Yankees top power rankings
Red Sox fall to 2 after series loss to N.Y.
The Yankees went from a .500 ballclub to one of the best in baseball in a matter of about three weeks. Winners of 19 of their past 22 games, including two of three against the Red Sox last week, the Yankees overtook their rivals for the top spot in the latest USA TODAY power rankings.
The Yankees became the third team to hold the No. 1 spot, following the Astros and Red Sox. Meanwhile, the Nationals, led by their pitching, were the biggest risers, moving up eight spots to No. 6, while the Blue Jays dropped eight spots to No. 16.
From 1 to 30, how they stack up based on voting from our nine-person panel:
TEAM (MOVEMENT) 1. New York Yankees (+1)
❚ Giancarlo Stanton raises batting average 25 points to .252 over past six games.
2. Boston Red Sox (-1)
❚ Offense has scored at least five runs
25 times, more than any other team.
3. Houston Astros (+1)
❚ Verlander (1.21), Cole (1.43) and Morton (2.03) ranked 1-2-3 among AL ERA leaders.
4. Arizona Diamondbacks (-1)
❚ 24 wins are third most in the majors, despite an MLB-worst .225 team batting average.
5. Los Angeles Angels (—)
❚ Can vault Astros atop AL West but must beat McCullers, Cole and Verlander.
6. Washington Nationals (+8)
❚ Winners of 13 of 15. Next stop: Yankees at home.
7. St. Louis Cardinals (-1)
❚ No panic, Carlos Martinez should miss only one start.
8. Milwaukee Brewers (+3)
❚ Get to know Freddy Peralta.
9. Atlanta Braves (+4)
❚ A +56 run differential suggests they might stick around.
10. Chicago Cubs (-3)
❚ Javier Baez, not Bryant or Rizzo, second in NL with .613 slugging percentage.
11. Seattle Mariners (-1)
❚ Broken hand ends Robinson Cano’s streak of 11 seasons with at least 150 games.
12. Colorado Rockies (-3)
❚ One of two teams getting outscored while posting a winning record.
13. Cleveland Indians (-2)
❚ Francisco Lindor batting .476 (30
for-63) during 14-game hitting streak.
14. Pittsburgh Pirates (+4)
❚ Win-win: Emotional welcome home for McCutchen, then win two of three from Giants.
15. Philadelphia Phillies (—)
❚ Odubel Herrera has reached base safely in every game this season.
16. Toronto Blue Jays (-8)
❚ Precedent suggests Roberto Osuna could face lengthy suspension. 17. New York Mets (—) ❚ May misery: Matched loss total for April in 11 games (2-9). 18. San Francisco Giants (-2) ❚ Madison Bumgarner’s 2018 debut drawing closer.
19. Minnesota Twins (+3)
❚ Rookie Fernando Romero off to an impressive start: 2-0 with a 0.54 ERA in three starts.
20. Oakland Athletics (—)
❚ Schedule not getting any easier: Next four series against Red Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners and Diamondbacks.
21. Los Angeles Dodgers (-1)
❚ Season hits a new low after being swept by the Reds.
22. Tampa Bay Rays (-1)
❚ Drawing less than 15,000 fans a game at home, second worst to Marlins.
23. Detroit Tigers (—)
❚ Host Indians with a chance at first place in AL Central.
24. Texas Rangers (—)
❚ At 44, Bartolo Colon leads rotation with a 3.32 ERA.
25. San Diego Padres (—)
❚ Offense has nearly 100 more strikeouts (416) than hits (318).
26. Kansas City Royals (+2)
❚ Staff ERA (5.55) more than doubles that of the Astros (2.49).
T-27. Baltimore Orioles (+2)
❚ Yes, Manny Machado can play shortstop and still be productive on offense
(.350, 13 HRs, 38 RBI).
T-27. Cincinnati Reds (+3)
❚ 6-0 in the Matt Harvey Era.
29. Miami Marlins (-2)
❚ Offense remains anemic, with an MLBworst -76 run differential.
30. Chicago White Sox (-3)
❚ No guarantees: 3-15 at home.