MLB Power Rankings: Blue Jays, Pirates make their moves on Cardinals

Tampa Bay Rays. 10. team. 21. Don’t blink or rub your eyes, the Tampa Bay Rays are absolutely in first place in the American League East. Of course, having the second-best starter’s ERA in the American League will certainly help that, especially when the Rays can seemingly plug anyone in and win ballgames.. . Previous: +2nd

9. team. 39. 11 straight wins will do a lot for a ballclub, and the Toronto Blue Jays certainly made good use of their run. That said, if Toronto wants to keep the good times rolling, they’ll need to find some pitching help, both in the rotation and bullpen. Their rotation ERA of 4.57 is second-worst in the A.L. and the team is 8 of 19 in save opportunities.. . Previous: +7th. Toronto Blue Jays

8. team. 9. The Cubs offense finally showed what it is capable of in a 17-0 win over the Indians on Wednesday night. However, there is still a lack of consistency there and that’s helped to drop the Cubs into third place in the division. Chicago still has some cards to play if it wants to make any upgrades at the deadline.. . Previous: +2nd. Chicago Cubs

Washington Nationals. 7. team. 90. The good news for the Nationals is that Stephen Strasburg looked excellent in his recent rehab start. With Jordan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez both getting lit up this week, Strasburg’s return to health will be needed. With this pitching staff, the run differential should be much better.. . Previous: -2th

43. Another example of Jacoby Ellsbury’s importance to the Yankee line-up. Brett Gardner was hitting .290/.363/.427 when Ellsbury hit the DL on May 20th. Since then, Gardner has been limited to .224/.306/.378 and has struck-out 28% of the time as the team’s lead-off hitter.. . Previous: +1st. New York Yankees. 6. team