2015 MLB Power Rankings Week 11

Max Scherzer is so hot right now. After hurling a one-hitter last week the Nationals right-hander hurled the first no-hitter of his career. He was one pitch away from a perfect game before plunking Jose Tabata. He was, however, able to regain his composure and complete the gem. While the focus of MLB is centered around him let's take a look at what else is going on as the season nears its midpoint.

*Note ~ As always all stats and records are through Sunday's games.

1. St. Louis Cardinals (45-24) ~ While members of the Cardinals front office are under scrutiny due to a hacking scandal it doesn't take away from their excellence on the field. The Cards continue to boast the best record in the bigs while playing in the toughest division. (Last Week's Ranking 1)

2. Kansas City Royals (39-27) ~ If the All-Star Game were today the Royals would have seven starters voted in. While there are certainly some deserving players leading the way in votes that is just a bit absurd. (LWR 3)

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (39-31) ~ Over his last eight starts Zack Greinke is 0-2 with a cool 1.99 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings. He hasn't picked up a win since May 5th despite those impressive numbers. Just another reason why pitcher wins are not the best indicator of how someone is performing. (LWR 2)

4. Houston Astros (41-30) ~ Carlos Correa has adjusted just fine to Major League pitching. Over his first thirteen games the former top overall pick is slashing .304/.328/.536. We are witnessing the start of something great in Houston. (LWR 5)

5. Pittsburgh Pirates (39-30) ~ The Pirates ran into a buzzsaw in Washington that saw their eight-game win streak come to an end in dramatic fashion. After rookie Joe Ross fanned 11 Friday night the Bucs were no-hit by Scherzer and then gave up nine runs in the first inning Sunday. A weekend to forget for sure. (LWR 4)

6. Tampa Bay Rays (40-31) ~ Last week Houston became the first team in the American League to reach 40 wins. Now Tampa Bay is the second. Both teams were projected to finish at or near the bottom of their respective divisions. (LWR 8)

7. New York Yankees (38-31) ~ Another week another Alex Rodriguez milestone. With a first inning blast off of Justin Verlander A-Rod joined the 3,000 hit club in Jeter-esque fashion. And the Yankees claim he isn't marketable. Psssha. (LWR 6)

8. Chicago Cubs (37-30) ~ Kyle Schwarber was sent back down to Triple-A but he had himself a hell of a debut week. The rookie collected eight hits including a triple and home run while driving in six during consecutive road interleague series for the Cubs. (LWR 9)

9. Toronto Blue Jays (37-34) ~ All reports indicate that the Jays are looking to bolster their bullpen by adding either Johnathan Papelbon or Francisco Rodriguez via trade. Nobody saw the Jays adding Josh Donaldson this offseason. I wonder if Toronto is cooking up something even juicier than the bullpen help. (LWR 7)

10. Washington Nationals (37-33) ~ Let's dig a bit deeper into Scherzer's numbers over his last two starts. Eighteen innings pitched while allowing one hit, one walk and one hit batsman while striking out 26. Yikes. (LWR 10)

11. San Francisco Giants (38-33) ~ The rotation is ready for a shot in the arm. Jake Peavey is expected back after one more rehab start and Matt Cain should be back after one or two more himself. The Giants have received a combined two starts from them so far in 2015. (LWR 11)

12. Baltimore Orioles (36-33) ~ Kevin Gausman was activated from the disabled list and made his first start of the season Saturday. He was then optioned to Triple-A Sunday. Here's hoping it's simply to stretch out and isn't a demotion. (LWR 16)

13. Texas Rangers (37-33) ~ Josh Hamilton may be nearing a return to the Rangers' lineup. He will be re-evaluated Tuesday and could be sent on a rehab stint as the slugger looks to return from yet another trip to the disabled list. (LWR 17)

14. Detroit Tigers (35-34) ~ J.D. Martinez on Sunday became the fourth player this season to hit three home runs in a game joining Bryce Harper, Adrian Gonzalez and Joey Votto. It was the first multi-homer game of his career. (LWR 13)

15. New York Mets (36-35) ~ The Mets have lost a season-high five games in a row to fall out of first place in the National Leage East. After an off-day tonight they will look to snap the skid as their road trip continues in Milwaukee. (LWR 12)

16. Minnesota Twins (37-32) ~ Ervin Santana is nearing his return from an 80-game suspension that was handed out prior to Opening Day. He is eligible to return on July 4th. I wonder how many people forgot he was in Minnesota. I know I sure did. (LWR 15)

17. Los Angeles Angels (35-35) ~ Jered Weaver was placed on the 15-day disabled list. He has been quite the disappointment this season as he carries a 4-8 record with a career-high 4.75 ERA and career-low 4.6 K/9. (LWR 18)

18. Atlanta Braves (35-35) ~ Atlanta made another trade with Arizona and picked up Bronson Arroyo and Touki Toussaint for Phil Gosselin. While Arroyo is the household name Toussaint is the key here. One of Arizona's top prospects the 19-year-old was rated among the top 100 going into the season. Looks like a salary dump for Arizona but it was curious to see them include Toussaint. (LWR 21)

19. Seattle Mariners (32-38) ~ Who says you can't go home? Seattle brought back fan favorite Edgar Martinez to serve as their hitting coach. A veteran of 18 seasons in Seattle the DH has a lifetime .312 batting average. Too bad the M's can't insert him into their inept lineup. (LWR 20)

20. San Diego Padres (34-38) ~ James Shields suffered his first loss in a Padre uniform this weekend putting an end to the franchise-best streak of fourteen straight starts without an L to start a season. (LWR 14)

21. Arizona Diamondbacks (34-35) ~ Everyone knows the D-backs are Paul Goldschmidt and not much else. Well, all the slugging first baseman is doing is leading the team in hits, home runs, RBI, batting average and on-base percentage just to name a few categories. Kid is legit. (LWR 22)

22. Oakland A's (31-41) ~ With six wins in their last eight games Oakland is trying to claw its way back into relevance in the American League West. They are the third-highest scoring team in baseball. It was only a matter of time before things started evening out after a horrendous start to the season. (LWR 23)

23. Cleveland Indians (32-36) ~ Top pick Brady Aiken has signed with the Indians after being picked 17th in this year's draft. Aiken famously was selected first overall last season but did not sign with Houston. Could be a steal for Cleveland. (LWR 19)

24. Cincinnati Reds (32-36) ~ Catcher Devin Mesoraco is finally scheduled to have season-ending hip surgery. Dealing with the injury since early April the Reds pushed off surgery in the hopes he could come back as a left fielder. Now that experiment and Mesoraco's season are both officially over. (LWR 24)

25. Miami Marlins (30-41) ~ Giancarlo Stanton has gone on the record that he will participate in this year's Home Run Derby if he is asked. Note to whomever is the captain of this year's squad. ASK THE IRON GIANT! (LWR 26)

26. Boston Red Sox (31-40) ~ On July 28th the Red Sox will retire Pedro Martinez's number 45. Mark your calenders Sox fans. This might be the highlight of your season. (LWR 27)

27. Chicago White Sox (30-38) ~ Chris Sale has now recorded double-digit strikeouts in his last six starts which ties for the fifth longest such streak ever. During that stretch he has a 1.19 ERA with a 75/7 K/BB ratio over 45 1/3 innings. (LWR 25)

28. Colorado Rockies (30-39) ~ Troy Tulowitzki has turned it on since the calendar flipped to June boasting a .368/.419/.529 slash line while reaching base in 21 straight games. (LWR 28)

29. Milwaukee Brewers (25-46) ~ Milwaukee is now 21 games out of first place in the NL Central. They have just 25 wins on the season which makes me wonder if their deficit will eclips their win total. That would be something to see. (LWR 29)

30. Philadelphia Phillies (24-47) ~ Adam Morgan picked up the win Sunday in his Major League debut. It was the first win for a Phillies starter since May 23rd. (LWR 30)

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