MLB Power Rankings: Boston Blitz

They probably can't catch their rival Yankees in the AL East, but they don't have to. The Boston Red Sox only need to win the AL wild card to get to the postseason, and their play of late makes them a scary October out for anyone. Since losing two of three at home to the Bronx Bombers, the BoSox have won 15 of 20 and are currently sporting a six-game winning streak. Who wants to mess with them in the playoffs?

1. Yankees | Record: 93-53 | Previous Week: 1
What will home-field advantage in the playoffs mean to the Yankees? They are 24-7 at home since the All-Star break and 44-15 at Yankee Stadium since Alex Rodriguez came off the disabled list in May. Over that latter span, they have lost two in a row at home to the same opponent just twice: Washington (June 17-18) and Baltimore (Sept. 11-12). - Ed Price
2. Red Sox | Record: 85-58 | Previous Week: 5
Kevin Youkilis sat out Tuesday with back spasms -- he originally feared kidney stones -- and may not play Wednesday. And Victor Martinez is attending to a personal matter. So for a couple of days at least, there were no decisions on whom to play. But in the first 40 games since Martinez came over from Cleveland, he and Jason Varitek each had started 20 games at catcher. - Ed Price
3. Angels| Record: 86-58 | Previous Week: 3
Kendry Morales has a shot to become only the third Angels player to have a .300-30-100 season. Vladimir Guerrero did it three times (2004-06) and Tim Salmon did it in 1995. - Jeff Fletcher
4. Dodgers | Record: 87-59 | Previous Week: 4
What has nine All-Star appearances, three Gold Gloves and more than 7,700 hits? The top five players on the Dodgers bench: Brad Ausmus, Ronnie Belliard, Mark Loretta, Juan Pierre and Jim Thome. That's not to mention Thome's 564 homers. - Jeff Fletcher
5. Cardinals | Record: 85-61 | Previous Week: 2
I'm not sure how Chris Carpenter's done it, but he entered 2009 with only five starts under his belt since the 2006 World Series and he's run off a season that fits right in line with his three-year run of dominance from 2004-2006. He and Adam Wainwright make for a terrifying 1-2 punch in a five-game series. - Pat Lackey
6. Phillies | Record: 83-60 | Previous Week: 6
Charlie Manuel already had to make one tough decision this year by sending Jamie Moyer to the bullpen. A similar one could be looming in October. Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels figure to be locks for the playoff rotation, but J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton and Pedro Martinez have all been very good as well. They can't all start in the postseason. - Andrew Johnson
7. Giants | Record: 79-66 | Previous Week: 10
The Giants have a chance to be the first team since the 2003 Dodgers to score and allow fewer than four runs per game. That team won 85 games, but didn't make the playoffs. The Giants may be on a similar track. - Jeff Fletcher
8. Rockies | Record: 82-64 | Previous Week: 7
How deep are the Rockies? Brad Hawpe, their only All-Star position player, has zero RBI in September, but the Rockies still have the best record in the league in the month. - Jeff Fletcher
9. Rangers | Record: 80-64 | Previous Week: 8
My preseason darling has fallen six games behind the Angles in the AL West and 5 1/2 behind the surging Red Sox in the wild card. It's hard to think about it this way now, but 2009 has to be considered an overwhelming success for Ron Washington and company. Next, they need to build upon the success in 2010 instead of taking steps backward.
10. Tigers | Record: 77-67 | Previous Week: 9
They just can't seem to shake the Twins -- or, now, the White Sox -- from their rearview mirror. If the Tigers somehow don't hold on in possibly the worst division in the bigs, it will be no one's fault but their own.
11. Braves | Record: 76-68 | Previous Week: 14
Adam LaRoche is doing his usual act in the second half. The first baseman is hitting .351 with 12 home runs and 30 RBI since joining Atlanta at the beginning of August. For his career, LaRoche is hitting .252 with a .773 OPS in the first half and .300 with a .910 OPS in the second half. - Andrew Johnson
12. Cubs | Record: 75-68 | Previous Week: 17
Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, fellow Cub fans, but ... they have won eight of 10 and are just four games out of the wild card in the loss column. There probably isn't enough time left, but at least they aren't quitting.
13. Marlins | Record: 77-68 | Previous Week: 11
We think of Florida as stocked with power young arms -- and hey, maybe they are -- but other than Josh Johnson they haven't performed very well in 2009. Marlins starters entered play Tuesday with a 4.71 ERA, the fifth-worst mark in the National League. - Andrew Johnson
14. Mariners | Record: 74-71 | Previous Week: 13
We always want to feel sorry for the teams in the AL East who have so little chance of contending, but what of the poor Mariners? They are likely to win at least 20 more games than they did last year, but they're still going to finish in third. - Jeff Fletcher
15. Twins | Record: 73-72 | Previous Week: 15
They're playing well now after a bad stretch -- after playing well. The Twinkies just can't seem to maintain any sort of an upward surge, and it's going to be difficult to change that trend without Justin Morneau.
16. White Sox | Record: 72-73 | Previous Week: 16
Somehow, the White Sox are showing signs of life once again, and now they get a possible boost from Jake Peavy. The former Cy Young award winner is set to make his Windy City debut Saturday.
17. Rays | Record: 73-72 | Previous Week: 12
Once Tampa Bay's players realized they had a slim shot at returning to the postseason, it seems, they coasted for a while. Witness the 11-game losing streak that finally ended Monday; it tied the record for the longest ever for a team that played in the previous year's World Series. - Ed Price
18. Blue Jays | Record: 66-79 | Previous Week: 23
Anyone remember when Toronto was 27-14? Well, the Blue Jays were, and they will also be the first team in 14 years to get off to that good a start through 41 games and finish with a losing record. The 1995 Phillies started 27-14 and finished 69-75. - Ed Price
19. Astros | Record: 70-75 | Previous Week: 19
There is some discussion in Houston about whether or not Miguel Tejada should (or will) be brought back next season. Why not? The Astros have traded away every prospect. Just have everyone go down with the old, mediocre ship.
20. Brewers | Record: 69-75 | Previous Week: 20
Out of 87 qualified players in the National League, Jason Kendall's .295 slugging percentage is second worst and his .624 OPS is third worst. And I know he's a catcher and I'm sure Ken Macha likes the way he works with their pitching staff, but I can't imagine he'll be back in Milwaukee for a third go-round in 2010. - Pat Lackey
21. A's | Record: 66-78 | Previous Week: 22
For the second consecutive year, the A's are near the bottom of the AL in on-base percentage. They have been sixth or worse four years in a row. This will be the fifth consecutive year they finish in the bottom half of the league in slugging percentage. Moneyball?. - Jeff Fletcher
22. Reds | Record: 66-79 | Previous Week: 18
Jay Bruce is back to get some swings in over the last two weeks of the season and while it's hard to draw conclusions from a small sample after an injury, I still think it'll be interesting to see if he can improve on his ugly pre-injury .207 batting average and .285 on-base percentage. He's still only 22 and his 18 homers in 85 games is impressive, so let's see those secondary skills start to develop. - Pat Lackey
23. Padres | Record: 65-81 | Previous Week: 21
In case you lost track of the Padres, they have now won six consecutive series, five of them against contenders. Actually, they've put serious dents in the playoff chances of the Braves, Marlins and Giants over the past few weeks. - Jeff Fletcher
24. Diamondbacks | Record: 64-82 | Previous Week: 26
They move up despite winning only three of their last 10 games. Why? Because everyone below them sucks worse. The league is severely divided between the haves and have-nots right now. Thus, most of the lower-tier teams are taking a beating.
25. Mets | Record: 63-82 | Previous Week: 25
New York lost its 82nd game Tuesday, falling to the Braves 6-0 to clinch a losing season. With an Opening Day payroll barely south of $150 million, that has to make the Mets the most expensive losing ballclub in major league history. On the bright side, at least the fans won't have to go through another heartbreaking September collapse. - Andrew Johnson
26. Royals | Record: 58-86 | Previous Week: 28
Gotta give them a bump in the ranks for winning seven of their last eight, including a sweep of the division-leading Tigers. Every game left is against someone still in the race -- assuming you count the White Sox as being in it. We'll see if they continue to play spoiler.
27. Orioles | Record: 59-85 | Previous Week: 27
Baltimore has a 5.11 ERA as a team, and this will likely be the franchise's fourth straight season with an ERA greater than 5.00. The Orioles haven't been in the top six in the AL in team ERA since 1999. At least Tillman, Matusz et al give hope it won't stay that way. - Ed Price
28. Indians | Record: 61-83 | Previous Week: 24
The complete opposite of the Royals, the Tribe is laying down. They've lost seven of eight and 13 of their last 17. They actually have a good shot at ending up with the worst record in the entire American League.
29. Pirates | Record: 55-88 | Previous Week: 29
While I typed this, Matt Capps blew another save. After three years of solid work at the back end of the Pirates' pen, Capps' ERA is over 6.00 and opponents had a .928 OPS against him before he blew the save. The Bucs don't get many leads and the ones they do get, Capps can barely hold. This is not really a great recipe for success, though it does have Pittsburgh within five games of the Nats in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes.. - Pat Lackey
30. Nationals | Record: 50-94 | Previous Week: 30
Here's a sobering thought: Unless John Lannan starts whiffing batters like he hasn't all season, the Nationals will not have a single pitcher on their roster record 100 strikeouts. Hurry, Mr. Strasburg. - Andrew Johnson

Note: All numbers are through Tuesday night.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-17-2009 @ 1:25AM

abubbles55 said...

the red sox better go home. they freaking suck, they are the biggest sore losers ever.i cant stand the whole team.they look like pigs when they play.

9-20-2009 @ 8:40PM

lapietra7 said...

I think you're referring to the Yankees

9-17-2009 @ 6:23AM

Mark said...

It's really too bad these blogs are not limited to at least semi-intelligent posts....

Good list guys, truly an anyone can win year and I for one am looking forward to it

9-19-2009 @ 8:05AM

whearn1112 said...

WISH YOU COULD BLOCK IDIOTS FROM THESE BLOGS.....LIKE ABUBBLE55

9-20-2009 @ 9:44PM

Add lap7 to that list

9-22-2009 @ 9:33AM

celtsic said...

They're should be a moderater that aproves any post to make sure that the post focuses on the subject and is not just a rant.With that said and I'm not a fan of either the Yankees or Red Sox. The Yanks and Red Sox are the two of the most dominate forces in the Al this year.Can they carry that into the playoffs?

10-28-2009 @ 3:39PM

db1219 said...

Watch out for the Red Sox? Why? They didn't even get past the wild card round (which I think should be eliminated). A note to AOL----READ YOUR OWN POSTINGS MORE OFTEN!!!!!