MLB Power Rankings: The Babybacks Hold at the Top

Another week of the season has passed and the parody of Major League Baseball continues to show. The upstart Marlins continue to hold near the top of the standings and the rattlers in the desert continue to fly above the competition.

The temperature in Tampa seems to be rising as well, with the Rays winning six in a row to move up eleven spots in the newest rankings.

1. Arizona Diamondbacks (Change - Even) - They're on pace to win 117 games, and Randy Johnson looks as good as a 44 year old pitcher can and Brandon Webb is an early Cy Young candidate.
   
2. Chicago Cubs (+1) - The Cubs have walked there way to the top of the NL Central and to their best start in over ten years.
3. Los Angeles Angels (+1) - Ervin Santana is anchoring a strong looking pitching staff for another week or two while John Lackey continues to make rehab starts.
4. Oakland Athletics (+2) - They're continuing to put runs on the board, and as long as they keep it up, they'll keep winning games.
5. St. Louis Cardinals (Even) -  The Red Bird pitching staff continues to impress, and Albert Pulojs' arm seems to be doing fine.
6. Florida Marlins (+1) - Hanley Ramirez is on a 50/50 pace, but the pitching staff is still a bit iffy since they can't strike people out.
7. Boston Red Sox (-5) - Amid a five game skid, but they're looking to get Mike Lowell back in the next week or two.
8. Chicago White Sox (Even) - The Soutsiders are playing good baseball, but the rest of the AL Central is finally coming to life.
9. Milwaukee Brewers (+5) - They not hitting the ball, but they are winning games. Their biggest concern is for Ben Sheets are not to fall off Tuesday against the Cubs.
10. Philadelphia Phillies (+2) - Pat Burrell and Chase Utley are pounding the ball while Jayson Werth is making a case for a full time starting job.
11. Baltimore Orioles (+2) - Starting to look like early success was not a fluke, but they are playing in one of the toughest divisions in baseball.
12. New York Mets (-1) - Ryan Church has been a welcome surprise, but the likelihood of getting Moises Alou back soon is dropping.
13. Tampa Bay Rays (+11) - Six game win steak has the Rays feeling good, and getting Matt Garza back last week and Scott Kazmir back for the Boston series may be what this team needs to keep them near the top.
14. New York Yankees (-4) - They're still waiting for A-Rod to get it going and for their pitching situation to settle itself out.
15. Atlanta Braves (-6) - First Glavine, now Smoltz, the Braves have gone from one of the best pitching teams in the league to a team that may have to clean out their AAA team to keep the team afloat.
16. Cleveland Indians (+7) - They've won seven of ten, and Cliff Lee has been sparkling (.28 ERA), but losing Jake Westbrook can't help their cause.
17. Seattle Mariners (-1) - Eric Bedard looked strong in his return, but losing four of six to Baltimore and Oakland hurt.
18. Detroit Tigers (+4) - They tore the cover off the ball this past week, but the pitching staff is still struggling to find its form.
19. Houston Astros (+10) - Having won six in a row before losing two to St. Louis, but it can't be good that their closer is leading the team in wins (3).
20. Los Angeles Dodgers (+7) - The Dodgers are one of the best home teams in baseball, but their six game road trip this week may have them cringing (3-8 road record).
21. Colorado Rockies (-6) - They are scoring plenty of runs, but the pitching staff has given up six or more runs in five of last seven games.
22. Toronto Blue Jays (-4) - Just one and six in last seven, nothing seems to be going right in Toronto.
23. San Francisco Giants (+5) - Four more Tim Lincecums would solve just about all of the Giants problems. That and a couple more guys who could hit over .250.
24. Kansas City Royals (-7) - Their free fall was only slowed by meeting Toronto over the weekend. They rank last or next to last in the AL in four of six team batting categories.
25. Minnesota Twins (-4) - They've allowed 33 runs the last four games, not a good sign for a team that's only scored 95 runs all year.
26. San Diego Padres (-7) - They just can't hit the ball. Simple as that. Last or next to last in all six major batting categories. You can't win games if you can't score, no mater how good the pitching staff is.
27. Cincinnati Reds (-7) - They're still waiting on a third pitcher to emerge behind Harang and Volquez, and no, Johnny Cueto is not the answer. Plus, Brandon Phillips is still not getting it done like last year.
28. Pittsburgh Pirates (-2) - Their pitching staff is the worst in baseball. Period. And after going 0-14, Nate McClouth has it rolling again, going 4-8 with three home runs.
29. Washington Nationals (+1) - They're just an all-around bad team. They rank 13th or worse in every stat category, both pitching and hitting. Manny Acta may be looking for a new job if this continues for to long.
30. Texas Rangers (-5) - Despite their 10-0 rout of Minnesota, the Rangers were outscored 68-40 this week. They need an upgrade in the pitching department now.