at 4 teams.

23. (22) Seattle Mariners, 16-28 - I still have hope in the Mariners. But I must be the only one. This team has just an atrocious lineup, and their strategy this season is failing miserably. Nobody thought it would be THIS bad. You’ve got to feel for Ichiro. Imagine what his numbers would be on a good team. It’s a shame, because their starting pitching has been great. Doug Fister leads the AL with a 1.96 ERA.

24. (23) Chicago White Sox, 18-25 - Nothing is changing for the White Sox. They’re so inconsistent. I’ll quote ESPN for this one: “Friday and Saturday: consecutive wins for the first time all month. Sunday: a 13-0 loss to Florida. The season in a nutshell.” Yea, that about sums it up. John Danks is second in the AL in ERA and might be the best starting pitcher in the league so far this season that’s not on the Tampa Bay Rays.

25. (28) Kansas City Royals, 18-27 - They’re 6-4 in the Ned Yost era, so that’s promising. Kansas City has the best batting average in the American League, but the worst team ERA. And they aren’t getting many extra-base hits with the high average. Jose Guillen is the only one providing pop, as his hot streaks have significantly outweighed his cold stretches this season.

26. (24) Milwaukee Brewers, 17-27 - You’ve got to think that Ken Macha is getting fired soon. 17-27 is not good enough for this ballclub. The team needs to make better decisions with their pitchers. Perhaps it’s management’s issue, since they’ve consistently acquired post-prime veteran pitchers that are getting shelled. A 5.44 team ERA is second worst in the majors. Casey McGehee is quietly the NL leader with 39 RBI’s.

27. (26) Pittsburgh Pirates, 19-25 - Again, it shocks me that they don’t have a worse record. They’ve given up the most runs in baseball, and have scored the second least. Yet the Pirates find ways to win close games. Pittsburgh doesn’t have a single starting pitcher with an ERA under 4.50.

28. (27) Cleveland Indians, 16-26 - Grady Sizemore is on the DL, which is horrible news for this struggling lineup. But he was playing awful, anyway. Shin-Soo Choo is the only player on this team doing anything of note. Fausto Carmona and Mitch Talbot do have ERA’s under 4.00, so that’s something to work with.

29. (29) Baltimore Orioles, 14-31 - Dave Trembley needs to go. The Orioles should not have the worst record in baseball. They have the worst road record in baseball at 6-18. That would make them 8-13 at home, which is not much better. Young “phenom” starter Brian Matusz has a 5.26 ERA and 1.46 WHIP.

30. (30) Houston Astros, 15-29 - They cannot hit. I still can’t get over the .274 on-base percentage. That has got to be some kind of record for worst OBP to start a season in 45 games. However, they found a way to beat the Rays 2-1 on Friday night, so maybe they can build on that.

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BIGGEST RISERS -
Boston Red Sox (Currently 10th, up 6 from last week)
Los Angeles Dodgers (9th, up 4)

BIGGEST FALLERS -
San Francisco Giants (Currently 13th, down 7 from last week)

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