The Oakland A's still have the best record in baseball, but they aren't as secure at the top as they used to be. With many teams gearing up for their second-half push, here's your week 19 power rankings: (statistics current as of August 4th)
30. Texas Rangers (Last Week: 30)
The Rangers continue to sink in the AL West, and there's no relief in sight. Texas did claim first baseman Mike Carp off of waivers from the Boston Red Sox this week, and they'll try to find better starting pitching next season.
29. Colorado Rockies (Last Week: 27)
Weirdly enough, at one point the Rockies lead the NL West this season. Colorado has slumped to last place in the division, and is over 18 games back now. To make matters worse, outfielder Carlos Gonzalez hurt himself against the Detroit Tigers this weekend and is now listed as day-to-day.
28. Houston Astros (Last Week: 28)
The Astros stay in the 28 spot, and Houston fans should be proud of their organization for keeping their young talent intact going into the trade deadline. The only deadline-day deal the Astros made was an exchange of young talent with the Miami Marlins.
27. Chicago Cubs (Last Week: 29)
The Cubs are 13 games out in the NL Central, and Chicago is still missing some important pieces as they try to gain ground as a franchise. The Cubs, however, are still moving in the right direction, and proved that by winning a weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
26. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last Week: 26)
The Diamondbacks took a huge blow this weekend, as star player Paul Goldschmidt was hit by a pitch that fractured his left hand. Arizona manager Kirk Gibson stated Sunday that Goldschmidt will likely miss the rest of the season.
25. Boston Red Sox (Last Week: 22)
The last-place Red Sox were a busy crew right before the trade deadline. Boston dealt Jon Lester to the Oakland Athletics, and also sent John Lackey to the St. Louis Cardinals. In return, the Red Sox received Yoenis Cespedes from Oakland and Allen Craig and Joe Kelly from the Cardinals. At the time the trade was made with Oakland, Cespedes had hit three more home runs than Boston's entire outfield over the course of the season.
24. Philadelphia Phillies (Last Week: 25)
The Phillies were unable to make any moves before the trade deadline, which didn't sit well with Philadelphia fans. The Phillies are in need of an overhaul, as they sit in last place in the NL East. To make things worse, they had to place Cliff Lee back on the 15-day disabled list on the first of August.
23. Minnesota Twins (Last Week: 23)
The Twins are in last place in the AL Central race, but Minnesota was able to help themselves this weekend after winning a series over the Chicago White Sox. The Twins showed off on offense Sunday, racking up 23 hits that scored 16 runs.
22. San Diego Padres (Last Week: 24)
The Padres are still over 10 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, but San Diego is in third place in the NL West. The Padres have won both of their last two series, including a weekend sweep of the Atlanta Braves.
21. New York Mets (Last Week: 21)
The Mets were pleased on Saturday, as pitcher Jacob deGrom took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning against the Giants. The only downside to this outing was that opposing pitcher Jake Peavy also had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning as well. The Mets won the game 4-2, but have lost two of three games in the series, and they'll to try to split a four game set on Monday afternoon.
20. Chicago White Sox (Last Week: 20)
The White Sox had a rough weekend, losing a series to the Minnesota Twins. In that series, rookie sensation Jose Abreu had his 21-game hit streak snapped by the Twins pitching staff. Abreu continues to turn heads, and is my leading candidate to win the American League's Rookie of the Year honors.
19. Miami Marlins (Last Week: 19)
The Marlins have won six of their last 10 games, and continue to try to track down the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. Miami's coming off of a tough four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds, where the Marlins lost three of four games.
18. Tampa Bay Rays (Last Week: 18)
The Rays traded ace David Price to the Detroit Tigers before the trade deadline after rumors had swirled about Price's departure for quite some time. Tampa Bay acquired lefty Drew Smyly and infielders Nick Franklin and Willy Adames in a three-way trade that involved the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners.
17. Cleveland Indians (Last Week: 17)
The Indians sit in third place in the AL Central at just over six games behind the Detroit Tigers. Cleveland swept the Texas Rangers this weekend behind a twelfth-inning bomb from Michael Brantley, who continues to turn heads with his bat this season.
16. Cincinnati Reds (Last Week: 16)
The Reds sit in fourth place in the NL Central and continue to battle in the tightest divisional race in Major League Baseball. The Reds, Pirates, Cardinals and Brewers are all within five games of each other, which should lead us to a wild finish.
15. Seattle Mariners (Last Week: 14)
The Mariners' huge free agency signing of second baseman Robinson Cano has paid dividends when it comes to the team's offensive production so far this season. Cano continues to impress with his bat, as he lifted the Mariners to a victory over the Baltimore Orioles with a three-run blast on Saturday. Cano has hit for an incredible .330 average so far this season.
14. Atlanta Braves (Last Week: 9)
Longtime Braves announcer Peter Van Wieren passed away this weekend after a long battle with cancer. It was a sad day for Braves fans, who remember Van Wieren's voice as he broadcasted games on Ted Turner's "SuperStation." Van Wieren was 69 years old when he passed away on Saturday.
13. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last Week: 13)
The Pirates sit in third place in the NL Central, but Pittsburgh is within a game of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates are the best in Major League Baseball at getting on base, as they have hold an on-base percentage of .332 as a team.
12. New York Yankees (Last Week: 12)
The Yankees have had to deal with even more pitching woes, as starter David Phelps had to leave Sunday's win against the Boston Red Sox with an elbow problem. If Phelps has to go on the disabled list, he'll join starters Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda.
11. Toronto Blue Jays (Last Week: 11)
The Blue Jays' dominant offense hit a speed bump this weekend, as Toronto lost a series against the Houston Astros. The Blue Jays allowed Houston pitcher Scott Feldman to toss a complete game in Sunday's 6-1 loss, which dropped Toronto to 3.5 games back behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East race.
10. St. Louis Cardinals (Last Week: 10)
The Cardinals were active before the trade deadline, grabbing two solid American League arms in John Lackey and Justin Masterson. The Cardinals parted ways with young pitcher Joe Kelly and utility player Allen Craig. Craig's bat was instrumental in the 2011 World Series Championship the Cardinals won over the Texas Rangers.
9. Kansas City Royals (Last Week: 15)
The Royals make the biggest jump in our power rankings this week, as Kansas City has won seven of their last 10 games. The Royals won three series in a row, building enough momentum to take two of three against the league-leading Oakland A's this past weekend.
8. San Francisco Giants (Last Week: 8)
The Giants took a series against the New York Mets this weekend, ending a rough stretch where they had lost six of seven. Hunter Pence overcame the taunts thrown his way by Mets fans to hit two home runs in a win over them on Sunday.
7. Milwaukee Brewers (Last Week: 6)
The Brewers continue to hold on to to a narrow lead in the NL Central, as the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates are both within two games of Milwaukee. The Brew Crew let the Cardinals get within one game of the divisional lead by losing two of three in their weekend series in St. Louis.
6. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last Week: 5)
The Dodgers lead the NL West by 2.5 games, but Los Angeles didn't help themselves this weekend by losing a series to the lowly Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers didn't end up dealing Matt Kemp before the trade deadline, keeping him in Los Angeles for now.
5. Washington Nationals (Last Week: 3)
The Nationals lead the Atlanta Braves by 3.5 games in the NL East race, as Washington's starting pitching has started to move in the direction that we thought it was going to before the season started.
The Nationals had a rotation at the beginning of the season that was expected to shine, but they faced injury problems during the early part of the season. Stephen Strasburg looked incredible Sunday, striking out 10 Phillies batters over seven scoreless innings.
4. Baltimore Orioles (Last Week: 7)
The Orioles stay at the top of the AL East, leading the Toronto Blue Jays by 3.5 games. Manager Buck Showalter has put together a solid lineup, as well as a with a solid pitching staff that's kept Baltimore near the top of the division all season long.
3. Detroit Tigers (Last Week: 4)
The Tigers received Tampa Bay ace David Price in a three-way trade before the deadline. With Price in town, Detroit now has the past three American League Cy Young winners in their starting rotation. In the Price trade, the Tigers sent the Seattle Mariners outfielder Austin Jackson.
2. Los Angeles Angels (Last Week: 2)
The Angels have pulled within one game of the Oakland A's in the most exciting divisional race in Major League Baseball. These two teams continue to battle, as the Angels have now won six of their last 10 games. Albert Pujols and Mike Trout continue to pour on the offense, and the Angels continue to churn out wins.
1. Oakland Athletics (Last Week: 1)
The Athletics have been at the top of everyone's power rankings for some time now. If they can continue to hold off the Los Angeles Angels, that's not going to change any time soon. The A's added another top arm to their rotation in Jon Lester, who pitched into the seventh inning in a debut win in Oakland.
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