1. (↔) New York Yankees (24-13)
The Yankees showed their offensive prowess again by scoring in the top six in each batting category this week on their way to 140 points. New York currently leads the AL Wild Card but needs to improve on its road record (12-10). Their top four starters (Phil Hughes, CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, A.J. Burnett) are a combined 18-4 on the year.
2. (↔) Tampa Bay Rays (26-11)
The Rays have four pitchers with ERAs 3.00 or below (Matt Garza, James Shields, David Price, Jeff Niemann) and are second in the league this week in pitching points (130). Their offensive power numbers seem to be slipping a bit (101 of 150 batting points), but they are still producing plenty of runs to win. They are an impressive 15-4 on the road this year.
3. (↔) Toronto Blue Jays (23-16)
The Blue Jays will probably be staying in the Wild Card mix most of the year, as they are currently just two games back. They finished the week with a sweep of the Rangers, and if you look below, they are no slouch either. The Jays have a lot of good young players, so let's see how management keeps them composed.
4. (↑6) Texas Rangers (20-18)
As I mentioned, the Rangers were swept to finish the week but still move up six spots to make it into the top five for the first time this year. The Rangers seem to be more of a speed team (third in stolen bases, 37) this year as they try to manufacture runs to support their pitching. Overall, a well-balanced team with 96 offensive and 106 pitching points.
5. (↓1) Minnesota Twins (23-14)
The Twins just reached over 200 total points this week as they scored in the top 10 in six of the 10 categories. Again, the theme here is balance: 97 offensive and 107 pitching points. This will get you into the top five in most weeks.
6. (↑2) Philadelphia Phillies (23-13)
The Phillies swept the Brewers to finish the week and are now four games up on the rest of their division. They have won eight of their last 10 and just reached the 200-point mark this week. They lead the league in average to date while hitting at a .279 clip.
7. (↑8) Cincinnati Reds (21-16)
I don’t know if I would ever have predicted the Reds making the top 10, let alone the top seven this year. Cincinnati has won eight of its last 10 on the way to a half-game division lead over the Cards. They don’t lead the league in any single category but are another well-balanced team with 95 offensive and 102 pitching points.
8. (↑11) Florida Marlins (20-18)
Florida has the sixth most pitching points this week with 110. They scored in the top 11 in every pitching category while scoring in the top half of the league in four of five offensive categories. They are another solid team, with Josh Johnson leading the way with his 3.06 ERA.
9. (↑9) Los Angeles Dodgers (20-17)
The Dodgers have a ton of fantasy studs, but the issue is that isn’t translating to a ton of wins. They sit third in the division behind the Padres and Giants while 1.5 games back in the Wild Card. I just heard today that Andre Ethier may have to go on the DL, so it will be tough for L.A. to duplicate their 9-1 record over their last 10.
10. (↓3) San Francisco Giants (21-15)
The second of the three teams in a row out of the NL West, the Giants finish the week again with the best pitching. They have three pitchers (Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Jonathan Sanchez) with a 2.66 ERA or lower, and Matt Cain isn’t one of them. They finished the week with a sweep of the Astros.
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