MLB Power Rankings: Phillies lose McCutchen, Twins beat Rays and Marlins get out of the basement
By Sean Sears
22. Arizona Diamondbacks, 30-32, 4th in the NL West (ranked 12th last week)
The Diamondbacks have dropped seven of their last 10 games and had two five-game losing streaks in May, as they’ve fallen now two games below .500, putting 13 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. Their pitching has been solid, with a 4.14 ERA, as starter Zack Greinke has put together another solid season, posting a 2.87 ERA in his last six starts.
But their offense hasn’t been able to score runs with any consistency, having nights where they score double-digits that are followed up by shutouts. Arizona did get OF David Peralta back to hit alongside red-hot Eduardo Escobar, the team’s home run leader with 15. There were questions about how sustainable Arizona’s offense was going to be and after a cold few weeks, it’s become clear the Diamondbacks are more fool’s gold than real contenders.
21. Cincinnati Reds, 28-32, last in the NL Central (ranked 17th last week)
The Reds are a fun team with tons of great pitching in both the rotation and bullpen, as both groups have posted 3.70 ERA on the season. The Reds have split their last 10 games, which is impressive considering they faced the Cubs, a tough Pirates team and the streaking Nationals over that span.
The offense has gotten a massive power boost from Derek Dietrich, who has six home runs in his last 10 games, and now leads the club with 17 on the year as the 29-year-old Dietrich has taken full advantage of 2B Scooter Gennett’s absence. They have the best run differential in baseball despite being four games below .500 and 6.5 games back in the division. The Reds are in a competitive NL Central division, but if they keep building and getting healthier, their pitching is good enough to carry them back into relevancy.