National League East's Power Rankings

Time once again to update the weekly National League East Power Rankings.

Entering this week's show down in New York between the Phillies and Mets the power rankings show no change. The Phillies are still on top, both in the power rankings and the standings. The Mets are hanging around despite so many injuries. Meanwhile the rest of the division has tailed off a little, seeming to give way to the top two teams in the division over the last couple seasons.

Previous Power Rankings

1. (33-22; 1) The Phillies figured to have a tough West Coast trip, but came back East with a sweep in San Diego and a split in the series in Los Angeles. That's nothing to sneeze about considering rookie pitcher Antonio Bastardo made two starts out west. Cole Hamels was fantastic in his game against the Dodgers and the home runs continued yesterday in a rout of the best team in baseball. The Phillies have scored 302 runs, most in the division by far.
   
   
2. (30-25; 2) The New York Mets can thank the struggles of the rest of the division for their staying in second place here. The Mets suffered a terrible week, going 2-4 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals. The Mets can thank Mother Nature for postponing a game in Pittsburgh, otherwise they may have been swept in four games. the Mets have hit 34 home runs, fewest in the division.
   
   
3. (27-28; 3) The Braves never seem to capitalize on the struggles of the Mets. While the Mets have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games, the Braves have gone 4-6. It didn't help that the Braves played both the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers last week though. The Braves were shut out twice at home against the Brewers. Atlanta has scored 236 runs, fewest in the division.
   
   
4. (27-31; 4) The Marlins had success against the Brewers while the Braves did not. Florida took three of four at home against the NL Central division leaders last week. The series victory is even more surprising because Florida had been just 2-10 against teams from the NL Central division this season. The Marlins go for a series split against the San Francisco Giants tonight. Each game of the series has been a one-run game. The Marlins have the lowest slugging percentage in the division, at .382 (next to last in the National League).
   
   
   
5. (15-40; 5) The Nationals are the first team in the majors to lose 40 games. The highlight of the week for the Nationals was playing the role of milestone setter against the San Francisco Giants as Randy Johnson picked up his 300th career victory. The Nationals, if you remember, were the team that Barry Bonds set the all-time home run record against. Don't forget also, that the Nationals were the team Jamie Moyer defeated for his 250th career win last week.