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MLB Power Rankings: Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers lead way

By Stephen Forsha

Jun 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor (12) celebrates with center fielder Ian Desmond (20) after scoring during the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The Rangers won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor (12) celebrates with center fielder Ian Desmond (20) after scoring during the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The Rangers won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

The Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers lead their respective leagues in the MLB standings, and they’ve done so by stringing many wins together at once, having winning records at home and on the road. That said, they still haven’t pulled away by a lot within their leagues, as there are four other teams in the majors who have 40 or more wins entering this week.

For the Chicago Cubs, they just swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game set, and in doing so, they are all but running away with the NL Central, currently holding a 12.5 game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the division. It does help that each team in the Central have at least a two-game losing streak entering games Monday. The second-place team in the Central, St. Louis, has lost five straight, and the Pirates have dropped their past five games as well.

In the NL, the San Francisco Giants have won eight consecutive games to lead the West and with that have the third-best record in all of the majors at 44-26 (the Cubs are 47-20 and the Rangers are 45-25), while the Washington Nationals come in at 43-27 overall. The fifth team in the majors with at least 40 wins entering Monday is the Baltimore Orioles at 40-28, as they lead the Boston Red Sox in the AL East by one game.

Related Story: Rangers still need bullpen help

But back to the Cubs and what they are accomplishing, as they are not just winning games, but they are doing so with an excellent run differential. The Cubs lead all teams in the majors with a +171 run differential against their opposition this season. For comparison’s sake, the second-best run differential in the majors is by the Red Sox at +83, followed by the Cardinals at +65. In all of the majors, just 12 of the 30 teams have a positive run differential thus far this season.

With all of that said, this week’s MLB Power Rankings have some changes, even near the top, but we all know who the best team in the majors really is. After that, where do the rest fall? Let’s take a look.

Next: MLB Power Rankings: 30-26

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