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MLB Power Rankings: Royals climb to No. 4 on strength of bullpen

Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

MLB's third week of the season is in the books, which means the sample size is large enough to really see what each team is made of. The Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles made significant jumps in our rankings, while the San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, and Houston Astros lost ground.

The composite rankings were compiled by theScore MLB editors Jonah Birenbaum, Bryan Mcwilliam, Simon Sharkey-Gotlieb, George Halim, and Greg Warren.

1. Chicago Cubs

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
 14-5 16-3 1 (-)

It's scary how easy Jake Arrieta made that no-hitter look, but it's even scarier that Chicago is sixth in the NL in wRC+ without Jason Heyward or Jorge Soler doing anything.

2. Washington Nationals

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
14-4 13-5 2 (-)

Three weeks into the season, the Nationals' rotation owns a 2.38 ERA. So, yeah, it turns out the team with Bryce Harper doesn't give up runs, either.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
12-7 12-7 3 (-)

That Chase Utley deal is paying off handsomely so far, as he's hitting .319/.373/.464 on a team that isn't exactly raking at the moment. Luckily, the rotation has been terrific.

4. Kansas City Royals

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
12-6 11-7 6 (+2)

Seen this movie before: the Royals' bullpen is third in the AL in shutdowns, and neither Wade Davis nor Kelvin Herrera have allowed a run.

5. Toronto Blue Jays

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
10-10 11-9 5 (-)

Their unheralded rotation has exceeded expectations so far, and the bats are starting to come around: Toronto is hitting .278/.373/.430 over the last seven days.

6. San Francisco Giants

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
9-11 11-9 4 (-2)

No reason to panic, but getting swept in a four-game series with the Diamondbacks is unacceptable, even year or not.

7. New York Mets

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
10-7 11-6 8 (+1)

Their offense is coming to life and no one on the planet can seem to hit Noah Syndergaard. Jacob deGrom is back after a health scare with his newborn.

8. Boston Red Sox

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
9-9 9-9 7 (-1)

Boston didn't take advantage of a series against the struggling Rays, but showed some tenacity taking down the Astros in extras Sunday night to come away with a series win in Houston.

9. Texas Rangers

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
10-9 10-9 13 (+4)

The Rangers started the week strong with a sweep of Houston, but then dropped three straight to the White Sox. Yu Darvish begins his rehab assignment soon.

10. St. Louis Cardinals

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
10-8 13-5 11 (+1)

After an incredible start, Jeremy Hazelbaker has tailed off, while the Cardinals' offense has been almost non-existent. Luckily, Carlos Martinez and Jaime Garcia have been on point.

11. Pittsburgh Pirates

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
10-9 10-9 10 (-1)

The John Jaso experiment is working as the contact machine is hitting .344/.403/.469 and has yet to record an error at first base. But, the Pirates need more from leader Andrew McCutchen.

12. Baltimore Orioles

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
11-6 10-7 14 (+2)

After a red-hot start, Baltimore went 3-3 against the Blue Jays and Royals last week. Staying atop the AL East standings will be difficult after losing Yovani Gallardo for up to a month with a shoulder injury.

13. Detroit Tigers

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
8-9 8-9 9 (-4)

Jordan Zimmermann still hasn't allowed a run, Jarrod Saltalamacchia has been a revelation since James McCann's injury, but Miguel Cabrera and Justin Upton need to pick things up.

14. Houston Astros

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
6-13 7-12 12 (-2)

Arguably one of the best teams in baseball - and some analysts favor them to win the World Series this year - just not putting up wins, despite George Springer, Jose Altuve, and Carlos Correa all producing.

15. Chicago White Sox

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
13-6 12-7 16 (+1)

This team has been sneaky good thanks to its dominant rotation led by Chris Sale, who is 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four starts. We'll see how White Sox pitchers fare this week in hitter-friendly venues in Toronto and Baltimore.

16. New York Yankees

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
7-10 7-10 15 (-1)

The Yankees showed signs of life this weekend, but A-Rod's oblique injury is concerning. Man, this bullpen is fun to watch, though. And it'll be even better when Aroldis Chapman returns in a couple weeks.

17. Cleveland Indians

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
9-7 9-7 17 (-)

Michael Brantley is on the mend and close to a return, but Carlos Carrasco blowing a hamstring hurts the rotation. Maybe Trevor Bauer can fill the void?

18. Seattle Mariners

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
9-9 10-8 18 (-)

King Felix is the franchise's new strikeout king, but the Mariners can't seem to win at home. A 1-5 record at Safeco Field won't cut it if this team plans to contend in the AL West.

19. Colorado Rockies

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
9-9 8-10 19 (-)

The Rockies let wins against the Reds and Dodgers slip out of their hands this week. Their hot start to 2016 could be next.

20. Oakland Athletics

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
10-9 9-10 23 (+3)

The A's won't be atop the AL West come September, that much is sure. Still, this April run has shown this team may not be as bad as some thought.

21. Los Angeles Angels

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
8-11 7-12 20 (-1)

Albert Pujols has gotten off to a miserable start, just like most of the team. There's one piece of good news, though: Mike Trout's waking up.

22. Arizona Diamondbacks

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
10-10 10-10 22 (-)

A .500 start isn't exactly what the front office envisioned over the winter, but there's time to fix this. Sweeping the Giants in San Francisco will undoubtedly help.

23. Tampa Bay Rays

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
8-10 9-9 21 (-2)

Chris Archer's continuing struggles are concerning, but Drew Smyly's emergence has done a lot to help pick up the slack.

24. Cincinnati Reds

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
9-10 6-13 26 (+2)

Not a good week for the Reds. Cincinnati struggled to score, and on the pitching front, the Reds got pumped by the Cubs.

25. Milwaukee Brewers

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
8-11 6-13 25 (-)

Ryan Braun is hitting like it's 2011 again, but a 5.65 team ERA isn't going to cut it. Milwaukee opens the week with a daunting three-game set at Wrigley Field in Chicago. And yes, Arrieta will be pitching in the series.

26. Philadelphia Phillies

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
9-10 7-12 27 (+1)

What started as a rough week turned itself around into an average week, which was the best-case scenario given a date with Washington on the road is coming up.

27. Miami Marlins

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
6-11 7-10 24 (-3)

Ichiro had himself a game the other day, which reminded us that although he's wasting his final years in Miami, he's closing in on some historic personal milestones.

28. San Diego Padres

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
7-12 7-12 28 (-)

Given the circumstances, it could've been worse. The Padres are one of the NL's worst teams, and with the Giants and Dodgers coming up (on the road), life doesn't get any easier.

29. Minnesota Twins

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
5-14 7-12 29 (-)

After catching some heat after a brutal start, Minnesota fell back to its losing ways, dropping five games this week.

30. Atlanta Braves

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RK (CHANGE)
4-14 6-12 30 (-)

Awful. The worst team in the majors got worse, as the Braves have gone nearly two weeks without a home run, and since April 19 without a win.

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