FOR TEAMS 1-10, CLICK ABOVE.
| MLB Power Rankings |
| 11 |
4 |
 |
Randy Johnson makes his return on Tuesday, and not a unit too soon. With the young Arizona hitters in a funk -- Stephen Drew, Chris Young, Chris Snyder, Conor Jackson, all of 'em -- the skidding Snakes, losers of six of seven, need all the arms they can find. |
| 12 |
11 |
 |
Really, what do you expect with a rotation of Chase Wright, Kei Igawa, Darrell Rasner, Andy Pettitte and Jeff Karstens? Sure, the Yanks hit. But when a sizzling A-Rod can't pull them out, you know the pitching's bad. Question: Can they straighten it out before they host the Sox this weekend? |
| 13 |
19 |
 |
It's easy to forget about the ChiSox. That '06 season and all. But then Mark Buehrle reminds you that they do have pitching, and they darn near swept the Tigers (should've, in fact). When they start to hit -- a baseball-worst .224 average -- they'll be tough to handle. |
| 14 |
13 |
 |
Something's up with Gary Sheffield, and it isn't his batting average. The slugger was signed to provide some pop. He has two extra-base hits in 59 ABs. Craig Monroe, Brandon Inge and Sean Casey are pop-less, too. But since they were there in '06, we'll blame it on the new guy. |
| 15 |
9 |
 |
Josh Barfield is off to a putrid start (.143), as is Casey Blake (.196) and Jhonny Peralta (.216). We'll attribute it to the weather, a nice excuse for the ChiSox and Tigers, too. Sooner or later, though, someone's going to have to help Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner in Cleveland. |
| 16 |
21 |
 |
Brad Lidge gave up two walks, a homer and three runs Friday night against the Brewers -- in 2/3 of an inning -- then Sunday threw two pitches, the second resulting in a double from Bill Hall. It's heartbreaking to see. But can the Astros afford not to get rid of him? |
| 17 |
10 |
 |
The Jays tumble down the PRs courtesy of a five-game skid, the last three losses to a team (the O's) that shouldn't be beating them. Toronto has one of the best lineups in the game, but it's scoring fewer runs than Seattle, Texas and Tampa Bay. Something's wrong there. |
| 18 |
28 |
 |
The news is Barry Bonds, now just 16 homers away from breaking Hank Aaron's record. But in the Giants' five-game winning streak, they've allowed 10 runs. Their starters are 4-0 with a 1.22 ERA. When Russ Ortiz is winning, you know things are going right. |
| 19 |
14 |
 |
Later this summer, they're putting Joe and Marty's names up -- along with the legendary Waite Hoyt's -- in a kind of ring of honor underneath the radio booth at GABP. That should give fans a reason to come to the park. Maybe the only reason, the way things are going. |
| 20 |
16 |
 |
They finally junked that six-game losing streak with a pair of wins over the Nats this weekend, but Florida's pitching has been awful (4.73 ERA), better only than Washington's. Rivals are hitting .305 off Florida starters, too. You can't blame everything on Jorge Julio. |
| | | |
 |
|
|
