It really occurred: The Rays misplaced. They really misplaced twice! While the Rays are, alas, not going to go 162-0 this 12 months -- or 161-1, for that matter -- they've firmly established themselves as contenders shifting ahead. After all: Even in the event that they go .500 the remainder of the season, they’ll win 87 video games. And they positive appear like a group that’s going to be higher than .500 the remainder of the season.

They may not, although, be the very best group in baseball, a minimum of to not our Power Rankings voters: They fell one spot this week, to No. 2. But it’s kind of troublesome to argue with the No. 1 group: They look downright terrifying to date.

Here are this week’s rankings.

Biggest Jump: The Rangers took two out of three from the Royals at first of the week, and did the identical in opposition to these hated rivals from Houston over the weekend. The most spectacular factor has been the pitching, which is presently holding a top-10 spot within the Majors. And the very best starter hasn’t even been Jacob deGrom: It has been Martín Pérez. Again.

1. Braves, 12-4 (final week: 2)The Rays’ successful streak is previous information. The cool streaking group now could be the Braves, who went 6-0 on the week, sweeping the Reds and the Royals. The Braves presently have three gamers with an OPS over 1.000: Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr. and, the group’s chief in that class, Sean Murphy, who's getting on base at a .446 clip. They even have a top-10 pitching employees proper now. They’ve bought one other enjoyable sequence set as much as begin the week in opposition to the Padres in San Diego, but it surely’s the Padres who must be afraid: The Braves are already rolling.

2. Rays, 14-2 (final week: 1)Sorry, Rays: A 5-2 week finally ends up dropping you a spot within the rankings, even when these two losses had been on the street in opposition to the Blue Jays, additionally among the finest groups in baseball. It was Shane McClanahan who ended the Rays’ two-game skid -- solely while you’ve received your first 13 video games can two losses in a row be thought of a “skid” -- with one other gem on Sunday: He’s now 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA. The Rays get a few middle-of-the-country groups this week: The Reds on the street and the White Sox on the Trop.

3. Blue Jays, 10-6 (final week: 7)A terrific solution to get your self to soar up the rankings: Beat the group that has received 13 in a row twice. Matt Chapman’s spectacular contract-year resurgence has been the story of the primary couple of weeks, however the Blue Jays look extra well-rounded than they did final 12 months, particularly on protection. They’re tied for the second-best report within the American League, which has earned them … a four-game deficit within the AL East. That’s the identical distance from first place as Colorado is correct now. They’re tied within the Power Rankings with a group that feels their ache …

4. Yankees, 10-6 (final week: 4)It’s not straightforward to maintain tempo within the AL East, and the Yankees really did drop a recreation throughout a 4-3 week. But most likely extra worrisome is the hamstring harm to Giancarlo Stanton, which landed him on the injured listing. Aaron Judge has had somewhat extra assist in the lineup this 12 months to date, with Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu off to glorious begins. But dropping Stanton -- nonetheless predictable it may be -- will not be useful.

5. Astros, 7-9 (final week: 6)The Astros had been No. 1 within the season’s first energy rankings, so even with a sluggish begin, they’re not going to fall too far. They had a enjoyable sequence with the intriguing Rangers over the weekend, and the schedule is about to get even harder: Their subsequent 4 opponents are all groups that reached the playoffs final 12 months: The Blue Jays and Phillies at residence, and the Braves and Rays on the street.

6. Brewers (8)7. Dodgers (3)8. Twins (10)9. Mets (9)10. Padres (5)11. Guardians (11)12. Rangers (18)13. Angels (15)14. Orioles (16)15. Mariners (14)16. D-backs (20)17. Cardinals (12)18. Cubs (21)19. Pirates (24)20. Phillies (13)21. White Sox (17)22. Red Sox (22)23. Marlins (23)24. Giants (19)25. Reds (25)26. Rockies (27)27. Royals (26)28. Tigers (28)29. Nationals (29)30. A’s (30)

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