Current:Home > BackMLB power rankings: Orioles in rare air, knocking Rays out of AL East lead for first time-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
MLB power rankings: Orioles in rare air, knocking Rays out of AL East lead for first time
View Date:2024-12-24 07:42:16
The Baltimore Orioles are running out of places to stash their talented young players. And running out of peaks to ascend in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings.
The Orioles' startling rebuild hit another gear this week as they won three of four games at Tampa Bay to wrest first place in baseball's toughest division – the AL East – away from the Rays. It was just their second four-game series conquest at Tropicana Field and their first since 2006, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
At 61-38, Baltimore has the top record in the AL and is second only to Atlanta. And the Orioles are in first place after the All-Star break for the first time since August 2016.
So, what now?
Baltimore leaves the Gulf Coast with a two-game lead in the East and faces an interesting week: Three games at Philadelphia in a rematch of its last World Series appearance, in 1983, followed by three at home against the enigmatic New York Yankees.
FOLLOW THE MONEY: MLB player salaries and payrolls for every major league team
HALL OF FAME:Fred McGriff, Scott Rolen honor parents in emotional induction
TRADE DEADLINE: Will Angels move Ohtani? 10 questions ahead of Aug. 1
By week's end, all three of those clubs may have a different perspective on how aggressive – or not – to be at the Aug. 1 trade deadline. For now, the Orioles look primed to adopt a buyer's stance – what with a playoff berth more than likely awaiting.
It's just more rarefied air, the sort the Orioles have not been slowed by this season.
A look at this week's rankings:
1. Atlanta Braves (-)
- And now they have this Daysbel Hernández fellow coming out of the bullpen.
2. Baltimore Orioles (+1)
- Only thing that could spoil this party is a bevy of pitchers' odometers roaring past career highs in innings.
3. Tampa Bay Rays (-1)
- Hopefully, squandering Joe Ryan a few Julys back won't make them gun-shy at deadline.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)
- Freddie Freeman: .331 average, .997 OPS. Ronald Acuña Jr.: .332, .986. Just a thought.
5. Texas Rangers (-)
- Not a lot of starters on the market, but they'll be aggressive in finding one.
6. Houston Astros (+1)
- Kyle Tucker making a strong case for NOMVP: Non-Ohtani Most Valuable Player.
7. Toronto Blue Jays (+3)
- Alek Manoah still walking a lot of guys - but now gives his team a chance to win.
8. Milwaukee Brewers (+3)
- Julio Teheran is practically a quality start machine. Like it's 2014.
9. Cincinnati Reds (+3)
- Joey Votto calls Hall of Famer Scott Rolen "the best mentor a young player could have.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks (-4)
- Lost three of last five series.
11. San Francisco Giants (-3)
- Getting swept at DC won't cut it in deep NL wild-card race.
12. New York Yankees (+1)
- When it's a Padres-Yankees World Series, we'll look back on all this and laugh.
13. Philadelphia Phillies (+1)
- Bryce Harper at long last ready to play first base - and a left field vacancy can be filled at the trade deadline.
14. Miami Marlins (-5)
- Finally win first game after break on Sunday, breaking a hex of our making, perhaps.
15. Boston Red Sox (-)
- Trouble ahead: First six batters in lineup have .800 or better OPS.
16. Los Angeles Angels (+1)
- After recent hot streak, it's more like Shohei No-tani for everyone else, right?
17. Minnesota Twins (-1)
- Still cooking: Edouard Julien's hot start now well beyond petit désjeuner stage.
18. Seattle Mariners (-)
- Mike Ford has 11 home runs in 110 at-bats.
19. San Diego Padres (+1)
- Count them out at your own risk.
20. Cleveland Guardians (-1)
- Jose Ramirez heading for eighth consecutive season with at least an .825 OPS.
21. Chicago Cubs (-)
- Cody Bellinger might land a nine-figure contract after a partial season at Wrigley. But it's supposed to be more than a rehab center, right?
22. New York Mets (-1)
- Can see them "selling" at the deadline yet somehow being a better team the final two months.
23. Detroit Tigers (+1)
- Alex Faedo shuts down Padres in just his seventh appearance this season.
24. St. Louis Cardinals (+1)
- They're like the kid who finally started cleaning their room after you burned the amusement park tickets.
25. Pittsburgh Pirates (-2)
- 23-48 since April 29.
26. Washington Nationals (+1)
- Lane Thomas: Key part of future or too good of a trade chip to hold onto?
27. Chicago White Sox (-1)
- How much of their pitching staff will remain after trade deadline?
28. Colorado Rockies (-)
- Randal Grichuk's .302 average, .842 OPS make him rare right-handed commodity on trade market.
29. Kansas City Royals (-)
- Three of Michael Massey's 11 career home runs came this weekend at Yankee Stadium.
30. Oakland Athletics (-)
- The record: 28-74. The run differential: Minus-258. Number of "SELL" shirts president Dave Kaval passed on flight to Vegas: One.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Medical King recalls 222,000 adult bed assistance rails after one reported death
- Amy Schumer on 'infectious' Jimmy Buffett, his 'Life & Beth' cameo as street singer
- Blogger Laura Merritt Walker Shares Her 3-Year-Old Son Died After Tragic Accident
- Philadelphia traffic stop ends in gunfire; driver fatally wounded, officer injured
- Olivia Munn Randomly Drug Tests John Mulaney After Mini-Intervention
- Simu Liu Teases Barbie Reunion at 2024 People's Choice Awards
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in January in latest sign that prices picked up last month
- Justice Department watchdog issues blistering report on hundreds of inmate deaths in federal prisons
- She was found dead while hitchhiking in 1974. An arrest has finally been made.
- Hyundai recalls more than 90,000 Genesis vehicles due to fire risk
Ranking
- 12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
- Watch Live: Fulton County prosecutors decline to call Fani Willis to return for questioning
- Why Love Is Blind Is Like Marriage Therapy For Vanessa Lachey and Nick Lachey
- Amy Schumer Reacts to Barbie’s Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig Getting Snubbed By Oscars 2024
- Glen Powell Addresses Rumor He’ll Replace Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible Franchise
- Tom Selleck refuses to see the end for 'Blue Bloods' in final Season 14: 'I'm not done'
- Trump Media's merger with DWAC gets regulatory nod. Trump could get a stake worth $4 billion.
- Caitlin Clark does it! Iowa guard passes Kelsey Plum as NCAA women's basketball top scorer
Recommendation
-
Halle Berry surprises crowd in iconic 2002 Elie Saab gown from her historic Oscar win
-
Top National Security Council cybersecurity official on institutions vulnerable to ransomware attacks — The Takeout
-
Caitlin Clark's scoring record reveals legacies of Lynette Woodard and Pearl Moore
-
How did Caitlin Clark do it? In-depth look at Iowa star's run at NCAA scoring record
-
Opinion: NFL began season with no Black offensive coordinators, first time since the 1980s
-
Justice Department watchdog issues blistering report on hundreds of inmate deaths in federal prisons
-
Auto workers threaten to strike again at Ford’s huge Kentucky truck plant in local contract dispute
-
What are the best women's college basketball games on TV this weekend?