It was another great week of baseball, and we had a few big movers this week in our power ratings! The Rays continue to play great baseball as they try to pull away in the AL East. The Athletics are hot again, and currently hold a 2-game lead over the Astros and a 6-game league over the (also hot) Los Angeles Angels. Over in the National League, The Mets continue to enjoy a healthy 3.5-game lead over the Phillies. The Cubs and Brewers are tied atop the NL Central after a solid week from both ball clubs, and the Giants continue to lead the charge in the NL West just ahead of the Dodgers and Padres. 

• The Angels have life after back-to-back sweeps of the Royals and the Diamondbacks. Ok, those are not exactly the cream of the crop, but the Angels need all the confidence they need right now.
• The Rays can’t stop, won’t stop! They’re now up to 3rd in our power ratings after another great week topped off with a 3-game sweep against the Orioles. They’re currently 43-24 (including Monday night’s win) and this train has no signs of slowing down.
• The Yankees are in trouble, to say the least. Yes, there’s plenty of baseball left to play, but they have quite an uphill climb with a 33-32 record and 3 teams ahead of them in the AL East. We’re still waiting to see all the offense they talk about…
• Are the Twins dead, or finished? If they want to become buyers instead of sellers at the trade deadline, they’re going to have to start winning some games, and quick!
• The Phillies have gotten hot and jumped over the Braves for 2nd place in the NL East. This division is slowly starting to look like we expected it to – a close race of good teams. Let’s see if anyone can truly pull away…
• The NL West is still up for grabs as the Giants hold a 1-game lead over the Dodgers (pending Monday night’s results) and a 3.5-game lead over the Padres. These three teams own the three best run differentials in the National League!
• The Rockies are 21-14 at home and 5-27 on the road. We’re not sure what to do with this information.

Here are the top-5 MLB offenses in terms of wRC+… fill in the missing one!

1. Houston Astros

2. Toronto Blue Jays

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

4. Chicago White Sox

5. ? (answer below)

• The Cubs and Mets play a 4-game series at Wrigley Field in a battle of 1st place NL squads.
• The Rays visit the White Sox in a battle of the top-two records in the MLB.
• On a related note, the White Sox host the Astros for four games after they finish up with the Rays. The White Sox have benefited a bit from an easy schedule early on, so let’s see how they stack up with these two playoff hopefuls!
• The Angels try to stay hot as they visit the division-leading Oakland Athletics.
• Can the Yankees get the offense going this week against the Blue Jays and the A’s?

The answer is a team that’s not being talked about much at all! It’s not the Boston Red Sox, it’s not the Atlanta Braves, and it’s not the Oakland Athletics. It’s actually the Cincinnati Reds! Behind MVP-type seasons so far from Jesse Winker (184 wRC+) and Nick Castellanos (183), the Reds have been tearing the cover off the ball all season long. Unfortunately for them, their pitching staff has really let them down early on, and they’ll have to turn things around soon if they want to compete in the NL Central.