Roberts: Tuesday's MLB Power Rankings
By Evan Roberts
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1. Texas Rangers: 17-6 (1)
The Rangers continue to be the obvious No. 1 team. We all know the offense is impressive, but the thing making Texas even scarier is how good Yu Darvish looks. I'd like to see him a few times around the league, but Yu's first impression has been nothing short of brilliant. He pitched into the eighth against the Yankees last week and frustrated the Blue Jays' bats all night on Monday. Not a bad replacement for CJ Wilson... so far.
2. Tampa Bay Rays: 15-8 (5)
It's all about the pitching! And so far the Rays' lead in the AL East has been all about the starters and exceptional pitching from fill-in closer Fernando Rodney. The front three of Shields, Price and Hellickson are a combined 11-1 to start the year. They are also finding crazy ways to win, take Monday night against Seattle. The only negative is that nobody seems to care. Last night's extra-innings classic drew an announced crowd of 9,458.
3. St. Louis Cardinals: 14-8 (3)
Maybe they shouldn't be ahead of Los Angeles and the Yankees, but I'm stupefied by the defending champions. No Dave Duncan yet they have three starters with ERAs under 2.00! And those guys aren't Bob Gibson, Randy Johnson and Walter Johnson. They are Kyle Lohse (1.62), Jake Westbrook (1.30) and Lance Lynn (1.33). Can they keep this up? No way, but in all likelihood neither will Adam Wainwright's 7.32.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers 16-6 (4)
I like the Dodgers. I mean I did pick them to win the NL West, but Matt Kemp is a human being and he will slow down. When he does this offense will need other guys to step up and pick him up. Andre Ethier has been solid, but who else can help carry the load once Kemp realizes this isn't a video game?
5. New York Yankees: 13-9 (8)
The starting pitching has been inconsistent, and the big bats haven't exactly exploded yet. That's what makes the Yankees the sleeping giant that they are. Andy Pettitte will be in the rotation within the next few weeks, but I love the decision to pull the plug on Freddy Garcia and give David Phelps the chance he deserves after being impressive out of the pen. Phil Hughes is now on notice.
6. Atlanta Braves: 14-9 (NR)
In a division littered with mediocre lineups, the Braves have stepped up the last few weeks. Freddie Freeman has gotten hot and Dan Uggla is actually off to a solid start. Tim Hudson's return gives them a much needed veteran presence in the rotation. After opening the season getting swept by the Mets, they have played excellent baseball.
7. Washington Nationals: 14-8 (6)
It's tough to win 1-0 and 2-1 every night. For the first weeks of the season Washington was doing that routinely. That stopped in LA. The pitching has been incredible as four of the five starters have ERAs under 2.00, but can they score enough -- AND can they protect leads? The call up of Bryce Harper is exciting, but can it give them the punch they need to remain atop the NL East?
8. New York Mets: 13-10 (7)
After being swept in a doubleheader by the Giants last week, it looked as if the Mets were going to go in the tank. They responded by sweeping the division rival Marlins and taking two of three in wild fashion from Colorado. The Mets are a feisty team... but the issue of replacing Mike Pelfrey and the bullpen remaining solid will be the key questions moving forward.
9. Baltimore Orioles: 14-9 (10)
Buck Showalter has the O's off to a surprising start in an ultra-competitive division. The problem is they have to face the Yankees a bunch more times. They lost to them on Monday night despite another strong outing from Jason Hammel. The pitching has been very solid and Adam Jones is off to a great start, but no one actually believes they can hang tough in the AL East.
10. Cleveland Indians: 11-9 (NR)
This final spot in the Top 10 was tough to hand out, but we will give it to the first-place Indians. That may not last long. You know Detroit is better than the way they have played and the schedule is about to test the young Tribe. Their next 14 games are against Chicago, Texas and Boston.
How would you rank 'em? Make your case in the comments below...
