Last week, the New York Yankees took the top spot by being ranked #1 in both offense and defense. It looked like they would probably hold their spot for a while, but another team improved enough in both aspects this week that they are now the best on both sides of the ball. What did it take to pass the Yankees? Only the first perfect week we've seen from a baseball team all season. So the team with the best overall record, longest winning streak, best offense, best defense, and the top overall spot in my rankings is...
1. Cleveland (6-0) (20-8) 1/1 (3)
2. NY Yankees (5-2) (17-10) 2/6 (1)
3. Saint Louis (5-2) (17-13) 3/3 (8)
4. Philadelphia (4-1) (19-9) 6/2 (14)
5. Atlanta (3-2) (15-15) 4/4 (10)
6. Florida (3-3) (18-10) 7/5 (12)
7. Texas (2-5) (16-14) 5/8 (2)
8. Boston (4-3) (14-15) 14/7 (4)
9. LA Angels (2-4) (16-14) 11/11 (5)
10. Toronto (2-4) (13-16) 9/15 (6)
11. Kansas City (4-2) (16-13) 12/12 (7)
12. Washington (4-3) (14-15) 13/10 (21)
13. Seattle (5-1) (14-16) 10/18 (27)
14. Cincinnati (2-3) (14-15) 15/13 (11)
15. NY Mets (2-4) (12-17) 8/22 (20)
16. Milwaukee (1-4) (13-15) 16/14 (16)
17. Colorado (1-3) (17-10) 21/9 (13)
18. Tampa Bay (5-2) (16-13) 22/16 (15)
19. Arizona (3-3) (13-15) 18/20 (25)
20. Houston (3-3) (12-17) 17/24 (29)
21. San Francisco (3-4) (14-15) 19/23 (24)
22. Oakland (4-2) (15-15) 25/17 (17)
23. Pittsburgh (4-3) (14-16) 20/26 (26)
24. Baltimore (4-3) (13-15) 23/25 (19)
25. Detroit (1-6) (13-17) 24/21 (9)
26. San Diego (3-3) (12-18) 27/19 (28)
27. LA Dodgers (3-3) (15-16) 26/27 (23)
28. Chi Cubs (3-3) (13-16) 28/28 (30)
29. Chi Sox (1-6) (11-20) 29/29 (18)
30. Minnesota (1-6) (10-18) 30/30 (22)
April Showers
Minnesota took over the worst spot in both offense and defense this week, thank to a week where they were outscored 54-15 in 7 games. Their lone win came in Chicago last night, against the equally anemic White Sox, and it took a no-hitter from Francisco Liriano to win the game, which ended with a final score of 1-0. I don't think the pitching was that great, the offenses were just that bad.
Speaking of that embarrassing no-hitter last night, the Chicago White Sox were nearly as bad as Minnesota last week, also winning only once, over the Baltimore Orioles, which isn't as impressive as it would have been 3 weeks ago. Losing 1-0 to the worst team in the Major Leagues who were starting their worst pitcher is a sure sign that you are one of the worst teams around.
Rounding out the losers this week are the Texas Rangers, a team that was #1 just 3 weeks ago. While they haven't fallen nearly as far as the other losers (they're still a top 10 team), they've lost consecutive series to Toronto and Oakland, both of which are fairly average teams. They need to win the next two in Seattle to avoid losing their third series in a row.
May Flowers
The Houston Astros are still not a very good team, but they have won three straight games, including two blowouts to start the month of May, and they no longer have the worst record in the National League (that would be San Diego). We'll see if they can make it four in a row this afternoon against the Reds (I'm betting they can).
Philadelphia's only loss of the week came in 14 innings against the New York Mets in the game during which they announced the death of Osama Bin Laden. If the team from the city which houses the Liberty Bell had to lose to a team from any other city on that historic night, at least it was a team from the city that was attacked on that dreadful day 10 years ago.
San Diego may have the worst record in the National League today, but that doesn't mean they're not playing well. They've won three of their last 4, despite being underdogs in all of them, and they have a series coming up with Arizona this week. They may not be in last for long.
NBA Player of the Day
LeBron James - MIA - 35 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 14-25 FG, 2-4 3P, 5-8 FT
The Miami Heat have two stars that can take over a game, which has come in very handy during the playoffs. Either James or Wade has been named Player of the Day nearly every time the Heat have played lately, and although their combined success may hurt them in the quest for individual awards, it may end up helping them earn the ultimate team award, an NBA title.
Predictions - 4 May
Upset picks are in italics.
NBA
Hawks at Bulls - Bulls by 10
Mavericks at Lakers - Lakers by 4
MLB
Astros at Reds - Astros by 0.7
Twins at White Sox - White Sox by 1.1
Cubs at Dodgers - Cubs by 1.3
Brewers at Braves - Braves by 1.7
Pirates at Padres - Pirates by 1.1
Blue Jays at Rays - Jays by 1.9
Yankees at Tigers - Yankees by 1.0
Nationals at Phillies - Phillies by 2.7
Angels at Red Sox - Red Sox by 0.8
Giants at Mets - Mets by 0.9
Brewers at Braves - Braves by 1.0
Orioles at Royals - Orioles by 1.1
Marlins at Cardinals - Marlins by 0.3
Rockies at Diamondbacks - D-Backs by 1.0
Indians at Athletics - Indians by 1.9
Rangers at Mariners - Mariners by 0.4
Prediction Results - 3 May
NBA Playoffs: 2-0 (1.000) 36-14 overall (.720)
MLB: 7-7 (.500) 156-144 overall (.520)
Upsets: 3-1 (.750) 226-154 overall (.595)
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