Woy
RIP West
NOTE: The standings are based on the results of Monday's games. Last week rankings are in parentheses.
Rudi and Woy each ranked and blurbed this week. (Rudi's were done before tonight's games.) Forgive the marginal mark-up code as the original post was lost after a laptop crash.
Last Week's: VSN Power Rankings - Version 10
Biggest Jump: Cardinals +9
Biggest Fall: Blue Jays -6
1. Rangers (2a)
Woy - They can hit in the minor leagues too. Mike Olt currently leads AA with 20 homeruns while hitting .305 and his 19-year-old teammate Jurickson Profar is hitting a shade under .300.
Rudi - The much anticipated debut of Roy Oswalt went well Friday night. Roy O pitched into the 7th inning and only gave up 1 run. Also helps to get Josh Hamilton back from his illness.
2. Yankees (2b)
Woy - 17 games, 13 wins. Those kind of runs are needed to keep ahead of everyone else in a tough AL East.
Rudi - The Yankees managed to do what no team has been able to do in a while which is score on R.A. Dickey. The Yankees keep rolling and are starting to distance themselves from the division.
3. Orioles (5)
Woy - They haven't gone away yet, despite playing some familiar Orioles baseball here and there. Jason Hammel has been must-watch TV for me here when I can watch him.
Rudi - Matt Wieters had one hell of a game on Sunday. Sadly the Orioles released journey man Jamie Moyer which should all but force him to retire.
4a. Angels (8)
Woy - I, for one, really want to see Mark Trumbo in the homerun derby this year.
Rudi - The return of Jered Weaver boosts the rotation and the horrible start to the year they had is long forgotten. Albert is hitting .306 in the month of June.
4b. Nationals (4)
Woy - Stephen Strasburg doesn't just pitch better than everyone on the Nationals - he also hits better than them! His .348 average is 68 percentage points higher than the top regular position player, Bryce Harper.
Rudi - Stephen Strasburg has to be one of the few pitchers being considered to start for the NL in the All-Star Game. The real question is whether he will pitch at the game considering his “innings limit”.
6. Dodgers (1)
Woy - Don't look in your rearview mirror, but San Francisco is just three games out now. It also was announced that Matt Kemp won't be brought back till after the all-star break.
Rudi - After getting swept midweek by the lowly A’s, the Dodgers find themselves faltering a bit. It doesn’t get any easier as they head to San Francisco to begin this week.
7. Rays (7)
Woy - Alex Cobb threw an eight run, complete game tonight. I love Joe Maddon.
Rudi - The “pine tar incident” highlights a week in which the Rays went 3-3. The offense is still struggling.
8. Reds (6)
Woy - Aldoris Chapman is more focused on smuggling strippers than getting batters out lately - the once untouchable closer has suddenly looked vulnerable with multiple blown saves over the past week.
Rudi - Losing 5 out of 6 to the Indians and Twins is not a good sign. Some people are hitting the “panic button” on the Cuban Missile. People seem to forget he is indeed a human.
9. Giants (9)
Woy - Despite the struggles of Tim Lincecum, my pre-season NL pick has been quietly creeping back into contention over the past weeks. You didn't have Melky Cabrera starting for the NL All-Stars at the beginning of the season, did you?
Rudi - Buster Posey is on an absolute tear and has the Giants within three games of the Dodgers. Not sure Tim Lincecum’s dad should have ran his mouth like he did, but whatever you gotta do for your kid I suppose.
10. Red Sox (17)
Woy - David Ortiz has been a man on a tear lately, hitting four homeruns over the past week.
Rudi - The Red Sox are a season high 4 games over .500, and things finally seem to be clicking. The farewell they gave Youk was a very touching moment but the more important thing is Middlebrooks can play full time now.
11. White Sox (10)
Woy - Youk can't possibly not be an upgrade at this point for the White Sox third baseman situation.
Rudi - The White Sox are still in first, and just acquired Kevin Youkilis. He will surely help the lack of production they had at third. The Tigers are charging quickly though.
12. Mets (12b)
Woy - R.A. Dickey is apparently human.
Rudi - The 37-year old wonder boy finally gave up runs to the Yankees after going over 40 innings without allowing a run. Justin Turner’s walk-up song is the Top 40 Hit, “Call Me Maybe”. Good for him.
13. Braves (11)
Woy - NAHSTE has been hyping this guy up this past week, but for good reason; Andrelton Simmons can play. His defensive prowess is a treat to watch and the young'n can hit a little bit as well.
Rudi - Jason Heyward is hitting .369 in June with a 1.089 OPS. It’s a shame he doesn’t get moved to a better run producing spot in the lineup.
14. Pirates (14)
Woy - This is the year Pittsburgh finishes over .500. They won't be competing for the Central at the end of it, but 82-82 or better is still a big stepping stone.
Rudi - These sneaky little Pirates keep on winning games. The collapse has to be coming soon. Last year they stuck around until late July and I think the same thing will happen this year.
15. Cardinals (24)
Woy - Despite Mike Matheny's ineptitude at managing, it looks like the Cardinals are back to their old 'selves. They are no longer playing like the 31st best team in baseball. Jon Jay and Matt Carpenter's returns have done wonders for the offense and in the next month Lance Berkman and Chris Carpenter could join the fold.
Rudi - A sweep against in-state rivals Kansas City is exactly what the doctor ordered for the struggling Cardinals squad. They aren’t going anywhere and will be battling all year with the Reds.
16a. Indians (15)
Woy - Still the most boring over-.500 team in baseball.
Rudi - The offense scored 4 runs over a 3 game series against the Astros. That is brutal. Their 14 game stretch before the break is brutal – 3 at BAL, 3 at NYY, 3 v LAA, 4 v TB. Ouch.
16b. Diamondbacks (19)
Woy - Could Wade Miley possibly start for the NL in the All-Star game? It probably won't happen, but the fact that he's in discussion is incredible praise for a rookie.
Rudi - The #FREETREVORBAUER movement finally got what they wanted. Trevor Bauer is expected to start Thursday against the Braves. About damn time. That will be must-watch TV.
18a. Tigers (17b)
Woy - I wish the Tigers could have gotten a win for Max Scherzer after the death of his younger brother, but pitching the day after is incredible in itself.
Rudi - he Tigers have feasted on the NL Central in inter league play going 7-5 against the three top teams in the division. The 7 game road trip to Texas and Tampa Bay staring them in the face will not be easy.
18b. Blue Jays (12a)
Woy - It looks like the guy in the white shirt is starting to help Colby Rasmus.
Rudi - They are in last place in the division but are 2 games above .500. It doesn’t get much more exciting than the interleague match up of Toronto and Miami. Storylines galore.
20a. Athletics (21)
Woy - The A's are still hanging around .500 behind Josh Reddick's emergence, but Brandon McCarthy was recently placed on the DL.
Rudi - The A’s capped off a great week with an improbable 3 run walk off home run against the Giants. Oakland has won 9 of their last 12. Wow.
20b. Marlins (16)
Woy - Giving big money to closers is almost always a bad idea.
Rudi - Miami is 3-15 in their last 18 games. That is a really, really, really bad stretch of baseball.
22. Phillies (20)
Woy - Chase Utley's return will help the Phillies, but it might be too late for the five-time defending NL East champions.
Rudi - As bad as the Marlins have been this month, the Phillies are still in the basement in the NL East. Their upcoming 4-game series in the “Battle of Pennsylvania” against the Pirates should be fun to watch.
23. Brewers (23)
Woy - I kind of miss moneyman right now, because I don't feel like trashing Goobyslayer about this team compared to him.
Rudi - The Brewers and White Sox played two games that were scoreless after 9 innings over the weekend. Lucky for the Brewers offense, they face Mat Latos on Monday at GABP.
24. Royals (22)
Woy - How bad is the Royals pitching? Bruce Chen is still the team's leader in ERA with a 4.81 mark. Jonathan Broxton has been great when they actually get to him.
Rudi - The Royals had some problems keeping the Cardinals offense contained over the weekend – they allowed 30 runs in the 3 game series.
25a. Astros (26)
Woy - Wandy Rodriguez is going to make some contending team happy within the next month.
Rudi - Houston’s home/away split still blows my mind. 21-15 in Houston, 9-25 elsewhere.
25b. Mariners (25)
Woy - Danny Hultzen was recently called up to AAA. The minor league system is much more fun to watch for Seattle fans than the big league club.
Rudi - King Felix has gotten back on track giving up 2 ER in his last 2 starts with 17 Ks.
27. Twins (27)
Woy - Before tonight's win over Chicago, the Twins alternated wins and losses for eight straight games. Progress!
Rudi - I have no idea who the kid is, but Brian Dozier played some of the best defensive short stop I have seen in a long time against the Reds.
28. Padres (28b)
Woy - One of my best friends at my internship is a Padres fan. Yes, I'm just as shocked as you are that they exist.
Rudi - Legit question: who represents this team at the All-Star game? Edinson Volquez? Chase Headley? Chris Denorfia? Lol.
29. Rockies (28a)
Woy - The Rockies had their 2012 highlight tonight as they defeated Stephen Strasburg.
Rudi - Not sure how long the 4 man rotation/75-pitch limit nonsense can go but Jeremy Guthrie hope it ends soon. He surely can’t pitch 3 innings of relief every other night.
30. Cubs (30)
Woy - https://p.twimg.com/AwRuoBDCEAAl6xv.png This sums up the Cubs season.
Rudi - The Cubs are so bad it is sickening.
Woy's rankings:
Rudi's rankings:
Rudi and Woy each ranked and blurbed this week. (Rudi's were done before tonight's games.) Forgive the marginal mark-up code as the original post was lost after a laptop crash.
Last Week's: VSN Power Rankings - Version 10
Biggest Jump: Cardinals +9
Biggest Fall: Blue Jays -6
1. Rangers (2a)
Woy - They can hit in the minor leagues too. Mike Olt currently leads AA with 20 homeruns while hitting .305 and his 19-year-old teammate Jurickson Profar is hitting a shade under .300.
Rudi - The much anticipated debut of Roy Oswalt went well Friday night. Roy O pitched into the 7th inning and only gave up 1 run. Also helps to get Josh Hamilton back from his illness.
2. Yankees (2b)
Woy - 17 games, 13 wins. Those kind of runs are needed to keep ahead of everyone else in a tough AL East.
Rudi - The Yankees managed to do what no team has been able to do in a while which is score on R.A. Dickey. The Yankees keep rolling and are starting to distance themselves from the division.
3. Orioles (5)
Woy - They haven't gone away yet, despite playing some familiar Orioles baseball here and there. Jason Hammel has been must-watch TV for me here when I can watch him.
Rudi - Matt Wieters had one hell of a game on Sunday. Sadly the Orioles released journey man Jamie Moyer which should all but force him to retire.
4a. Angels (8)
Woy - I, for one, really want to see Mark Trumbo in the homerun derby this year.
Rudi - The return of Jered Weaver boosts the rotation and the horrible start to the year they had is long forgotten. Albert is hitting .306 in the month of June.
4b. Nationals (4)
Woy - Stephen Strasburg doesn't just pitch better than everyone on the Nationals - he also hits better than them! His .348 average is 68 percentage points higher than the top regular position player, Bryce Harper.
Rudi - Stephen Strasburg has to be one of the few pitchers being considered to start for the NL in the All-Star Game. The real question is whether he will pitch at the game considering his “innings limit”.
6. Dodgers (1)
Woy - Don't look in your rearview mirror, but San Francisco is just three games out now. It also was announced that Matt Kemp won't be brought back till after the all-star break.
Rudi - After getting swept midweek by the lowly A’s, the Dodgers find themselves faltering a bit. It doesn’t get any easier as they head to San Francisco to begin this week.
7. Rays (7)
Woy - Alex Cobb threw an eight run, complete game tonight. I love Joe Maddon.
Rudi - The “pine tar incident” highlights a week in which the Rays went 3-3. The offense is still struggling.
8. Reds (6)
Woy - Aldoris Chapman is more focused on smuggling strippers than getting batters out lately - the once untouchable closer has suddenly looked vulnerable with multiple blown saves over the past week.
Rudi - Losing 5 out of 6 to the Indians and Twins is not a good sign. Some people are hitting the “panic button” on the Cuban Missile. People seem to forget he is indeed a human.
9. Giants (9)
Woy - Despite the struggles of Tim Lincecum, my pre-season NL pick has been quietly creeping back into contention over the past weeks. You didn't have Melky Cabrera starting for the NL All-Stars at the beginning of the season, did you?
Rudi - Buster Posey is on an absolute tear and has the Giants within three games of the Dodgers. Not sure Tim Lincecum’s dad should have ran his mouth like he did, but whatever you gotta do for your kid I suppose.
10. Red Sox (17)
Woy - David Ortiz has been a man on a tear lately, hitting four homeruns over the past week.
Rudi - The Red Sox are a season high 4 games over .500, and things finally seem to be clicking. The farewell they gave Youk was a very touching moment but the more important thing is Middlebrooks can play full time now.
11. White Sox (10)
Woy - Youk can't possibly not be an upgrade at this point for the White Sox third baseman situation.
Rudi - The White Sox are still in first, and just acquired Kevin Youkilis. He will surely help the lack of production they had at third. The Tigers are charging quickly though.
12. Mets (12b)
Woy - R.A. Dickey is apparently human.
Rudi - The 37-year old wonder boy finally gave up runs to the Yankees after going over 40 innings without allowing a run. Justin Turner’s walk-up song is the Top 40 Hit, “Call Me Maybe”. Good for him.
13. Braves (11)
Woy - NAHSTE has been hyping this guy up this past week, but for good reason; Andrelton Simmons can play. His defensive prowess is a treat to watch and the young'n can hit a little bit as well.
Rudi - Jason Heyward is hitting .369 in June with a 1.089 OPS. It’s a shame he doesn’t get moved to a better run producing spot in the lineup.
14. Pirates (14)
Woy - This is the year Pittsburgh finishes over .500. They won't be competing for the Central at the end of it, but 82-82 or better is still a big stepping stone.
Rudi - These sneaky little Pirates keep on winning games. The collapse has to be coming soon. Last year they stuck around until late July and I think the same thing will happen this year.
15. Cardinals (24)
Woy - Despite Mike Matheny's ineptitude at managing, it looks like the Cardinals are back to their old 'selves. They are no longer playing like the 31st best team in baseball. Jon Jay and Matt Carpenter's returns have done wonders for the offense and in the next month Lance Berkman and Chris Carpenter could join the fold.
Rudi - A sweep against in-state rivals Kansas City is exactly what the doctor ordered for the struggling Cardinals squad. They aren’t going anywhere and will be battling all year with the Reds.
16a. Indians (15)
Woy - Still the most boring over-.500 team in baseball.
Rudi - The offense scored 4 runs over a 3 game series against the Astros. That is brutal. Their 14 game stretch before the break is brutal – 3 at BAL, 3 at NYY, 3 v LAA, 4 v TB. Ouch.
16b. Diamondbacks (19)
Woy - Could Wade Miley possibly start for the NL in the All-Star game? It probably won't happen, but the fact that he's in discussion is incredible praise for a rookie.
Rudi - The #FREETREVORBAUER movement finally got what they wanted. Trevor Bauer is expected to start Thursday against the Braves. About damn time. That will be must-watch TV.
18a. Tigers (17b)
Woy - I wish the Tigers could have gotten a win for Max Scherzer after the death of his younger brother, but pitching the day after is incredible in itself.
Rudi - he Tigers have feasted on the NL Central in inter league play going 7-5 against the three top teams in the division. The 7 game road trip to Texas and Tampa Bay staring them in the face will not be easy.
18b. Blue Jays (12a)
Woy - It looks like the guy in the white shirt is starting to help Colby Rasmus.
Rudi - They are in last place in the division but are 2 games above .500. It doesn’t get much more exciting than the interleague match up of Toronto and Miami. Storylines galore.
20a. Athletics (21)
Woy - The A's are still hanging around .500 behind Josh Reddick's emergence, but Brandon McCarthy was recently placed on the DL.
Rudi - The A’s capped off a great week with an improbable 3 run walk off home run against the Giants. Oakland has won 9 of their last 12. Wow.
20b. Marlins (16)
Woy - Giving big money to closers is almost always a bad idea.
Rudi - Miami is 3-15 in their last 18 games. That is a really, really, really bad stretch of baseball.
22. Phillies (20)
Woy - Chase Utley's return will help the Phillies, but it might be too late for the five-time defending NL East champions.
Rudi - As bad as the Marlins have been this month, the Phillies are still in the basement in the NL East. Their upcoming 4-game series in the “Battle of Pennsylvania” against the Pirates should be fun to watch.
23. Brewers (23)
Woy - I kind of miss moneyman right now, because I don't feel like trashing Goobyslayer about this team compared to him.
Rudi - The Brewers and White Sox played two games that were scoreless after 9 innings over the weekend. Lucky for the Brewers offense, they face Mat Latos on Monday at GABP.
24. Royals (22)
Woy - How bad is the Royals pitching? Bruce Chen is still the team's leader in ERA with a 4.81 mark. Jonathan Broxton has been great when they actually get to him.
Rudi - The Royals had some problems keeping the Cardinals offense contained over the weekend – they allowed 30 runs in the 3 game series.
25a. Astros (26)
Woy - Wandy Rodriguez is going to make some contending team happy within the next month.
Rudi - Houston’s home/away split still blows my mind. 21-15 in Houston, 9-25 elsewhere.
25b. Mariners (25)
Woy - Danny Hultzen was recently called up to AAA. The minor league system is much more fun to watch for Seattle fans than the big league club.
Rudi - King Felix has gotten back on track giving up 2 ER in his last 2 starts with 17 Ks.
27. Twins (27)
Woy - Before tonight's win over Chicago, the Twins alternated wins and losses for eight straight games. Progress!
Rudi - I have no idea who the kid is, but Brian Dozier played some of the best defensive short stop I have seen in a long time against the Reds.
28. Padres (28b)
Woy - One of my best friends at my internship is a Padres fan. Yes, I'm just as shocked as you are that they exist.
Rudi - Legit question: who represents this team at the All-Star game? Edinson Volquez? Chase Headley? Chris Denorfia? Lol.
29. Rockies (28a)
Woy - The Rockies had their 2012 highlight tonight as they defeated Stephen Strasburg.
Rudi - Not sure how long the 4 man rotation/75-pitch limit nonsense can go but Jeremy Guthrie hope it ends soon. He surely can’t pitch 3 innings of relief every other night.
30. Cubs (30)
Woy - https://p.twimg.com/AwRuoBDCEAAl6xv.png This sums up the Cubs season.
Rudi - The Cubs are so bad it is sickening.
Woy's rankings:
Rudi's rankings:
