2. WHITE SOX: A.J. Pierzynski adding a punch (.333
avg.) and he can take one, too. (3)
3.
CARDINALS: Albert Pujols on a pace to hit 79 homers.
(1)
4.
METS: Taking series from upstart Phillies was big.
(4)
5.
YANKEES: Won two of three from the Red Sox at Fenway.
(6)
6. RED
SOX: Manny is hitting his stride (3 HR, 10 RBIs vs.
N.Y.), but bullpen is getting thin. (5)
7.
BLUE JAYS: Halladay's back in Cy Young form (6-1,
2.77), and that's trouble for the AL. (8)
8.
REDS: Looking up at the Cardinals, but still in the
hunt. (7)
9.
PHILLIES: If starters can get on track, watch out.
(9)
10.
DIAMONDBACKS: Facing Mets this week will offer tough
task. (15)
11.
PADRES: Take notice. Jake Peavy is becoming a
strikeout stud. (11)
12.
DODGERS: Heating up and getting healthy. (19)
13.
BREWERS: Prince Fielder feasting on left-handed
pitching (.347 avg.). (13)
14.
BRAVES: John Smoltz (4-2, 3.12) finding his form,
having won his past three decisions. (14)
15.
RANGERS: Erratic starting pitching needs to improve
for them to survive in AL West. (17)
16.
ROCKIES: Lost first three of nine games against NL
West opponents. (16)
17.
ASTROS: Losing three of four to Nats won't help get
them back in race. (10)
18.
ATHLETICS: Suddenly the runs are hard to come by.
(12)
19.
INDIANS: Casey Blake's average (.329) staying steady
among AL's best. (18)
20.
GIANTS: Jamey Wright has won his past three starts,
giving the Giants a stabilizer. (20)
21.
ORIOLES: Miguel Tejada is back to his MVP form (.323
avg., 13 HR, 38 RBIs). (21)
22.
CUBS: Michael Barrett got in the best offense
Cubbies will have all season. (22)
23.
MARINERS: Emergence of 2B Jose Lopez (team-high 40
RBIs) a pleasant surprise. (23)
24.
TWINS: They've underachieved, but something tells
you they're not out of it yet. (26)
25.
ANGELS: Falling fast as division foes get going.
(25)
26.
DEVIL RAYS: Bats need more consistent pop, maybe
eight more Carl Crawfords. (24)
27.
NATIONALS: Showing life after battering Astros. (27)
28.
PIRATES: Oliver Perez's most recent outing (6 IP, 4
H, 0 ER) showed he's recovering from injury. (28)
29.
MARLINS: Dontrelle still in teal and black for now.
(29)
30.
ROYALS: On a pace to lose 126. Even they can't be
that bad. (30)
FANTASY CORNER
BARTOLO COLON, Angels: The Angels' ace threw 35
pitches in two innings in a simulated game last week,
but his velocity was down. The outing wasn't good enough
for the Angels to assign Colon to minor-league rehab.
Colon, who has missed five weeks with a shoulder injury,
is scheduled to pitch another simulated game this
weekend, but Manager Mike Scioscia said "it's going to
take some work."
HANLEY
RAMIREZ, Marlins: Florida's 22-year-old SS missed a
few games while nursing a sore shoulder, but he scored
seven runs and stole four bases in his return last week.
Provided he stays healthy, he will score more than 100
runs and add about 30-40 coveted stolen bases, must-have
stuff for a middle infielder.
FREDDY
SANCHEZ, Pirates: Sanchez has made the most of his
recent playing time, hitting .423 in his past 10 games.
But with SS Jack Wilson now healthy and 3B Joe Randa
healing, Sanchez's hot hitting might not be enough to
save him from a numbers game.
AL Extra Bases
The
Tigers own the best record in the majors entering the
week and there's one reason why: pitching. Pitching
coach Chuck Hernandez's staff owns a major-league
best 3.22 ERA. They are the only American League team
with an ERA less than 4.00. The Rangers are hanging in
the A.L. West race, but they need to play better at home
and play better against the struggling Angels to stay on
top. … Speaking of the Halos, Cuban defector Kendry
Morales made his major-league debut for the Angels
on Tuesday. Batting fifth in the lineup, he had three
hits. He was hitting .413 this month in 19 games at
Triple-A Salt Lake. …Out of the seven relievers on
Oakland's roster, five began the season in the minors.
But help is on the way, at least in the rotation, as
Rich Harden and Esteban Loaiza could return
soon.
NL Extra Bases
The
Phillies hope that 22-year-old LHP Cole Hamels
will return in early June from a shoulder strain. Hamels
gave the Philly rotation a much-needed lift in his first
two major-league starts (11 IP, 5 H, 4 ER). Philly has
just one starting pitcher with an ERA under 4.80. … The
NL West-leading Diamondbacks entered the weekend in
Cincinnati with a franchise record of 15 consecutive
games with a double play. They have a major league-high
68, a double-digit lead over Houston (56) and AL leader
Baltimore (53). … ESPN is taking reporter Pedro Gomez
and producer Charlie Moynihan off the
Barry Bonds beat after the slugger hits No.715. The
two have covered Bonds every day since spring training
in 2005. Mark Prior, who has been
nursing a shoulder strain since spring training, made
his first rehabilitation start for Class-A Peoria on
Memorial Day. Prior threw 44 pitches in two innings in
what was designed to be a short workout. He threw 28
strikes, none of them more than 90-m.p.h. in 94-degree
heat.
