Power Rankings: Angels top parity-stricken league

Updated July 22

God, I hate parity. At the 98-or-so-game mark, is there one top-eight MLB team you'd anoint as a strong favorite over another in a five-game series? That's not a rhetorical question; I'm genuinely curious. And annoyed: All this mediocrity makes identifying distinctions between teams quite difficult. Run differential, to the rescue!

Of the top teams, the Angels can't get on base. The Red Sox start crying for their mommies when away from Fenway. The Cubs have potential arm-abuse issues with some of their most essential bullpen cogs. Right now, if you're betting on a World Series favorite -- and only our top-five ranked teams are on the board -- you might as well put down a few bucks on "field."

Maybe the Angels' sweep of the Red Sox this weekend heralds the emergence of a new Alpha Dog. More likely, the fact that two of the three wins were of the two-run variety suggests that one team was just luckier than the other. Anyway, without further comment, then, here's one guy's top-to-bottom snapshot of baseball's 30 squads as of closing time Sunday.

The Power Rankings:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Angels · Trends	3
	They sure can pitch and they've got one of the game's few impervious middle-relief units ... Speedy teams take note: The Angels haven't thrown out a would-be base thief since June 18 ... After winning five of their past six against the Red Sox and A's, could there be some letdown this week against the Indians and Orioles? Nah.
	2	Cubs · Trends	2
	They're 37-12 at Wrigley, 21-29 on the road ... Alfonso Soriano should be back Wednesday, which will send secret weapon Mike Fontenot (.931 OPS vs. righties) back to the bench ... Kerry Wood possibly headed to the DL ... with a blister? That's all? No tears or disfigurements? This is like Elijah Dukes getting arrested for something like jaywalking.
	3	Red Sox · Trends	5
	Their problems are more easily fixable than those of any bona fide contender in the game: Get everybody healthy -- like 2007, with liberal September vacation time doled out to players stricken with hangnails -- and get a lefty for the 'pen ... While I accept that Jacoby Ellsbury is a hunkthrob of the highest order, he's the obvious candidate to sit when David Ortiz reenters the lineup. Good luck selling his benching to the bleacher trollops, though.
	4	Rays · Trends	1
	I don't care if they reclaimed pole position in the AL East over the weekend. They're still 2-8 in their past 10, and hardly against imposing competition ... Troy Percival's return gives the relief corps more depth and veteran moxietudinousness and all, but Grant Balfour ought to be given first shot at the late-game outs that matter.
	5	White Sox · Trends	4
	All they do is hit homers -- but while this might be an efficient run-production tactic, it has prompted small-ball activists to file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. Scott Podsednik and Omar Moreno are the named claimants ... Some pitching depth would be a nice addition at the trade deadline, with both the rotation and 'pen looking thin ... Possible Ozzie feud of the week: accusing K.C. starter Brian Bannister of thinking before he speaks.
	6	Brewers · Trends	6
	The Sabathia/Sheets/Parra triad makes the Brewers quite intimidating in any short series ... Between them, Rickie Weeks and recent acquisition Ray Durham cover roughly 22 percent of the ground of an average major-league second baseman ... The schedule the rest of the way might be the easiest of any contender in either league ... Do they have enough prospects left to add a needed reliever?
	7	Cardinals · Trends	8
	Doubt the Cards if you will, but Lohse/Wellemeyer/Looper looks a hell of a lot better now than Carpenter-and-crap did in 2006 ... That weekend dismissal of the Padres was dramatic, no? That they didn't pitch or hit very well has been conveniently ignored ... Albert Pujols has quietly reclaimed his usual spot atop the NL OPS chart ... Big week, with four at home vs. Milwaukee and three at Shea.
	8	Twins · Trends	7
	The record and run differential (+33) say they're pretty OK, but they were swept in the one series they played this month against a legit contender ... The next 11 days, which include games in New York and four against the White Sox, should prove didactic ... File under "massively unsustainable:" The Twinkies' .314 batting average with runners in scoring position is not a typo.
	9	Mets · Trends	13
	Relax, Billy Wagner's shoulder is fine ... Other recent triumphs for which manager Jerry Manuel is singularly responsible: Mike Pelfrey's improved self-image, improved fourth-grade math scores in NYC schools, The Dark Knight ... That was a lovely winning streak and all, but few teams relying on bench fodder like Damion Easley, Endy Chavez and Fernando Tatis sustain their success for too long. Be wary.
	10	Yankees · Trends	10
	They were bound to start winning some of those 2-1 and 4-3 games ... Welcome to the 2008 season, Robbie Cano ... Let's be honest: Posada hadn't helped the team much since he returned. Get the shoulder fixed and come back strong in 2009 ... It's entirely possible that third-base coach Bobby Meacham is The Mole ... Edwar Ramirez in his past 11 innings: one hit, zero runs, two walks, 14 Ks. Kyle Farnsworth in his past eight innings: no hits, no runs, four walks, seven Ks. Brian Fuentes whats-a-ma-who?
	11	Athletics · Trends	11
	At Yankee Stadium on Saturday, you could practically see Huston Street's trade value wafting away. He threw exactly zero pitches with any kind of bite ... The Oakland numbers look dandy so far -- especially that plus-57 run differential -- but the merciless exiling of Rich Harden and Joe Blanton suggest that GM Billy Beane remains a pragmatist at heart. One possible reason for his pessimism: three road trips of nine games or more on the second-half schedule.
	12	Phillies · Trends	12
	Granted, Josh Hamilton's 106-year-old batting-practice pitcher would be an upgrade in the rotation over Adam Eaton, but Blanton's hardly a lock to excel in the Sillies' pinball machine of a ballpark ... Consider the recent hitting problems (four runs or less in 20 of their past 30 games) a hiccup. This lineup remains stacked ... Nine of their next 12 are on the road, including sure-to-be-hyped tilts against the Cards and the Mets. The winner of the latter series gets dibs on the "WE'RE the team to beat now, dog!" crazy talk.
	13	Tigers · Trends	9
	There's not a lot to say here. They remain a threat for the same reasons they did at the start of the season (Justin Verlander atop the rotation, loud bats in the lineup) and a dicey bet owing to issues that anybody could have spotted back in March (heavy reliance on oldy-old olds, health concerns in the 'pen) ... Todd Jones has been nicknamed "Roller Coaster," owing to his "thrilling" ups and downs. May I suggest a few alternatives? "Land Mine," "The Vominator," "Toddie Tiger."
	14	Marlins · Trends	15
	How come some of my peers are so shouty about Adam Dunn's 1.12 strikeouts per game, yet none of them seem to have noticed that the Marlins might employ six 100-strikeout hitters by the time the season is out? ... Josh Johnson has looked positively frisky in his first two 2008 starts, but he's still more of a breakdown candidate than anyone not surnamed Harden ... Look for reality to set in courtesy of back-to-back series against the Cubs and Metsies starting Friday.
	15	Rangers · Trends	14
	Any team ranked between 8 and 17 is perfectly capable of whupping any other on a given afternoon ... The Rangers generate a whole bunch of runs and allow even more. This has been the case since around 1999, which suggests that a change in roster-construction strategy might be at hand ... The nine-game road trip concludes with potentially hope-deflating visits to Chicago and Oakland this week.
	16	Dodgers · Trends	18
	They'll miss Takashi Saito -- not so much because Jonathan Broxton won't be able to replace him, but because the Dodgers don't have anyone to replace Broxton in the late-inning-miss-bats role ... Joe Torre guru calming presence nostril hair knows how to win blah blah blah ... Nomar Garciaparra's range at short might be likened to that of a step ladder, but he has played 13 straight games without once mentioning the words "tendon" or "ligament."
	17	Diamondbacks · Trends	16
	Remember the Simpsons episode where Homer pounded on the TV set, demanding that it "be more funny!"? Anytime I watch the Diamondbacks, I attack my set with similar gusto. I have no clue how they have regressed so suddenly ... Haren and Webb, then pray for (paging through rhyming dictionary) ... uh, greb? Deb? Never mind ... They have plenty of games left against the dregs of their division, so it's still possible that they could win the 86 they'll need to make the postseason.
	18	Blue Jays · Trends	20
	A.J. Burnett has pitched wonderfully in his past two starts, which means he's due to stink it up against the Orioles on Wednesday, likely with 724 scouts watching his every wince ... David Eckstein has finally and mercifully been benched, and that's that ... On the days when Roy Halladay isn't on the hill, there's no less interesting team in the game.
	19	Braves · Trends	19
	Back-to-back blowouts against the Nationals is the clearest sign, short of an in-person visitation by Jehovah him/herself, that your so-serious, let's-win-this-thing! team meeting didn't register ... Mike Hampton "might" throw a bullpen session before the month is out ... If the Braves are going to wake up, this week would be an ideal time to do it: Their next six games are against the Marlins and Phillies.
	20	Royals · Trends	22
	They play hard and they mostly play smart, which is all you can ask from a team with limited talent ... A handful of contenders could use a righty-hitting corner bat like Jose Guillen. Unfortunately for the Royals, most of those teams are intimately familiar with the notion of on-base percentage ... The organization oughta pay close attention this weekend during its four-game scrap against the Rays. There's your blueprint for the future.
	21	Orioles · Trends	17
	If your answer at shortstop is Juan Castro (36 years old, lifetime .602 OPS), you're clearly asking the wrong question ... The Orioles' Sunday losing streak has now reached a near-impossible 15 games. If nothing else, such continued futility should provide terrific recruitment fodder for whoever's organizing the team's weekly religious services.
	22	Rockies · Trends	26
	Gosh, they swept the Pirates. It's like 2007 all over again! ... The Rockies have been hot at recently re-un-dehumidified Coors Field (9-1 in their past 10), but let's see what happens during a three-game series against the Dodgers. During it, they'll trot out Kip Wells, Ubaldo Jimenez and Glendon Rusch to the mound. Prediction: Medic!
	23	Astros · Trends	24
	I wish there was an owner in my keeper roto league like Drayton McLane Jr., convinced that his team has the goods despite a heap of evidence to the contrary. Those guys are easy to fleece ... On the other hand, short of torching it for the insurance money, how do you make this team better in a hurry? ... From the dumb-comparison files: J.R. Towles boasts a .627 OPS in 91 plate appearances at Minute Maid Park, while Carlos Zambrano has a .780 OPS in 31 plate appearances.
	24	Reds · Trends	21
	One of the few MLB teams that can look like a world beater one day (when Edinson Volquez or Johnny Cueto have their best stuff) and a fundamentally inept atrocity the next ... Credit where credit's due: Dusty Baker has stuck with Joey Votto, even as the heir to the 1B throne hasn't made contact in the past seven weeks ... Edwin Encarnacion giveth (17 dingers) and Edwin Encarnacion taketh away (16 errors). He needs a stern talking to.
	25	Indians · Trends	28
	Actual AP headline from Sunday afternoon: "Cliff Lee's 11-Hitter Leads Indians Over Mariners." Rarely has semi-dominance been phrased so pithily ... The only upside to the Victor Martinez injury, one of 372 that have befallen the Tribe in 2008: The team's getting an extended look at Kelly Shoppach and has to mostly like what it sees.
	26	Pirates · Trends	23
	My only possible explanation for Freddy Sanchez's continued placement in the two-hole, despite a .259 OBP and a .319 SLG: he is a skilled and unrepentant blackmailer ... Of course the Pirates should trade Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, even if they're under team control through 2029. Alas, the concept of "selling high" doesn't seem to have reached the Pirate boardroom just yet ... You have to figure Damaso Marte ends up in Boston.
	27	Giants · Trends	25
	And so the long-awaited rebuilding begins with the donation of Ray Durham to the Brewers. I assume Rich Aurilia goes next, owing to his perceived (though not actual) versatility, but otherwise the major-league cupboard is bare... Four Giant starters -- yes, even the godly Tim Lincecum -- have walked at least 51 batters.
	28	Nationals · Trends	30
	The Nats plated 28 runs over the weekend, which is the equivalent of a real major-league offense scoring 113 ... Welcome back, Ryan Zimmerman ... How desperate is this team for offense? They've chosen to regard Willie Harris' hot streak atop the lineup as a sign of actual competence, rather than a brief glimmer of divine favor. Isn't that cute?
	29	Mariners · Trends	29
	The only thing about this team worth noting is that Miguel Cairo's name has been inked into the starting lineup twice in three games since the All-Star break. If they clearly don't give a crap anymore, why should I?
	30	Padres · Trends	27
	Jake Peavy allowed four dingers the other night. Is everything OK physically? ... Even the always-hardy S.D. 'pen has exploded: Heath Bell has allowed seven runs in his past two innings ... Padres exec Sandy Alderson the other day: "We definitely missed in our evaluation of some players this season." You think?