MLB power ranking: Rays hold AL East, White Sox slip

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What a week it was. A rookie threw a hit on his first start; a pair of MVP contenders for Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. faced off in both phases of the match; a game was stopped due to a laser pointer at Citi Field; and, above all, there was corn (so much corn).

It’s a week that will be tough to beat, but before we continue let’s do what we always do here and take stock of the situation in the league. In the standings we go.

30. Baltimore Orioles (last week: 28)

You throw a no-hitter on your first start, you take your team out of the cellar. These are the rules, which means the Diamondbacks slide to the top as the Orioles land in an all too familiar spot. Baltimore has lost its last 11 games, good for the team’s second double-digit losing streak this season. These are dark times in Birdland.

The pitching was particularly brutal during this most brutal stretch. The Orioles have allowed at least 10 points in a game five times during the losing streak, with the starters posting a screaming 8.81 ERA. But like a ray of sunlight peeking through cracks in the dark, we’re starting to see an end-of-season resurgence from the beleaguered Matt Harvey. In five starts since the all-star break, the right-hander is 3-1 with a 1.65 ERA, keeping opposing hitters to a .208 / .259 / .307 slash line. Harvey is on his fifth team in four years, and it seemed inevitable that 2021 would be his last chance on a big-league roster. A solid finish could make him appealing to teams who need some depth to kick off this offseason, and extend his time as a major league starter for another year.

Cedric Mullins shines even brighter than the Dark Knight. Even Baltimore’s mounting losses can’t eclipse what was a star breakthrough for the 26-year-old outfielder. Mullins leads the American League in hits and has a 30-30 chance of scoring a season, which would make him the first in franchise history. Sunday ended his 20-game hitting streak, but don’t expect him to stay calm for long. His longest no-hit drought this year has been three games, and his expected batting average (50 home plate appearances) hasn’t fallen below the league average since early June.

Wendell Cruz / USA TODAY Sports

The Orioles won’t have any semblance of a rival squad until they start developing effective starting pitchers, so this must remain the No.1 priority if the franchise hopes to start winning while Mullins is there. Pitcher’s best prospect Grayson Rodriguez continues to dominate in Double A, while wide receiver Adley Rutschman has been promoted to Triple A. The future has yet to arrive in Baltimore, but he could knock on the door sooner than you. don’t think so.

29. Arizona Diamondbacks (LW: 30)

28. Pirates of Pittsburgh (LW: 27)

27. Texas Rangers (LW: 29)

26. Chicago Cubs (LW: 23)

25. Kansas City Royals (LW: 25)

24. Washington Nationals (LW: 21)

23. Minnesota Twins (LW: 26)

22. Colorado Rockies (LW: 22)

21. Miami Marlins (LW: 24)

20. Detroit Tigers (LW: 20)

19. Cleveland (LW: 19)

18. Los Angeles Angels (LW: 17)

The Angels have taken the phrase “aggressively mediocre” to new heights this year. Los Angeles are within two .500 games each side each day since June 30, and they’ve had the same number of wins and losses 24 times this season. That’s 10 short of the all-time record set by the 2009 Twins, by Sarah Langs of MLB.com, which means history is on hand for the Halos in the past seven weeks.

Richard Mackson / USA TODAY Sports

With the 2021 Angels down 9.5 games from a playoff berth, the club appear to have their eyes set on the future. Youngsters Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh have regular playing time in the outfield, while 2020 first-round pick Reid Detmers is in the major league rotation after just 13 minor league starts. He earned his first career victory limiting the Astros to one point with six strikeouts in six innings on Sunday, and he’s one of many young arms who have shown potential this season, along with Patrick Sandoval, José Suarez. and Chris Rodriguez.

It wouldn’t be a good Angels recap without mentioning Shohei Ohtani, so here it is: he got 8 for 26 (0.308) at home last week with two homers, three walks, four stolen bases. Facing a loaded Blue Jays formation on the mound, he allowed just two runs with six strikeouts in six innings on Thursday, in a game in which he also went 1-on-3 with a goal on balls and a double.

Since his explosive exit at Yankee Stadium on June 30, in which he allowed seven runs and did not come out of the first inning, Ohtani is 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 29 strikeouts in the game. stick in five starts. He’s the runaway favorite to win the AL MVP, yes, but he’s also likely to win Cy Young Award votes if he can maintain his current form.

17. New York Mets (LW: 16)

16. Cardinals of Saint-Louis (LW: 18)

15. Philadelphia Phillies (LW: 13)

14. Cincinnati Reds (LW: 12)

It’s hard to overstate how remarkable Joey Votto’s late-career rise to power has been. It was a part of his game that seemed to belong to the past. While Votto has remained incredibly consistent throughout his career – he never posted a WRC + below the league average – he had apparently become a hitter on first contact, and his masterful control of the strike zone. allowed him to always put high on- base percentages.

From 2018 to 2020, Votto had an isolated power of .155, which ranked 129th out of 164 skilled hitters during that span and put him in the league with guys like Kevin Kiermaier and Freddy Galvis. This season, he ranks third in that category with .294, behind Ohtani (an absurd .384) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.297). In 60 games since returning from the injured list with a broken thumb, Votto has reached .304 / .402 .645 with 21 homers and 58 RBIs.

VERDUCCI: The renewal of Joey Votto

One big adjustment he made was to keep the ball off the ground. Votto’s ground ball rate before the IL relay was 42.0%. After the month off, it is only 30.9%. Where in the past Votto’s keen eye manifested in extreme patience, he now uses it to hunt for locations to drive. Votto’s 93.1 mph average output speed is the highest in the Statcast era (since 2015), and it has the second highest barrel rate (one in every 11.5 plate appearances) in the majors. His strikeouts are up and his goals down, of course, but this change in approach has been more than a valid compromise for a hitter who is likely to end up in the Hall of Fame.

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