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July 1st Power Rankings: Atlanta Braves move up

By James Kunkle

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 31: The Boston Red Sox World Series Trophies on display at Fenway Park before the Victory Parade around Boston on October 31, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 31: The Boston Red Sox World Series Trophies on display at Fenway Park before the Victory Parade around Boston on October 31, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – JUNE 30: Brett Martin #59 of the Texas Rangers delivers a pitch during the bottom of the fourth inning of their game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on June 30, 2019 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Joseph Garnett Jr. /Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – JUNE 30: Brett Martin #59 of the Texas Rangers delivers a pitch during the bottom of the fourth inning of their game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on June 30, 2019 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Joseph Garnett Jr. /Getty Images) /

11. Texas Rangers

Texas was on quite a roll before losing 2 straight to close the week against Tampa Bay. It might also be time to give some AL Cy Young recognition to former Brave Mike Minor. He is pitching extremely well this season so far.

12. Colorado Rockies

The good news is Colorado would be tied with Philadelphia for the 2nd wild card spot if the playoffs began today. The bad news is that this path will be their only way into the playoffs this year as they aren’t catching the Dodgers.

13. Oakland A’s

Somehow (again) the Athletics have come up from nowhere to enter the AL West race again. Winning 10 out of 13 will do that for you. Another tough blow though with Frankie Montas suspension.

14. Boston Red Sox

The story of the year so far is how many good teams have terrible bullpens. The Red Sox are no exception and Red Sox fans are now told that they might not have enough money to get an upgrade. Good luck defending your championship.

15. Washington Nationals

Finally back above .500, the Nationals have entered all NL playoff races again. That is thanks in large part to the masterful June that Max Scherzer enjoyed. He was absolutely filthy in the month and should win pitcher of the month.

16. San Diego Padres

Maybe a surprise to some, but the Padres are 10th in all of baseball in home runs. Hunter Renfroe, Manny Machado, Franmil Reyes, and Fernando Tatis are all injecting youth and power in that lineup.

17. St. Louis Cardinals

The Redbirds had another tough week. They went 1-5 over the week and lost Marcell Ozuna to a injury Friday night. A big blow considering Ozuna was one of the few Cardinals actually hitting the ball at or near his career pace.

18. Los Angeles Angels

It looked like the Angels were ready to make a run at a playoff spot and they still might but losing 3 out of 4 to the Athletics won’t help you with that.

UPDATE:  the sudden and as yet unexplained death of starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs is a huge blow – personally to each team member and in baseball terms.  How they respond to this tragedy is going to be a closely watched story for the rest of the season.

19. Arizona Diamondbacks

A big series awaits the Dbacks starting Tuesday as they open up a set with the Dodgers. No, they aren’t going to win the division but they still have a pulse in the Wild Card Race.

20. Pittsburgh Pirates

With neither Milwaukee or Chicago being able to run away with the division, they have left the door slightly open for Milwaukee and Cincinnati to be able to remain in the race. Who knows what could happen if the Buccos were able to put together a lengthy winning streak?

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