Power Rankings: Division racing heats up

The season is just over a full quarter, and while some teams have climbed to the top of their division standings with commanding leads, no one has broken away from the competition with a double-digit lead.

Even the Rays, who, if they continue like this, could threaten the record for wins in a single season, they have just a 2 1/2 game lead over the second-place Orioles. And every team in the AL East has a winning record, including the Blue Jays, who are in last place but are also three games over .500 at 25-22.

The biggest division lead is in the NL East, where the Braves hold a five-game lead over the Mets. As of this writing, 16 teams are leading their division or trailing by five games or less.

Biggest jump: The Mets jumped six spots from 19th to 13th. Given how their month of May began (11 losses in 16 games), it’s probably a bit premature to say they’ve gotten rid of whatever was weighing them down before. But things look better, after taking the first game After their doubleheader against the Guardians on Sunday, Justin Verlander edged out Shane Bieber in the night cup to extend the Mets’ winning streak to five.

biggest drop: The Phillies dropped six spots, from 13th to 19th. They lost five straight before their 12-3 victory over the Cubs home on Saturday, and they ended the week on a high note by winning on sunday too2-1.

1. Rays (34-14; last week: 1)

The Rays’ start to the season was so dominant that not even a losing road trip could detract from their breakneck pace that has made them Major League class. Even with a loss to the Brewers on Sunday, Tampa Bay is on pace for 115 wins, which would be one shy of the Mariners’ season-high 116 wins of 2001. Although the Rays were 4-6 on his recent swing through Baltimore and New York, they returned home to do what they usually do in the Trop — gain. They took two of three from the Brewers, and more will be tested in their next series against the Blue Jays and Dodgers.

2. Braves (29-17; last week: 2)

the Braves the rotation has taken a big hit with injuries lately, and after using six painkillers the day before, I needed two things from rookie Jared Shuster Sunday: duration and results. They both received. The 24-year-old left-hander limited the Mariners to one run in six innings and struck out seven batters. He Braves had a good week — after they were swept in Toronto the previous weekend, they took two of three from both the Rangers and Mariners. Despite the injuries, Atlanta’s rotation leads the National League with a 3.22 ERA heading into Monday.

3. Dodgers (29-19; last week: 3)

Speaking of pitching injuries, the Dodgers are another club trying to navigate through May without a handful of key starters. Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard are the only members of the Opening Day rotation still healthy, and the Dodgers just finished a regular week, taking two of three from the Twins before losing three of four in St. Louis. Individually, Freddie Freeman is on a tear — is hitting .442 (19-for-43) with 10 extra-base hits and 14 RBIs during an 11-game hitting streak. He’s increased his OPS by more than 100 points during that stretch.

4. Orioles (31-16; last week: 5)

5. Rangers (29-17; last week: 4)

The Rangers keep rolling — they hit the Rocky Mountains on Sunday, 13-3, capturing their 11th win in their last 14 games. They averaged 8.2 runs per game in those 11 wins. Sunday was the 12th time this season that Forest ranger scored double digits, the most in the majors. Corey Seager went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run in the Rangers’ win Sunday and is hitting .438 (7-for-16) with five extra-base hits and eight RBIs in four games. since he left IL.

The rest of the field of 30:

6. Yankees (last week: 8)
7. Stars (10)
8. Cufflinks (9)
9. Jays (6)
10. Red Sox (11)
11. D-backs (15)
12. Brewers (7)
13.Mets (19)
14. Sailors (12)
15. Pirates (17)
16. Angels (16)
17. Billfish (21)
18. Parents (14)
19. Phillies (13)
20. Cardinals (24)
21. Puppies (18)
22. Guardians (20)
23. Giants (22)
24. Tigers (23)
25. White Sox (28)
26. Rocky Mountains (26)
27. Reds (25)
28. Nationals (27)
29. Royals (29)
30.A (30)

Voting: Will Leitch, Alyson Footer, Anthony Castrovince, Paul Casella, Mark Feinsand, Nathalie Alonso, Mike Petriello, Sarah Langs, Arturo Pardavila, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Sweeny Murti, Doug Gausepohl, Travis Miller