If somebody's going to make a move, this would be a good week to do it. Five of baseball's six divisions feature series this week between the first- and second-place teams. (The only division left out is the American League Central.) Those five show-me series:
• The Brewers at Chicago to play the Cubs in the NL Central. The Cubs lead by 1.5 games.
• The Angels at Seattle in the AL West. The Angels lead by two games.
• The Diamondbacks at San Diego in the NL West. The D'backs lead by three.
• The Mets at Philadelphia in the NL East. The Mets have a six-game lead.
• And the Red Sox at New York against the Yankees in the AL East. The Sox lead by 7.5.
None of these are necessarily do-or-die series. We still have five full weeks of games remaining. But a wipeout, one way or the other, in any of those series could change a lot of thinking going into the final month. It's not September baseball yet. But it's the next best thing.
Here's how everybody stands in this week's Power Rankings:
| MLB Power Rankings |
| 1 |
2 |
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In his past three starts, covering 22 befuddling innings, Tim Wakefield hasn't given up a single run. When a knuckleballer suddenly becomes a sure thing, you know the Sox are living right. With the best record and best pitching in baseball, and a lineup that just averaged 11.5 runs a pop in a four-game knockout of the White Sox, Boston retakes the top spot in the PRs. No arguing on this one. |
| 2 |
1 |
 |
Garret Anderson drove in more runs in one memorable game last week -- 10 -- than Vladimir Guerrero did in the entire month of July. And that's where we always are with the Angels. If the middle of the lineup ever becomes consistently threatening, watch out. Otherwise, the Halos are just merely deep and dangerous. Less so without Chone Figgins, out with a sore wrist. |
| 3 |
4 |
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He's not going to win the NL's Rookie of the Year award, as some predicted, with an on-base percentage south of .300 and a batting average just north of Mendoza. Still, 23-year-old centerfielder Chris Young will be in the conversation thanks to his ability to go deep. Young, who weighs maybe 180 pounds, has 28 home runs this season, including 15 since the break, the most in baseball. |
| 4 |
5 |
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You can talk about what Dave Trembley has done in Baltimore and what Pete Mackanin has pulled off in Cincinnati, but when discussing midseason patch jobs, don't forget John McLaren, who has kept the unlikely Mariners on course after Mike Hargrove bailed on them. McLaren, in his first managerial gig, is 28-22. He's had some help, especially from Raul Ibanez this month (.412, nine homers). |
| 5 |
3 |
 |
Back down to earth, the Yanks are considering what to do with one-time stalwart Mike Mussina, 0-2 with a 17.55 ERA in his past two starts. Mussina, to the New York Times, had a question, though: "Who are they going to replace me with?" Oh. Yeah. That's a problem, all right. At least the Yanks can still count on lefty Andy Pettitte (7-1, 2.67 in nine second-half starts). |
| 6 |
6 |
 |
The Tribe enters the week with a 2.5-game lead on the sinking Tigers in the AL Central, which is pretty impressive considering the Indians can't seem to score for their two best pitchers. Fausto Carmona is 1-4 with a 2.72 ERA in his past six games while C.C. Sabathia is 1-3 with a 2.13 ERA in his past seven starts. If the Indians ever decide to support those aces, they'll breeze into October. |
| 7 |
8 |
 |
With the Phillies and Braves on the schedule this week, the Mets can go one of two ways: Make the NL East race interesting or make it no race at all. The Mets look like they want to take off. Willie Randolph's decision to bump Carlos Delgado from the cleanup spot on Aug. 14 and stick Carlos Beltran there has been genius. Since then the Mets are 9-4, Beltran is hitting .395 and No. 3 hitter David Wright is batting .463. |
| 8 |
9 |
 |
So maybe the Padres seem a little punchless once in a while. That doesn't mean you can step all over them. When Philly's Carlos Ruiz took out Marcus Giles on Friday on a brutal block at second base -- it wasn't a slide, it was a crackback -- the injured Giles got in his face, the Padres won and they ended up taking the series. Your NL wild card leaders now have a three-game cushion over the Phils. Take that, punks. |
| 9 |
7 |
 |
Joel Zumaya's back and throwing close to 100, but unless he can start, the Tigers are still in a Motown full of hurt. Since July 27 Detroit starters are 5-16 with a 6.97 ERA. The Tigers are 10-19 in that time. Jeremy Bonderman has been awful. Now rookie Jair Jurrjens is hurt. Kenny Rogers still isn't back, and won't be until next week at the earliest. This team is just about done. |
| 10 |
13 |
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Skipper Lou Piniella insists the first-place Cubs are not quite in a pennant race -- "We're in a little bit of a jog, but we're not sprinting yet," he said -- yet the Cubs all know how big this series could be against the Brewers. Alfonso Soriano, who hasn't played since pulling up lame on Aug. 5, is due back on Tuesday. The rotation is set up just right. Sure looks like they're ready for the starter's gun to sound. |
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