MLB Power Rankings: Where teams stand after the Mother’s Day milestone
By Kevin Henry
20. Miami Marlins
With eight scoreless frames against the San Diego Padres on Saturday night, right-hander Pablo Lopez lowered his ERA to an MLB-leading 1.00. That is the second-lowest mark in club history for a starting pitcher through his first six starts of a season.
19. Seattle Mariners
On Sunday, the Mariners posted a 2-1 home win over Tampa Bay, thanks in part to six shutout innings in his MLB debut from right-hander George Kirby. The win was an oddity for Seattle, who is now just 2-11 on the campaign when they score three runs or less. When the Mariners score more than three runs, the team is 11-5.
18. Philadelphia Phillies
A tip of the cap to Philadelphia infielder Jean Segura, who hit his 100th career home run on Sunday. With the blast, he joined an exclusive club that only features Segura, Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, and Charlie Blackmon. They are the only active MLB players with at least 100 home runs, 225 doubles, and 45 triples.
17. Arizona Diamondbacks
One of the best moves of the offseason could well be Arizona hiring Brent Strom as the team’s pitching coach. Arizona’s combined 3.45 ERA heading into Sunday’s shutout of Colorado at Chase Field was sixth in the National League and the team’s ERA+ of 118 put them fourth in the NL. At 15-14, the Diamondbacks are one of MLB’s biggest early surprises.
16. Cleveland Guardians
Winners of seven of their past 10 games, Cleveland has gotten a boost from Franmil Reyes, who is 12-for-23 over his past six contests. Now with a six-game hitting streak, Reyes has put together his best stretch at the plate since he hit in seven consecutive games between April 3-11, 2021.
15. Chicago White Sox
Don’t look now, but the White Sox are climbing back up the ladder. Winners of six straight games and seven of their last eight, the Southsiders are above .500 for the first time since April 20. Liam Hendricks has been lights out in the back end for Chicago, converting his last nine save opportunities. In his last five save opportunities, batters have gone 0-for-15 against him.
14. Colorado Rockies
A familiar pattern has developed for the Rockies as they have been excellent in Denver (going 11-5 at Coors Field) but finding little offense away from altitude. With Sunday’s loss, Colorado has dropped six of its last seven games on the road and has averaged just two runs in each of those contests. Next up? A trip to San Francisco where the Rockies won just two of 10 games in 2021.
13. Atlanta Braves
The good news for Braves fans? Atlanta won 9-2 on Sunday in a day game, improving their record to 3-8 during daylight hours this season. Heading into Sunday, Atlanta’s two wins under sunshine were the fewest in all of MLB, but Atlanta has now won two day games in a row. Don’t call them the vampires just yet.
12. Houston Astros
The Astros are clicking right now, sweeping a seven-game homestand against the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers. That’s the first time in 35 years Houston has pulled that feat. Give a tip of the cap to Houston’s pitching for some of the recent success. The Astros have surrendered four runs just once since April 25, and Houston is 11-2 during that time.
11. Tampa Bay Rays
Sunday’s loss in Seattle snapped a six-game winning streak for the Rays, who had climbed to a season-high eight games over .500 with a win on Saturday. Tampa Bay had also won eight consecutive road games prior to Sunday, just one shy of the franchise record for most wins away from their home field. In those eight straight wins, the Rays outscored their opponents, 53-27.