We’re almost through the month of June, and by now most division races have really taken shape. The San Francisco Giants continue their improbable climb all the way to number 5 in this week’s power ratings (they were 22nd in our initial ratings this season)! We had a lot of movement in the middle third of our ratings this week, but not a whole lot changed at the top and at the bottom.

We finally had our first pitcher ejected from a sticky substance check (hat tip to Seattle’s Hector Santiago), and it will be interesting to see if we see any more. Either this will scare pitchers off from using these substances, or they’ll start to risk it a little more since they won’t be the first culprit and the suspension of 10 games hardly feels like enough for someone cheating. 

Let’s see what happens in the coming weeks. For now, let’s take a look at this week’s power ratings…

• As we mentioned above, the Giants continue to climb the ranks despite a “less talented” roster than their counterparts. 
• The White Sox fell back to 7th after a rough week in which they lose 4 straight to the Astros, 1 of 2 to the Pirates, and 2 of 3 to the Mariners. They’ll be huge buyers as the traded deadline approaches.
• The Milwaukee Brewers jump into the top 10 as they continue to play solid baseball. The offense is starting to come around to complement their great pitching.
• The New York Yankees continue to fall down the rankings as they find themselves at 14th this week. As of writing this on Monday night, the Yankees are currently 23rd in the MLB in runs scored per game. Will they be buyers in July?
• The Nationals are starting to get hot behind a historic month from Kyle Schwarber. He has 15(!) home runs in the month of June and the Nationals have clawed their way back to just 3 games behind the NL East leading Mets.

• The Dodgers and Giants play a quick 2-game series at Dodger Stadium as Los Angeles looks to take back their spot at the top of the division.
• The White Sox look to turn their month around with division series’ against the Twins and Tigers. Their lead in the AL Central has shrunk to just 2 games over Cleveland.
• Let’s see if we can get a little more clarity in the NL East as the Braves take on the Mets this week.
• The Brewers and Cubs begin a 3-game series in Milwaukee with the Cubs trailing the Brewers by 3 games in the NL Central.