5 Up 5 Down: Power Rankings – 20th August 2013
Yes, that’s right, another edition of “5 Up 5 Down”, but this time I’ll be taking a look at the teams on the ascendency and the teams mired in a funk.
With just six weeks left until the end of this hectic regular season, play-off races are beginning to heat up and it’s crucial that teams hit top gear in September if they want to enter the play-offs with momentum. So which teams are on the rise?
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
No surprises here. The Dodgers have been historically hot over the past couple of months, going 42-9 over their past 51 games and tying the 1942 Cardinals for the best 50 game stretch in Major League history (and in 1942 competitive balance didn’t exist). They lost their first game in two weeks yesterday and have been 25-4 since the all-star break, all incredible feats. It’s easy to suggest that the promotion and hot-hitting of Cuban import Yasiel Puig or the ridiculous slugging of shortstop Hanley Ramirez has been the key to this success, but the real key can be found in the rotation. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball, and it’s not even close, but he has been particularly good this season with a minuscule 1.80 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Since the all-star break he has allowed just six earned runs in 45 innings and he has potentially propelled himself to the front of NL MVP discussions.
But the buck doesn’t stop with Kershaw. After scuffling with injuries and inconsistencies at the start of the season, Zack Greinke has excelled in recent weeks, justifying his multi-million dollar paycheck from the off-season. His season ERA of 3.02 is good, but doesn’t tell the whole story, as Greinke has a 2.03 ERA since the all-star break and has allowed four earned runs over his last 27 innings, improving his record to 11-3. Hyun-Jin Ryu may not have received the attention that other NL rookies have, but he has been superb in the Dodgers rotation too, with a 2.91 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Like Kershaw and Greinke, his stats have been even better in the second half. Ricky Nolasco has also been superb since his trade from the Marlins, and bit-part players like Chris Capuano have pulled their weight when needed. Of course this kind of fairytale run doesn’t happen without a considerable amount of luck, but Dodgers’ management needs to be given credit for building one of the strongest rotations in Major League baseball.
2. Atlanta Braves
The Braves won 14 straight between July and August to once again steam clear in the NL East and all but guarantee their spot in the post-season. They continue to prey on weak opposition, sweeping the Phillies, sweeping the Nationals, and then taking two out of three from the Marlins, Phillies and Nationals. Aside from a series with the Cardinals, their schedule only gets easier too, with a phenomenally easy September schedule that could give them an outside chance at 100 wins. All this has been surprising, especially considering the struggles of BJ Upton and Jason Heyward. Heyward has turned it on of late, and Justin Upton’s hot streak has once again coincided with a huge Braves resurgence.
But the real surprise has been the rotation, as it continues to get stronger despite the loss of Tim Hudson and setbacks to Brandon Beachy. Julio Teheran has been especially good since the all-star break, with a 1.75 ERA, but he’s been superb all season, with a sub-3 ERA and a bucketload of strikeouts, all in his age-22 season. Young left-hander Mike Minor continues to improve, and whilst the staff has no obvious ‘ace’, it has good depth and underrated starters that gives the lights-out bullpen a chance.
3. Detroit Tigers
When the Royals and Indians came out of the all-star break firing on all cylinders, the Tigers were put under pressure once again. But they’ve responded in the best way possible. They won 17 of 20 between late July and early August and have continued that momentum to hold the best record in the AL, and move seven clear of the Indians in the central. The main reason for this dominance is of course Miguel Cabrera, who has got even better after his triple-crown season last year. He took Mariano Rivera deep in consecutive at-bats a few weeks ago, and hit home run number forty yesterday as he continues to crush the baseball.
Max Scherzer has been the Tigers best pitcher, although his 18-1 record is slightly misleading, and whilst Verlander has been disappointing, he hasn’t been bad. The biggest area of improvement has been in the bullpen, where Benoit has been lights out at the end of games and the acquisition of Jose Veras has helped shore up the earlier innings. The Tigers should be all but guaranteed their play-off spot now, and if Verlander can return to form they could go a long way.
4. Cincinnati Reds
The NL Central appeared to be a two-horse race several weeks ago, but the Cincinnati Reds have refused to drop out of the picture and have now made it a three-way slug fest for the division winner. Their remaining schedule is huge, with two series each against the Cardinals and Pirates, but they’ve put themselves in contention for the division title. The team’s key player, as always, has been the consistently underrated Joey Votto. His .434 on-base percentage may not be enough for some people, who believe he is paid ‘to drive in runs’, but he and Shin-Soo Choo have been superb at getting on to first base and allowing Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce to drive them in. Dusty Baker continues to put the worst hitter in the line-up in the No. 2 slot, but the Reds bats have been more productive of late anyway.
And the rotation has been steadily improving too, behind a stellar season from Mike Leake, whos rotation spot may have been lost to Aroldis Chapman before the season started. Leake’s 3.2 wins above replacement mark a clear career high, and he and Homer Bailey have been capable support acts to ace Mat Latos. Latos continues to go unheralded in most NL Cy Young discussions, but his 3.02 ERA has been incredibly valuable, especially in that home ballpark, and with Johnny Cueto sidelined with injury. Ryan Ludwick’s return is a big boost for this line-up, and they’ll be hoping he can hit top form soon and help propel this team into first place in the fascinating NL Central.
5. Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers once again find themselves embroiled in a division race with the Oakland Athletics, and despite going 7-3 over their past 10 games, they still find themselves just half a game clear in the division. The acquisition of Alex Rios gave the team much needed production from the outfield after Nelson Cruz’s suspension, but the main source of offense has been from veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre, who continues to crush in his age-34 season. But the real way the team has picked up production is with its legs, as Ron Washington has allowed his speedsters to go wild on the bases, with Leonys Martin, Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler and Craig Gentry benefiting in particular.
On the mound, there are no prizes for guessing who has been the ace of the Texas rotation, as Yu Darvish has been nothing shy of spectacular all season, with a 2.68 ERA and 1.02 WHIP as well as 214 strikeouts in 161 innings. Since the all-star break he has been even better, with a 1.73 ERA and 57/14 K/BB ratio. The newly acquired Matt Garza should help give the rotation some solidity, as he, Derek Holland and Martin Perez are solid options every fifth day. The bullpen has been outstanding too this season, and Joakim Soria’s return should give them a further boost in this department.
1. Philadelphia Phillies
GM Ruben Amaro came under fire for not selling any players at the trade deadline, and his decision has not been made to look any better by the Phillies’ performances since then, as they have slipped to 54-69 – two and a half games behind the New York Mets. Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee continue to be solid every fifth day, but the bullpen is a mess and the hitters are just woefully inconsistent.
Ryan Howard’s struggles are well documented, and Jimmy Rollins has also been well short of his best at the plate. Chase Utley has impressed, but will hit free agency in the winter, whilst Domonic Brown has shown flashes of brilliance but maddening streaks of inconsistency. Roy Halladay made a rehab start recently, so signs are at least pointing up a bit for next season, but this ageing team needs a lot more than his return to challenge next year.
2. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs entered 2013 with the realisation that they wouldn’t be challenging yet, and whilst the team has shown flashes of promise, that has been evident in their 53-70 record. The team has a bright future considering the strength of its farm system, but Cubs fans will once again have to face the disappointment of a losing season. The Starlin Castro situation is quickly becoming a crisis, as it appears he is being alienated in much the same way Justin Upton was in Arizona. After a mental error on a pop fly in Saturday’s game with St Louis, Sveum removed Castro from the game, and has been highly critical of the talented infielder’s mistakes.
Jeff Samardzija’s recent funk is also cause for concern, as his 5.09 ERA post all-star break is not in line with expectations. After a breakout season last year, Samardzija has regressed somewhat this season, and Cubs fans and management alike will be hoping he can sort out these problems and go back to being the staff ace. Japanese import Kyuji Fujikawa has made just 12 appearances for the Cubs this season thanks to injury whilst Edwin Jackson has struggled in the first year of his deal. There have been some bright sparks though, notably Travis Wood, Junior Lake and Matt Garza, who was traded away to the Rangers for prospects.
3. Los Angeles Angels
With both Los Angeles teams struggling below .500 in June, it felt inevitable that one of them would go on a run and get back into contention. Unfortunately for Halos fans, it was the Dodgers who went crazy, and the Angels still sit at 55-69, propped up only by the Astros in the AL West. Albert Pujols’ woes reached a head when he was placed on the disabled list for his plantar fasciitis problem, and it appears he will be out until 2014 in order to try to fix this recurring issue. Josh Hamilton has battled inconsistencies in his first season with the Angels, batting just .228 with a .282 OBP.
Jered Weaver has also struggled since his return from the disabled list, as the entire rotation has struggled to find any consistency this season. There have been some bright sparks, particularly Mike Trout who has not slowed down at all after his phenomenal rookie season, and Howie Kendrick, who was having a career year until he hit the disabled list. The Angels have had a particularly rough stretch of late, losing series to the Yankees and Astros, and they do not have a particularly easy schedule down the stretch.
4. Minnesota Twins
The Twins weren’t expected to contend this season, and in line with expectations, they haven’t. The rotation just hasn’t been strong enough and the line-up lacks depth or firepower. They’re currently being held off bottom spot by the pitiful White Sox, but with a recent 3-7 funk to break out of they may not be for long. Joe Mauer has once again been the team’s best player, with a .324 average and .404 OBP but Josh Willingham has struggled in his second season in Minnesota, with just 12 homers, although his elite plate discipline gives him a good OBP.
On the mound, Andrew Albers shone for two starts last week, but came back down to earth this week, whilst the bullpen has been the best part of Minnesota’s game this season, with Glen Perkins and Jared Burton shining at the back-end of games. The Twins schedule doesn’t get much easier down the stretch, so Minnesota may once again be looking at a high pick in next season’s draft – although with the team in rebuilding mode that’s not a bad thing. Meanwhile, fans can take solace from the fact that uber-prospect Byron Buxton is excelling in the Minor leagues.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
After a huge series win against the Cardinals between July 28-August 1, the Pirates appeared to be well on their way to a huge NL Central title. But after sweeping the Marlins they got swept by the Rockies and then lost series to the Cardinals and Diamondbacks. Francisco Liriano got them back on track last night with a dominant performance against San Diego, but Bucs fans will have bad memories of awful stretches and will look for the team to break out of this mini funk sooner rather than later.
Andrew McCutchen has once again been the star player on offense and may be on his way to an MVP award, whilst the rotation has been lights out behind Liriano, Burnett and Locke. The schedule gets a lot easier over the next week, with series against the Padres, Giants and Brewers, but the Pirates will be keen to take at least two out of three from each of those series in order to keep themselves in the hunt for the automatic post-season spot.
