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Some teams are starting to find their groove and some other teams are hitting a rough patch. It is almost that point in the summer where it will be just baseball will be the main sporting event on TV, unless you like watching the World Cup of Soccer. Here are this week's top 10 MLB teams:
10. Los Angeles Angels: The Angels would be a playoff team within the National League with a 34-28 record, but Los Angeles isn't even currently a playoff team right now in the American League.
The Angels are three games back of the Houston Astros for the second wild-card spot in the American League. Los Angeles needs to pitch well in order to give themselves a chance. Mike Trout has a .315 batting average with 19 homeruns and 39 RBI's, along with 13 stolen bases. Last week's ranking: 10.
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9. Cleveland Indians: The Indians are starting to play a lot better baseball. They were able to get away with a slow start because Cleveland plays in a weak AL Central. The Indians are now 32-28 on the year and they just swept a two-game homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Jose Rameriz continues to make a serious case for American League MVP. He has a .298 batting average with 19 home runs and 42 RBI's, along with seven stolen bases. Corey Kluber pitched well again on Tuesday Night against the Brewers in a 3-2 win. Kluber's record is now 9-2 with a 1.96 ERA. In 91.2 innings pitched, he has given up 68 hits and 22 runs. Kluber has walked 10 batters and struck out 95. Last week's ranking: not ranked.
8. Philadelphia Phillies: The Philadelphia Phillies continue to stay afloat in the standings. They haven't really lost any ground in the past week which is the good news. The bad news is they really haven't made a big jump in the standings either.
The Phillies record is 32-26 so far in 2018. Philadelphia won a huge game on the road against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday Night in a 6-1 win. Zach Eflin pitched 7.2 innings and gave up eight hits and one run.
He walked one batter and struck out two. Nick Williams hit a three-run homer in that game and he now has seven this season. He is one of the Phillies most underrated players. Speaking of underrated, they have become one of the most underrated teams in baseball and Aaron Nola is also a very underrated pitcher and a possible NL CY Young Candidate.
His record is 7-2 with a 2.18 ERA. In 78.1 innings pitched, Nola has given up 55 hits and 19 runs. He has walked 18 batters and struck out 74. Last week's ranking: 8.
7. Atlanta Braves: The Braves continue to play with heart and their young players continue to inject energy into the team night in and night out. Atlanta is in first place in the National League East because of it with a 36-25 record.
They still have a slim lead in the division over the Washington Nationals. At some point the Braves might falter but for right now they haven't. Last week's ranking: 7.
6. Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers arguably play in the second best division in baseball in the National League Central. They lead the Chicago Cubs by just 1.5 games in the standings and by the St. Louis Cardinals by just three games in the standings.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are six games back of Milwaukee, but the Pirates have a .500 record still. The Brewers have the best record in the National League at 37-25, but they aren't the best team in the National League right now. Last week's ranking: 4.
5. Houston Astros: Houston, we have a problem! The Astros no longer lead the American League West division at the moment. They trail the Seattle Mariners by two games in the standings.
Houston's record is 37-25 to start the season and they are just 2-8 in their last 10 games. This is the worst stretch the Astros have had so far in 2018. The pitching has not been the same in this stretch.
Houston has given up 21 runs in their last three games. The Astros split the weekend series at home against the Boston Red Sox. Last week's ranking: 2.
4. Seattle Mariners: It is crazy to think the Seattle Mariners have a very good record this deep into the baseball season. Their record is 38-22 to start the season and they lead the Houston Astros by two games in the American League West standings.
The Mariners smacked the Astros 7-1 on Tuesday Night on the road. Seattle is looking to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
James Paxton continues to be the Mariners best starting pitcher in 2018 despite having Felix Hernandez on the same team. He pitched 7.2 innings and gave up nine hits and scored one run.
Paxton also gave up one walk and struck out six. His record is 5-1 with a 2.95 ERA. In 82.1 innings pitched, Paxton gave up 60 hits and 27 runs. He has walked 25 batters and struck out 101.
Jean Segura continues to shine for Seattle. He has a .333 batting average with five home runs and 38 RBI's, along with 12 stolen bases and Segura is very good defensively. Last week's ranking: 6.
3. Washington Nationals: The Nationals are the most talented team in the National League. Daniel Murphy has yet to play a game for Washington this season. They are a very deep ball club and it doesn't seem like the Nationals miss him, but they will be glad to get him back once he returns off the disabled list.
Rookie outfielder Juan Soto has a .333 batting average with two home runs and five RBI's, along with one stolen base. He has a good eye at the plate and his on-base percentage is .429 and Soto is also a very good fielder. Bryce Harper has a .227 batting average with 18 home runs and 40 RBI's, along with five stolen bases.
Harper also has a very good eye at the plate and he has a .365 on-base percentage. The Nationals have a very good pitching rotation as well. Max Scherzer continues to amaze for Washington.
His record is 10-1 with a 1.95 ERA. In 87.2 innings pitched, Scherzer has given up 54 hits and 22 runs.
He has walked 19 batters and struck out 133. Scherzer and manager Dave Martinez are one of the reasons why the Washington Nationals have a 35-25 record to start the 2018 season.
They are just 0.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East and Washington owns the first wild card spot right now in the NL. Last week's ranking: 5.
2. New York Yankees: The Yankees continue to shine offensively. Miguel Andujar hit a grand slam in New York's 7-2 win on the road on Tuesday Night against the Toronto Blue Jays.
He has a .305 batting average with seven home runs and 26 RBI's, along with one stolen base. The Yankees also split a doubleheader on the road on Monday against the Detroit Tigers. In the second game, Giancarlo Stanton got pegged, but he would hit a home run later in the game and Stanton now has 13 home runs on the year.
The Yankees still need some help at starting pitcher and they will look to make a move to acquire a starting pitcher at the trade deadline. New York's record so far this season is 39-18. The Yankees face the New York Mets on the road this weekend in the Subway Series. Last week's ranking: 3.
1.Boston Red Sox: The Boston Red Sox have basically the same roster as last season, but they are a different team philosophically under manager Alex Cora. They play much harder and pay attention to detail better. Boston doesn't have exactly the sharpest starting rotation in the world, but they have a very good bullpen and people don't give them enough credit for it. Chris Sale has a 5-3 record with a 3.00 ERA.
In 81 innings pitched, he has given up 58 hits and 29 runs. Sale has walked 21 batters and has struck out 110. Craig Kimbrel has a 1-1 record with a 2.08 ERA. He has 19 saves in 21 tries. Kimbrel has pitched in 26 innings and has given up 15 hits and six runs. He has walked six batters and struck out 36.
Mookie Betts (left abdominal strain) was placed on the 10-day DL, but he is expected to return on Friday against the Chicago White Sox. Betts's batting average is .359 with 17 homeruns and 37 RBI's, along with 13 stolen bases.
His on-base percentage is .437. The Red Sox have different players stepping up every night. J.D. Martinez has a .318 batting average with 20 homeruns and 52 RBI's, along with one stolen base.
The Boston Red Sox's record is 42-19 and it is the best in the MLB. They are also the best team in the MLB at the moment. Last week's ranking: 1.
Do you agree with our rankings? Sound off in the comments section below!
