Power Rankings – Week of May 30

1. Philadelphia Phillies (34-20, 1st place in the NL East)
The Phillies have hit their stride offensively, and combine that with a pitching staff that is nothing short of elite, and the Phillies could easily steamroll the rest of the National League.

2. Cleveland Indians (31-20, 1st place in the AL Central)
The Indians still hold a 5-game division lead over the Tigers though they had a rough week, going just 2-4.  

3. St. Louis Cardinals (32-23, 1st place in the NL Central)
The Cardinals are proving that they’re still one of the premier teams in baseball, even without ace Adam Wainwright.

4. Boston Red Sox (30-24, T-1st place in the AL East)
After a horrible 0-6 start to 2011, the Red Sox have rebounded nicely and now lead the AL East with the Yankees. Carl Crawford has once again found his swing, and over the past week, no one in baseball has scored more runs.

5. Florida Marlins (30-22, 3GB in the NL East)
The Marlins are tearing it up, and are really putting the pressure on the Phillies in the East. The Phils better watch out, because the Marlins have the talent to win the East easily.

6. New York Yankees (29-23, T-1st in the AL East)
The Yankees keep plugging along as one of the top teams in baseball. They do, however, need to rebound from two ugly losses to the Mariners in Seattle.

7. Tampa Bay Rays (28-25, 1.5GB in the AL East)
The Rays had a rough week on the road, but was brightened by Jeremy Hellickson’s performance (Fifth win in six games) and taking two of three from the Indians in Cleveland.

8. San Francisco Giants (29-24, .5GB in the NL West)
The Giants had a tough week by their standards. Of course, losing your star catcher for the year is never easy, but losing your grip on first place to the Diamondbacks is just adding insult to injury.

9. Atlanta Braves (30-25, 4.5GB in the NL East)
The Braves are riding the success of relief pitcher Jonny Venters and his 0.55 ERA. Unheardof for a long reliever.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks (30-24, 1st in the NL West)
The Diamondbacks are leading the NL West? Really? Wake me up when the world starts turning again.

11. Milwaukee Brewers (29-25, 2.5GB in the NL Central)
Are the Brewers for real? They seem to be – they’re on cruise control right now, having their way with the rest of the division. 

12. Texas Rangers (29-25, 1st in the AL West)
The Rangers might be first right now, but they have the Angels, Mariners, and even the A’s breathing down their necks.

13. Cincinnati Reds (28-27, 4GB in the NL Central)
The Reds aren’t playing great. What makes it so strange is the play of Joey Votto and why his elite play isn’t helping the Reds to more wins.

14. Toronto Blue Jays (28-26, 2GB in the AL East)
Two words: Jose. Bautista. He’s already hit 20 home runs this year, and his 80 home runs since September of 2010 leads all of baseball by a lot.

15. Seattle Mariners (27-26, 1.5GB in the AL West)
The Mariners are playing at a high level, just took two of three from the Yankees at home, and trail the Rangers by just 1.5 games.

16. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (29-27, 1GB in the AL West)
The Angels are in the thick of the tighest division race in baseball right now, and can easily overtake the Rangers if they slip up at all.

17. Colorado Rockies (25-28, 4.5GB in the NL West)
Another tough week for Rockies fans. They’re just 1-6 in the past week. How you can put up 14 hits, yet only push one run across the plate is inexcusable.

18. Detroit Tigers (27-26, 5GB in the AL Central)
How are the Tigers just 5 games back in the division? They can’t pitch well, and they can’t score runs that easily.

19. Oakland Athletics (27-28, 2.5GB in the AL West)
The A’s are keeping pace in a tough AL West division. They’re only 2.5 games behind the divison-leading Rangers, and can remain in the thick of the race if they keep playing well.

20. Baltimore Orioles (24-28, 5GB in the AL East)
Any other division, and the Orioles might have a shot at doing well. Under Buck Showalter, they’re still keeping pace in a tough division.

21. Kansas City Royals (23-30, 9GB in the AL Central)
The Royals keep slipping up, and after a nice start to 2011, the Royals may find themselves sitting at home watching the postseason instead of playing in it.

22. Pittsburgh Pirates (24-28, 6.5GB in the NL Central)
With well over 100 games left, the Pirates still have a legitimate shot at finishing above .500 for the first time in nearly 20 years. 

23. Chicago White Sox (25-31, 8.5GB in the AL Central)
The White Sox want to hit the reset button, and the first player to do so will be Adam Dunn. He’s on pace for just 15 home runs, and a batting average of .181 doesn’t help matters at all.

24. New York Mets (25-28, 8.5GB in the NL East)
The Mets continue to struggle, and could quickly find themselves batting the Nationals for last place in the division. Maybe new minority owner David Einhorn can help the team this year.

25. Chicago Cubs (23-29, 7.5GB in the NL Central)
Woes continue for the Cubs, and it looks like that championship drought will continue for at least another year.

26. Los Angeles Dodgers (25-30, 5.5GB in the NL West)
The Dodgers exploded for 7 runs and 11 hits yesterday against the Rockies, and could tie them for third in the division with a win tonight.

27. San Diego Padres (23-31, 7GB in the NL West)
The Padres continue to disappoint after winning 90 games and missing out on the division crown and the playoffs by just a game in 2010. Losing Adrian Gonzalez doesn’t help matters, either.

28. Washington Nationals (22-31, 11.5GB in the NL East)
The Nationals have quickly fallen to be one of the worst teams in baseball. Acquiring Jayson Werth did absolutely nothing for the team – money well spent, Nationals front office.

29. Houston Astros (20-34, 11.5GB in the NL Central)
Unless they win 20 or 30 in a row, the Astros can only hope to play spoiler in the division, and rebuild for a run in 2012.

30. Minnesota Twins (17-35, 14.5GB in the AL Central)
The Twins have completely fallen apart this year, and after a successful year in 2010, will have to go into rebuilding mode if they hope to compete here again. They’ll be buyers at the deadline for sure.